my eJournal and images - Daily Since 2003

Some Designs are Never Complete

2024-10-24T13:55:00.019-07:00

Today's image might make for a confusing blog post today. It's a sort of a page within a page. However, I don't think I've blogged about blogging for a hell of a long time. Something prompted me to make a number of recent changes to the design of this 21-year-old blog. Changes are not unheard of. I do make modifications to the design of 'my eJournal and images' on occasion. I chalk it up to phases of the moon or some invisible muse stopping to visit.

One large difference is that I have completely eliminated the mobile-only pages. Now whether one visits via an enormous 65" TV monitor or with a miniscule phone, the same page is displayed. I apologize in advance if you're over 40 years old and using a tiny device.

There are now currently four tabs in the header. The first is the main page and shows the most recent post at the top with the week's remaining in reverse chronological order. The next tab shows my contact page with address, email, and phone numbers. The third tab is new and let's me occasionally post short things I find interesting. The final tab will take visitors directly to the location of thousands of my online images.

Here's a screenshot of the new Notes & Updates section found under the third tab from the left.

The bottom of the page is not visible in this graphic but it hasn't changed at all. You may scroll down to see it now. It shows the number of visitors for the last month, allows you to zoom directly to any month between the present and when the blog was started in 2003, and provides a search space for the entire site.

Unconnected to Reality

2024-10-23T17:40:00.010-07:00

I find it hard to believe that I've been playing with AI-generated images since August 2021. For more than three years, I've experimented with the awesome power of the new technology. And boy, did it improve over the time of my involvement!

Stunning conceptual, artistic, or authentic-looking images can be created with short text prompts. We've have never been able to believe photographs but now even that concept has become amazingly archaic today.

It surprised me that I've saved over 1400 AI-generated images in some online Flickr albums. I think it's time to take a little break and cancel my Midjourney subscription. I will undoubtedly get back to see what happens in this space in the future. But for now, at least for over the winter months, I shall give it a rest.

Five random recent images are included here just so you can look at a few.

In the Grocery Store

2024-10-22T18:55:00.011-07:00

Eggs from plants? Wouldn't they be like something called seeds?

Ah yes, I see, a plant-based egg substitute!

I marvel at the number and variety of items available to consumers today. Stores do cater to niche markets. We may complain about the rising cost of groceries, but we're lucky to be able to buy nearly anything from anywhere at any time of year.

A Different Space and Time

2024-10-21T15:21:00.015-07:00

In this blog posting today, I have decided to share two scanned photographs taken at around the same time but in vastly different locations.

The first snapshot was taken in Sunapee, New Hampshire during a college summer. I am leaning against a car. The picture was taken in front of The Harbor Gameroom and originally came from a copy that Bret took. The old Ford Pinto was still on the road but it was in pretty poor shape after its roll-over.

The next photograph was taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was shot at the Hotel Janaki. The year was also 1979. Four employees are in front of a Sri Lankan mural in the hotel's restaurant. Jay, who's standing second from the left, was working at his first job with these friends.

We didn't meet for another six years when I joined him by working at the same company in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Since then, we've been hanging around together in many different places for over 39 years.

A Nice Day to Sit by the Fire

2024-10-20T17:19:00.003-07:00

It is relatively easy to classify this as a do-nothing kind of day.

We did drive uptown to buy some milk. Therefore, we were able to walk through the uptown mall. Although there were more periods without rain compared to yesterday, the atmospheric river continued to greatly affect our weather. We had hours of downpours and no visible sunshine.

Jay and I talked a bit more about plans for a June 2025 trip. It was fun talking about the idea of a Viking River Cruise of the Eastern European section of the Danube River. However, we are still leaning towards overland travel between Trieste, Italy to Bucharest, Romania. We did some more checking on flights but didn't come to any specific conclusions.

