cloudy sky

Travel - Promotions, and Status

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:22:00 +0000

For some odd reasons I have been occupied in travel promotions and pursuing statuses - hotels and airlines. Let's recap before I lose track

Oct 2011
- applied and received AMEX Platinum (50K MR sign-up bonus, free airport lounges, FHR benefits)

Dec 2011
- got free Club Carlson Silver and Radisson big night 50K giveaway
- transferred 50K AMEX MR into 60K Aeroplan during the 120% transfer promotion

Apr 2012
- got Fairmont Platinum status by charging 5 nights to AMEX Platinum
- got free Hilton Gold
- got free Accor Club Platinum
- got free Best Western Diamond (from status match)
- AMEX Platinum comes with SPG Gold but I kept failing to get that so I give up

May 2012
- Applied & approved for new AMEX Business Gold ($125 GCR rebate + 25K MR bonus)
- got free 90-day Hyatt Platinum
- will get more Club Carlson points from stays at Radisson (50K), and Country Inn (44K) x 2 persons
- pursuing Aeroplan Star Challenge (70 stars for myself, brother, and wife for free 16500 miles each)

July 2012
- should become Star Alliance Silver after trip to SFO via Aegean A3 (4000 miles)

Sep 2012
- flights to Taiwan should push me closer towards Star Alliance Gold (another 16000 miles)

ELLA - Y0.M15 Ella is Travelling

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:30:00 +0000

It's been a while since I posted Ella updates, partly because she hasn't changed much physically
- 81 cm
- 11 kg
- 9 teeth

However, she has joined us on our West Coast trip for a week (was a perfect child) and will join us more for trips to US and Taiwan later this year

We are indeed using the children-under-2-fly-for-free benefit a lot more than I thought, but only because Ella loved to travel, just like her daddy, and travel creates the most beautiful memories

Trip - 2012 West Coast - Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:18:00 +0000

I took a trip to the West Coast for mid-April 2012

Our stops were Calgary YYC - Lake Louise - Jasper - Banff - Calgary YYC - Vancouver YVR - Victoria - Vancouver
We had 8 adults plus 3 children in total, plus 10+ luggages

Before I start with details in future blog posts, here are some highlights I can recall

Asian people really love the snow :)
15-passenger vans are hard to find but they are useful, especially when you have so many people and luggages. It is long, tall, and eats gas
Thank you American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts (AMEX FHR) for the upgrades and free breakfast/dinner. The Lake Louise upgrade would forever be remembered

As an added bonus, I earned points & miles, and Fairmont Platinum!!)

We saw tons of wild life close up (no bear though) - sheep, goat, deer, elk
There were some amazing sights

Victoria's Butchart Garden - breathtaking
Rocky Mountains covered with snow - stunning
Children playing with each other - just make an adult trip more real/fun

Ella was so good this trip that everyone was amazed by her, and she made our trip a lot more fun

Thanks all for making this trip happen, and more to come

March Update

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:26:00 +0000

March Update

We took Ella to Baby Boutique and bought her first walking shoes (softshell Pediped) for her ($30)
Since I had 3 Toronto Zoo GroupOn tickets expiring ($30), we all took a trip to Toronto East and stayed overnight @ Radission Toronto East. Visited the Pacific Mall, Asian Legend for dinner, IKEA North York. Funny, I spent probably $200 in hotel/food, trying to use my $30 tickets
Next day is Toronto Zoo in COLD chilly weather, all the animals but Polar Bear were hiding :)

過了一個月的壞運更新 Follow-ups to my previous BAD LUCK entry, after a month
---------------------------------------
爸爸開始牙痛和頭痛
回台灣後去拔了幾顆牙齒和洗牙等等所以牙齒真的很重要現在要求他們固定洗牙

Jason落枕
過了一星期後慢慢自然好了不過下次應該會拜訪中醫師針灸先聽說可以兩三天好轉

唯一的同事離職
一個月後還是自己一個人撐一個部門新同事不是被Legal就是遠水就不了近火
隨便了一個月後放假還要苦求要求加薪加假都碰到軟釘子我也得要照顧自己先了～

車子東西被偷
東西沒有回來不過我在雜亂的手套箱裡面找回了$400的禮卡（夾在地圖裡面）太高興了車子亂也是有好處的自己都不知道在哪裡了小偷怎麼找得到
---------------------------------------

中醫針灸
上個週末找機會去看中醫沒想到也認識台灣的朋友這世界真小
丁醫師人也不錯幫我們把脈針灸拔罐希望公司報帳沒問題而已
第一次針灸的感覺有點詭異肌肉有點緊張不過多次可能就習慣了
拔罐呢背後現在都是圓圈圓圈不知道該高興還難過希望能氣血通暢
錢包被偷
最氣的應該是中醫結束要走的時候發現老婆包包裡面的皮夾不見了
可是我外套裡面皮夾等都沒事懷疑是有人（流浪漢？）偷溜進來辦公室偷走了
因為一個小時以後正當我在研究怎樣報失就接到電話說有人找到皮夾了
他是在他辦公樓後面的樓梯旁邊發現的錢都沒了證件沒事
只能說防人之心不可無從今以後真的要小心行事車子和個人錢財都要小心

