Tuesday - February 28th

This is usually the end of February but we are in a leap year so we get an extra day in February tomorrow, the 29th. That means an extra day of Winter and brrrrr, it is chilly here in Vancouver with temperatures hovering around a high of 2 or 3 degrees. The good  news, is that the colder it gets, the sunnier it gets. Go figure, rain and warm or cold and sunny :-)

I am sitting in Starbucks as I type this as I usually go to Starbucks around 11 am and program until about 4 pm. For some reason, I see to work best in that atmosphere as the distractions are less than home and there are quite a few people working away on their laptops, so it is kind of like being in a office. The coffee (Americano with 2 brown sugars and half and half) is always fresh.

There are only 25 days left until I fly out to Bangkok, and eventually one week in Subang Jaya in Malaysia.

On another note, it has been 1 year since my official separation date in my marriage. It has been an interesting year with many ups and downs as I adjusted to my new life, new jobs, new friends, and a new life style. People often ask me if I am happy and the answer is yes. I do not wish to live my life in a rear view mirror when the vista out in front has so many possibilities and roads ahead that I can take.

I have decided to continue this blog but it is in need of a new title as it is no longer about Malaysia and my teaching experience. It will become more a blog on my new lifestyle and the road ahead.

So, if you have a name that makes sense, drop me a comment and suggest it. Possible titles are:

The Road Ahead
Dale's Diary of Adventure
Where in the World ...
The Scarlet Pimpernel (They Seek ...)
Jimbo's Travels
Monkey's Meanderings
Any Monkey Can ... But Not Many Do
The 4th Monkey
Monkey Tales
...

I really don't know where I will be living in a month and that would have scared the hell out of me 2 years ago, but now, I find it exciting and liberating ...TTYL,

Jim

2 Sunny Days in a Row!

Great news, the sun does exist and I have now seen it for 2 days straight. It really makes a difference in my mood and I I face the day.

Other than the sun, programming and maintenance of my programs is going well.

Take care, ttyl,

Jim

Vancouver Rain

I have had 2 days of real rain now. Up to now, it has only been drizzle, but I have found out that Vancouver can get real rain so I guess it is time to purchase an umbrella. It is the weekend, but I have quite a bit of programming to complete by the end of February so the rain will not bother me much. I have taken to programming in Starbucks which I have actually found been more conducive to getting work done.

I also purchased my ticket to Bangkok and I fly out March 24th which is a Saturday. With the international dateline, I arrive on February 26th. I am flying Air Canada to Seoul Korea and then Korean Air to Bangkok. I will be in Bangkok for a week and then I have  a week of work in Malysia and then back to Bangkok for 5 weeks.

I also had to apply for a new passport as I managed to fill my previous passport and was out of room for stamps. I have no idea what would happen if you arrived in a country and there was no room for a stamp, never mind the full page required for a visa.

I had best get back to work, so TTYL,

Jim

Monday Morning Sunshine

I woke to the sound of jack hammers outside my apartment but the sun was shining so I headed off to Starbucks to get some sun and do a little programming. It has since clouded over but I am looking at a high of 11 today and a high of 10 tomorrow so that beats sun and cold in my weather book.

I am thinking I should book my flight to South East Asia early this week. That means notifying my landlord that I will be leaving, as well as finding a place to store my belongings and a place to store my car. I suppose I could simply pay for the apartment for 2 months while I am in SE Asia but that would be $5K and it is quite possible I could end up in Ottawa when I come back, if I come back.

There are many unknowns at this point in my life. I can live very well on my pension in Thailand and if I stay in Canada, I have to augment my pension with some kind of income to live in the manner that I am accustomed to; decisions, decisions, decisions :-) At this point my life is planned up to the end of April and then I don't know what will happen. However it is nice to have choices.

I am hoping Jaime finds some time to visit me in Thailand for a weekend. It would be fun to show her around and introduce her to my friends.

TTYL,

Jim

Sunday at Starbucks

Sometimes it is a little boring programming at home, especially when it is monkey work. I have started getting into the practice of programming monkey work at Starbucks. It is a little more expensive when drinking coffee but I like the working atmosphere and seem to get more work done. There is not a lot of distractions and I find the few there are keeps me entertained when often I would get bored at home.

The Starbucks I frequent has a decent internet connection and I am using it at this moment to post this blog entry. I am into my 4th day of cloud and drizzle. We seldom get rain in Vancouver and I would characterize most of the precipitation as drizzle.