Don't Blame It on the Rain

2024-10-19T16:10:00.017-07:00

We knew it was a rainy day coming up. Today, we saw the continuation of our season's first atmospheric river. These weather systems line up over the Pacific during winters and, like the end of a hose, dump tons of rain on our coast. October seems early but 90 to 150 mm of rain is expected in much of the area with totals of over 180 mm near the mountains and in localized regions.

So, today's rain wasn't an unexpected visitor. It was the final day of voting in the British Columbia Provincial Elections. We didn't vote early thinking it'd be easier to wait for the real day and walk to the closest polling station that is only a couple of blocks from our buildings. Yet, after seeing the rain on the balcony, we reckoned we might get less wet if we were to drive. Exactly for the time it took us, which was only a few minutes, the rain let up and the warm wind from the tropics lessened.

There were other errands to do. We'd made reservations to have our seasonal flu shots at a downtown New Westminster pharmacy. As we're over 65, we got invitations via the provincial health portal. Ordinarily we would've walked but the SkyTrain promised to offer shelter and we didn't need to go outdoors at all.

It took a few minutes longer than normal as the SkyTrain in the opposite direction was temporarily suspended. The wind was very strong and as caution, busses were taking people across the river. The SkyTrain bridge is very exposed to the winds coming up the Fraser River and pelting our city. We had to wait a short while to get to the platform but there was little delay. Jay was scheduled for 1:00 pm and mine was at 1:05. We were done by 1:06 but needed to stay in the store for ten minutes to ensure we had no adverse reaction.

So although the storm was quite strong, it didn't affect our day much. It has let up a bit but this won't be over until tomorrow or Monday.

Celebrating Ten Years of Retirement!

2024-10-18T16:26:00.055-07:00

This photo is featured in 'my eJournal and images' today. This wasn't the first time though. It was first published here exactly ten years ago tomorrow.

I surprised Jay with a few balloons and a small store-bought cheesecake in 2014. That was the final time he put in full a day of official work at Covenant House Vancouver.

He beat me into retirement, but I wasn't far behind. Three days after blowing up those balloons, I gave my final final exam at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. This was the last batch of students I ever taught. The following photo was taken on the BCIT library steps after a work assignment exactly ten years ago this Sunday.

During the years since the photos, this decade of our lives has been great, including some of our most amazing years ever!

The Season's First Atmospheric River

2024-10-17T16:38:00.023-07:00

It is

now

on its

way!

Batten

down

the

hatches

and

review

all winter

escape

plans.

Change of Pace

2024-10-16T16:45:00.003-07:00

I usually walk uptown on Wednesdays for exercise but I didn't today.

Our family doctor works in a clinic just across the street, so first I went to the office to get a print-out of a blood test lab requisition for Monday. I had consulted with Dr. Huang on the phone. Although the request should be available right on the lab's computers, I still don't mind carrying a paper version as backup.

I brought it back up to the apartment and, then walked down Columbia street toward the other end of downtown.

Although I haven't really lost inches around my waist, I know that eventually my weight loss will force me into smaller pants. Call it 'aiming for a goal'. I picked up some unworn-looking pants at the Thrift Shop. I already have a pair of jeans that are two inches too small around the waist. When we get back in the spring, I'm pretty sure most of the trousers I'm presently wearing are going to be a bit too baggy.

I was a Boy Scout. I'm always prepared!

I crossed the tracks and returned to the apartment by walking through Pier Park along the edge of the Fraser River. Our apartment is in the taller building with the green balconies towards the right side of the following picture.

No Two Snowflakes ...

2024-10-15T18:15:00.012-07:00

Almost exactly a year ago, I bought Ancestry DNA kits on an Amazon sale for Jay and me. That meant a bit of a rush for their labs and it took a few extra days to get results. I was not going to start creating family trees or search for old family documentation. I simply thought it'd be fun to see if my results were the same as my expectations. Also, increasing the number of individuals in Ancestry's datasets helps them refine and isolate new information.

In fact, an interesting thing is that one's results can change over time. One's DNA is not different, rather an increased number of profiles allows for the inclusion of updated data. Today, I received an email notification of updates to my Ancestral Regions. The category called, England & Northwestern Europe dropped a lot because of the addition of additional European regions to my data.