ELLA - Y1M0 Ella is ONE YEAR OLD 一歲了

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:28:00 +0000

轉眼之間 Ella真的一歲了(Feb 7) 時間過的好快
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA~

他的身體成長和之前比較緩慢許多不過心智成長逐漸增強
動作越來越有邏輯被人追會跑也會追人跑

他已經可以聽懂掰掰吐舌頭也會用手指頭比他想要的東西或方向
目前還在訓練的有「喊有要舉手」

真心希望他到兩歲前都過的健健康康快快樂樂啊

他有個豐富的一歲啊
提早抓周 - 抓了半天全部東西都抓花最多時間的應該算信用卡和計算機吧

同樣的一個星期發生了許多許多事（請看blog文章）

貼上幾張照片和影片

Ella累到吃飯睡著超級可愛~

人生就是無常和徒勞無功啊

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:58:00 +0000

套句「那些年我們一起追的女孩」的台詞人生本來很多事情就是徒勞無功啊～

1. 上星期爸媽來訪 星期二 爸爸要去美國出差結果要搭飛機當天才發現美簽在沒有帶來的舊護照上面所以整個美國行程只好取消

2. 取消後爸爸開始牙痛和頭痛 星期四 去給醫生看過以後發現嚴重蛀牙需要根管治療Root Canal 因為即將離開加拿大所以先開止痛藥回台灣在找牙醫治療

3. 爸爸星期六離開 Jason就有點落枕的跡象脖子不能轉動移動會痛
星期天等了兩小時看醫生醫生看了說應該是muscle spasm 開止痛藥和肌肉鬆弛藥
到今天星期三早上為止都還沒有真的好轉的跡象只有一點點的比較不痛
這幾天無法上班好好睡覺一直熱敷也不知道何時可以完全恢復

4. 星期一 唯一的同事離職了只剩下我一個人獨稱大局管理公司資料庫
當下真的無言以對擔心自己要24/7值班會累垮一方面開始想找出路
因為一個人真的無法負荷兩個人的工作啊更別提目前沒有任何誘因值得考慮

5. 星期二 發現原來加拿大認識的朋友一點也不是朋友許多的付出換來冤枉只能說心寒

6. 星期三早上上車上班發現東西亂灑在座椅喔喔果然車門好像沒完全關緊所以沒鎖好結果小偷跑進來偷了我車上的Canadian Tire Gift Card 大概$200-$300 偷了我上禮拜剛買的TomTom GPS （可是沒拿專用的充電器也沒用真是哭笑不得）還有竟然零錢和Canadian Tire Money都拿人心世下啊我在猜應該是teenagers拿的車上另一台舊的GPS剛好被紙擋住所以沒被偷走所以總共損失大概$600-$700
打電話給年費$400的AMEX 竟然說車子裡面被偷的東西不能保險家裡的可以又一個三條線...
唉我最心疼的竟然是我的新GPS 上禮拜剛買拿到車上測試沒有收進來竟然就這樣不見了
只能說花錢銷災以後真的要多注意車子和家裡的門都要鎖還以為自己住在安全社區呢～

結論
1. 人真的健康最重要啊！
2. 朋友患難見真情家人則是一輩子當你最脆弱的時候願意陪在你身旁照顧你
3. 壞事來的時候擋也擋不住而且會一起來上星期二到今天星期三一個星期內發生的事情比我一個月碰到的不如意還多
4. 我原來滿心歡喜安排的四月西岸旅遊現在也懸在空中影響的是11個人啊！即使加薪或假期也不是我想要的啊

祈禱希望烏雲過後太陽會出現而我的問題會一一解決和越來越好～

大時代需明大是非

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:26:00 +0000

大時代需明大是非

大劫難需養大慈悲；

大無明需要大智慧，

大動亂需要大懺悔。

TRIP - 2011 Christmas in Washington DC

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:25:00 +0000

Pictures - picked among 1500 pictures
Map

Intro
I have the Christmas week off from work and didn't want to stay at home for 1.5 weeks. So I started looking for short-haul flight destinations, and Southwest happens to have a sale Buffalo to Baltimore for $100 round-trip vs. much higher fares for NYC/Boston/LA/Las Vegas/Florida

I have wanted to visit Washington DC for many years (for Cherry Blossom, and that I've never been to DC), so the decision was easily made and thankfully I booked a good 4 full days in DC to truly enjoy everything it has to offer.