I think I will take a side trip to White Rock this afternoon as I have a hunger for some fish and chips and White Rock hass some nice outlets, right on the water that are inexpensive and tasty at the same time. I know they are open in the summer time and I hope the fish is as fresh and the outlets are open at this time of year. If not, it is still a chance to get out of the city into the country.

I am hard at work programming the SPA (Staff Performance Appraisal) software for the public school board in Ottawa. I am please with the user interface and the core code and how it functions. I have one module up and running and I am now engaged in monkey work, completing the other 5 modules. At some point I will have to go to Ottawa to integrate the software into their active directory to control access to the appraisals.

Time to logoff and head to White Rock,

TTYL,

Jim

TGIF

Yes, there is still TGIF when you are retired. Today I have to go to the passport issuing office and apply for a new passport. My passport does not expire until 2014 but it is full and there is no longer any space for visas or stamps. This time around I will ask for the larger version just in case I continue to travel as much.

I have also decided to go to a UBC basketball game for a basketball fix. UBC is a short 20 minutes away and it is an easy drive to get there so it should be fun.The other thing I have been meaning to do is buy a one day pass and travel around on public transportation and see where that takes me. However, I will wait for a bright sunshiny day.

I also have to book my flight to Bangkok. The cost with Air Canada at this moment is $450 one way which is awesome. I must check to see if April and May is starting to encroach on the rainy season in Bangkok. I think not but need to know whether to pack my brelli :-)

Must remember to file my income tax before leaving as it is due April 30th.

TTYL,

Jim

Name Change

I suppose I should change the name of this blog as I really will not be spending much time in Malaysia as I much prefer Thailand for many reasons. Might as well procrastinate on the name change for a while.

I have had a full week of sunshine now in Vancouver but it appears that is about to end as a new front moves in. I have not been doing too much except for going to the gym everyday, programming for 15 hours and a little reading on the side. I tried to watch the Superbowl yesterday but found it a little to slow for my liking.

I finally connected with Paul Cotton, Cathy and Alison on Sunday. We had brunch at Milestones and it was wonderful to see everyone again, especially Alison who played basketball for me. There is a special place in my heart for each and every girl that played for me. They were all special and the Cottons were not only good athletes, they both have Phd's, Celia in Mathematics, which should come as no surprise and Alison's in genetics.

Paul continues to work for Microsoft and travel the world in his standards work with the W3C. I always ask him what he is currently working on and the answer is always the same, "Jim, if I told you, I would have to shoot you afterwards".

Jordan is 2 months from graduating with his B'ed and Jaime is happy in Malaysia.

All is good, except I sometimes miss my life in Thailand. I will leave about April 1st.

TTYL,

Jim

Random Thoughts in the New Year

It is Thursday night and the weekend is almost here. It was a beautiful sunny day in Vancouver and the high was about 10. I have been spending way too much time programming and not enough time outside or in the gym. I joined the Steve Nash gym and try to get there every second day for a work out. It is a 3 minute walk from my condo so there is no excuse for not going.

I was just reflecting on the cruise ship that ran aground off the shore of Italy. That lead me to thinking that cruise ships are really the epitome of what is wrong with our world. I have been on cruise ships and I must admit I enjoyed them the first or second time, but not because of the ship as much as the places it took me. It is the grandest example of indulgence that is available to the general public. I am not sure if I will ever do it again for many reasons, some ethical, and some not. In some ports of call, the locals are not permitted on the beach until the cruise ship departs. Go figure. If you travel, get down and dirty and talk to the locals and spend some time with them. Your life will be more enriched for the experience.

I was also reflecting on monkeys and the 3 chimps, Larry, Steve, and Gabe. They were a lot of fun to be with and I would have to include Don (little Dude) as well as an honorary 4th chimp. I did find a statue of the chimps in my travels in South East Asia, and there is indeed, a 4th chimp. There is see no evil, hear no evil, say no evil, and a 4th chimp with an erect penis which I assume is do no evil.

I also then reflected that there are no female chimps in my list so I came up with 3 more honorary chimps. They are of course, Liz, Deb, and Linda. They are fine examples of what constitutes a chimp in my mind. They are lots of fun, like to drink, have a wicked sense of humor, especially wicked Wensley, and can take a kidding in stride and hand it right back.

I am in Vancouver until about the end of March and then I head back to South East Asia for about 6 or 7 weeks. After that I do not know where the wind will blow me. I guess I will look for a sign of some sort and let that dictate what happens for the foreseeable future.

TTYL,

Jim