We are all extremely unique and these DNA results are simply best-guess ranges. That new 1% from Sardinia probably doesn't mean anything. Yet, I find it amazing that the science is developing at such a rapid pace.

Our Thanksgiving 2024

2024-10-14T22:06:00.003-07:00

Canadian Thanksgiving is now often defined by our trip to Richmond, BC. Shinji and Ed put on a feast that has become our tradition. Jay and I got in car at about 3:10 pm but arrived at their place at Dover Crescent early. This may have been the first time we were invited on the holiday Monday.

Luckily, this year, everybody was in town, so we got to visit with Jiwan and Tim too.

Canadian Thanksgiving occurs at a perfect time of the year. It aligns directly with the fall harvest season. During the past week, Jay and I have noticed enormous high-altitude formations of Canadian geese congregating in Vs and heading out for warmer climes. We too will be doing something similar in a few weeks. So this special meal helps make a fitting and precious run up to the end of our summers in British Columbia.

After appetizers, we moved to the dining table and ate too much food, as is always the case. Even though we ate our fill, I don't think we made much of a dent in the turkey. In fact there was much more food than we managed to stuff down.

The wine continued to flow freely. As desert, the handcrafted pumpkin pie was excellent. The specialty chocolate pieces were heavy and delicious. I'm sure the seat belt on the way home fit a little snugger than when getting there.

Putting Off a Furniture Purchase

2024-10-13T15:38:00.017-07:00

We haven't been breaking into peoples' homes to snap photos of their belongings. We quit doing that a long time ago! No, we got pleasantly dizzy running around the maze of showrooms at the IKEA in Coquitlam.

We were pretty much assured that we had decided on our new leather couch after visiting earlier in this summer. We'd downloaded the specs of the loveseats and insured it was exactly what we wanted. We were going to execute the purchase today.

Yet once we sat in the display model again today, it just didn't seem right for us. I like the color and the design. However, Jay mentioned that the back did not rise enough from the back of the cushions. We often sit with our heads against our current loveseat back when watching TV. We sat for a while and changed our minds about this piece of furniture. It didn't seem possible to truly relax in their pricy VISKAFORS. So, although it was 90% of what I was looking for, we didn't fork over a credit card today.

I guess we can leisurely search for something better when we return home next spring.

Great Weather for the Start of the Canadian Thanksgiving Long Weekend

2024-10-12T19:08:00.002-07:00

It is the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend! In Canada the holiday is always on the second Monday of October.

We have an invitation to the big turkey meal at Ed and Shinji's home on Monday. People here sometimes have their Thanksgiving meal on Saturday or Sunday. However, as our hosts are now retired as are most of the guests, we can easily meet on Mondays, or any day for that matter. The flexibility is nice.

We went shopping this morning as usual. It was definitely busier than on a normal Saturday. So many people were picking up Thanksgiving things. I love grocery shopping when all the traditional fall harvest items are for sale.

Our First Visit to La Forêt

2024-10-11T16:52:00.002-07:00

I met Jay at his Rec. Center in Burnaby. He generally goes to the gym at Bonsor three mornings a week. They host special timings when the gym is reserved for seniors. He often comes back and tells me some of the people he talks with during his visits.

He was mentioning a lady with whom he often talks. They'd been planning meeting for coffee or lunch after the gym. Today, I took the Skytrain and met up with Jay after he finished his workout. We walked with his friend from the Recreation Centre to La Forêt, a cafe on Jubilee which serves lunch.

The cafe is local with only two branches in Burnaby and one in Coquitlam. This one had nice trees in the center with a trendy industrial vibe. I had a chicken panini with salad and potatoes. It was nice meeting and talking while we had some lunch. I'm sure it'll happen again soon.

In BC for Another Month

2024-10-10T16:14:00.008-07:00

On the evening of November 10th, we'll be checking into a hotel in Baniyas Square in Dubai. We're getting in several nights prior to Jay's sisters' flight to Dubai from Sri Lanka. Then, from the 12th, we'll all be staying at a 2-bedroom apartment hotel near the BurJuman Center. This will be the third time we've done something similar. The girls are going again for a shopping trip and sightseeing. After just 10 days, they'll fly home and Jay and I will head off on our winter to explore a bit of Africa.

It's hard for me to fathom that all starts in just a month from tonight! Our view will be different than this view of downtown New Westminster, BC. The temperatures during our travels should be warmer than the expected low of 6°C here tonight too.

Wednesday's Walk

2024-10-09T19:26:00.007-07:00

As today was Wednesday, it was one of my days to get in some walking. In order to get maximum benefits from my Ozempic, I'm determined to include a lot exercise as part of my routines.

It's been nice reconnecting to the neighbourhoods that make up my compact city. Today, I included the 2.5 km trail along the eastern side of Queen's Park. Then I walked up 6th Avenue where I took today's picture. Next, I went into the uptown Walmart and back down 6th Street. It took me 1 hour and 21 minutes to travel 5.76 kilometers. I had an average Fitbit heart rate zone of 130 bmp and burned an estimated 903 calories.

The exercise is good for my body but the scenery is beneficial for my soul.

The Power

2024-10-08T17:08:00.009-07:00

We'd known about an impending interruption to our electricity supply for at least a month. In our building complex, we have annual maintenance in the electrical vault. First, the city engineers came to the public street vault to turn off everything to our buildings. They did that before 9:10 am. Then, our contractor was able to begin the required maintenance in our condo power supply room. Eight hours were set aside to complete all tasks, but everything is generally up in running in half of that window.

So, this morning, Jay and I drove uptown to waste some time in the mall and at London Drugs. We also went to the specialty whole foods store. The weather was decidedly not as pleasant as yesterday. Consequently, we noticed that the rain and wind will soon strip the local deciduous trees of their leaves, and therefore any autumn colours as well.

We returned early and were about to use a Subway coupon to buy a foot-long down on Columbia Street, when the electricity returned at about 12:45. The New West Hydro guys had come back and got the power flowing. How nice to have lights and heat. Oh and we also welcomed the wifi because that means TV, radio, and telephone connections.

Being without electricity seems weird. Because we live in downtown New Westminster, hydroelectric power lines from northern BC dams head directly into our central location. I can remember losing our power in an unscheduled outage only one time in all the years we've lived here.

The New Westminster Waterfront Esplanade

2024-10-07T16:23:00.021-07:00

Jay and I walked past the new Pier West towers yesterday. Years of construction work had discouraged us from stopping at the popular area along the western end of downtown New Westminster's riverfront.

Seeing the Quay encouraged me to walk the whole length of the Waterfront Esplanade today, especially because of how nice the weather was. I strode past the public quay and the 'World's Tallest Tin Soldier' both going and returning!

For a month or so, I've been trying to put in four or more kilometer walks for exercise. I've been doing these on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Today, was the first day I didn't walk uptown though. My Fitbit still rewarded me with similar statistics. For example, I managed to burn an extra 619 calories in one hour and seven minutes. During the outing, I averaged 118 bmp in Fitbit's heartrate zones. My trip west and back totaled 4.25 kilometers.

So although I got in my exercise this morning, I was happy just to enjoy the scenery along the Fraser River in our downtown. The temperature was around 19°C at the time. The sunshine felt wonderful.

We have never once had a single regret in the choice of our adopted little city in the geographic center of the Metro-Vancouver area.

A Closer Look at the Pier West Towers

2024-10-06T18:18:00.003-07:00

From the balcony we have two huge new towers that block a bit of our view to the southwest and down the Fraser River. The development has been going on for a very long time. Of course, the land along the river had to be prepared for such large buildings. The project is well over one year late most probably due to COVID-19 supply chain issues and delays.

During these years of ongoing construction, we have felt somewhat cut off from the New Westminster Quay. However, earlier this week, we noticed cars and pedestrians walking along a formerly closed street next to Pier West. We decided that a Sunday morning walk was required so we could see the area for ourselves.

The restaurants in the Quay were busy even though the main walkway over the train tracks to the Hyack Square was closed. We could not walk all the way to Westminster Pier Park along the new boardwalk but we were able to get a better idea of the future.

Next summer is going to be more awesome as we will be able to reconnect with that end of the downtown riverfront.

Plenty of Pumpkins

2024-10-05T18:55:00.005-07:00

This morning was our regular grocery shopping routine.

The Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam sure had a lot of pumpkins today. Perhaps, it was a good summer for gourds. We should go see for ourselves, I guess.

This Year's Escape from Winter

2024-10-04T17:46:00.011-07:00

I walked uptown in the rain this morning. I noticed a new advertising screen near the mall entrance.

Yeah, that info looks about right for this time of year! The rain has pretty much cleared out now that it's the early evening. However, we've already prepared our winter escape routes.

We've got five more weeks in British Columbia before we leave for four months. During those months, things will be wetter and cooler here but we'll still be able to get a taste of it as we return in mid-March.

Only our first couple of weeks will be in Dubai, a place we know well. The remainder of our time will be spent in Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritius, and South Africa. Oh, and we get day stops on Reunion Island and in Mozambique too.

All this winter's travel should help us fill out more of our exploration of the world.

Variety is Awesome

2024-10-03T19:13:00.006-07:00

We have a favourite shop where we buy fruit and vegetables. For years, perhaps decades, we've been visiting the Langley Farm Market on Kingsway. They get a great selection of local produce in season.

In a small space, they cram a whole lot of food products too, including an extensive meat selection and deli. The products on the shelves are generally specialties and they contain new products nearly every time we go. Today, these small French jams looked interesting. I didn't buy any to sample.

We're very lucky to have extensive grocery opportunities in the Metro-Vancouver area. We're able to buy products from a vast number of our local ethnic communities. The population of the area ensures we get access to items from around the world.

Time at the Office

2024-10-02T17:44:00.006-07:00

Service Canada has an office just up the street. They're the federal government offices responsible for Employment Insurance, National Work Pensions, and Old Age Security. I had to check on the status of an application because I turned 65 in July.

It wasn't crowded. Everyone tried to be helpful. However, I was there longer than expected.

The 'Museum of the Future' in Dubai

2024-10-01T16:11:00.014-07:00

One fascinating aspect of re-exploring the city of Dubai is seeing how it is constantly changing.

I was visiting the UAE with Jay and his sisters last December. We had the chance to take a small look at the new Museum of the Future. We were sad we could not view the exhibits though, because all tickets were sold out for our entire stay. However, we did enjoy getting off the Metro to see the 3D-printed building up close. We walked around it and were able to explore just the lobby.

You can read a bit about it on Wikipedia. Or visit the museum's web site.

I'm including these pictures today as Jay was clever enough to think ahead for our upcoming time back in Dubai. Next month, we'll meet up with his sisters and a friend from Sri Lanka there again. This will be how we kick off the beginning of our winter. We have planned just 10 days together and when the others return to Sri Lanka, Jay and I will begin our exploration of parts of east and southern Africa.

However, so as to ensure we won't again miss the opportunity to see the museum, Jay bought online tickets this morning! This time, we'll get to see more than the outside and the lobby!

Facing Up to History

2024-09-30T17:16:00.007-07:00

It was a little cold today but had some sunny moments. I walked 5.5 kilometers on a large loop in my city of New Westminster, BC.

Today was a statutory holiday in Canada as the 30th of September is the Day of Truth and Reconciliation. It is a time to remember the terrible wrongs done in the name of the government and the church to the First Nations' people of Canada. It was policy to grab the children from homes and send them off, often at a long distance, to a residential school. Many children were abused and an estimated 6000 kids died while attending them. Over the past few years, this has become the day to focus on learning the history of the situation and work on ways to rectify the lasting and continuing consequences.