Lastly, all attractions are FREE in DC, so we can come in and out easily, with a baby

12/24 Travel Day

Left home late (10 am instead of 9 am) and arrived at Buffalo airport only 20 minutes ahead of departure. Thankfully the US custom only took 30 minutes and hotel shuttle was fast. Southwest flights felt really short and rushed because we fed Ella on the plane, and SW still gives free drinks and peanuts/pretzels.
Upon arrival at Baltimore, we had food court lunch and took the B30 bus ($6/person) to Greenbelt Metro and subway's to Crystal City to walk to our hotel, and went out for Thai food for dinner.

12/25 Christmas

As it's X'mas, everything is closed, except the US Botanic Garden, with its miniature train display. We also saw the US Capitol and its X'mas tree.
We visited the White House front lawn to see the National Christmas Tree

12/26

Walk of the Town FREE Tour - 3 hours, tip-only, awesome guide Tim
Visited the National Air & Space Museum for 2 hours - it's huge and lots to see
Walked to Safeway Grocery store to buy Ella's food

12/27 the only rainy day

We went back to the Air & Space Museum for a tour @ 10:30-1 pm
Visited the Old Post Office Tower for a sky view of the DC
As it rains today, we visited National Archives (waited 20 minutes to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights)
Ended in the National Museum of Natural History - Mammals, Ocean, Dinosaurs

12/28

Library of Congress - Thomas Jefferson Building, missed the tour as it was full
US Capitol Tour - Definitely worth taking as guides take you to see the Rotunda dome
Took the Maryland MARC train to BWI airport, and again, last ones to board (our names were called urgently in the PA system, that's a first)

12/29 Buffalo

Checked out with leisure, visited Target ($40) and Walden Galleria for PF Chang Happy Hour
Drove home to see snow @@

Transportation, Safety, Food
Overall DC is easy to get around on the Metro, unfortunately the National Mall area (especially the West Mall where monuments/memorials are) still can only be walked around vs. every attraction has a Metro stop within 5 minutes. Be prepared to WALK A LOT!!
Getting to/from airport (BWI or IAD) can be annoying though, allocate 1.5 hour each way

Safety is very good with police around all the time, never felt in danger even at night

Food We didn't dine out much, in part due to the rush schedule, holidays closing, and free breakfast/dinner from the Residence Inn hotels (3 breakfasts, 2 dinners)

Hotel
Night 1 - Radisson Reagan National Airport - $100 USD

This was actually a last minute addition, thanks to the Radisson's "Earn 50000 points for 1 night stay". Club Carlson 50000 points is enough for one free night in Europe 5* hotel, so I shorten my Marriott stay and paid $90 (+tax/fees) for a stay at Radisson with free breakfast. Think of it as "Pay $100 for a fancy hotel stay in future". Some people even found a loophole of "phantom stay" where they found a Texas Radisson to check-in over the phone. People called from Ireland, geez
Turns out, I earned 60000 points instead of 50K, due to bonus here and there!! I love them already

Night 2~4 - Marriott Residence Inn DC/Capitol, with Kitchen. $432 USD

This was the highlight of our trip, because Wendy wanted a Kitchen, Fridge to prepare baby food, so our choices were very limited in DC, and Priceline/Hotwire is out of the question due to their "unknown hotel" nature, so Residence Inn it is...plus Marriott has a MegaBonus promotion running, where you earn 1 free night after 2 stays (but I won't get it as I only booked 1 stay of 3 nights, and not 2 stays of 1+2 nights...Marriott wouldn't extend the courtesy, so I won't stay at Marriott either in future)
Best part about Residence Inn, we have free breakfast daily, and free dinner M-W. For 3 of us that was quite a saving, as we received 3 breakfast and 2 dinners in total (that's 15 meal portion). Not to mention the food is actually decent and the kitchen staff best of the best with friendly attitude and prompt speed.

Breakfast

DIY Waffle, Sausage/Burger/Potato, Cereal, Oatmeal, Banana/Apple/Yogurt, Juice

Dinner

Cabbage roll/mashed potato, Teriyaki chicken/noodle + Salad/Soup + Bread/Garlic bread + Drinks

Night 5 - Buffalo Marriott Niagara - $60 (=$77 USD) - Pricline

A 5-day parking would've cost ~$60 at airport parking, so instead I just booked a hotel (with free parking) for the same price, and we get to stay over upon returning from DC, win-win. The hotel is nothing to write home about, typical 3-3.5* hotel with no amenities but many parking.

Expenses
Transportation
Flights Buffalo (BUF) to Baltimore BWI) = $120x3 ($360) - so cheap vs. flying out of Toronto
B30 Bus $6x3 ($18), MARC train $6x3 ($18), Metro cards $20x3 ($60)
Walk of the Town tips $20x2 ($40)
Gas $50

Food
Lunches = BWI $20, Post Office $20, American Indian $30, Walden $20, Capitol $20
Dinners = Urban Thai $80, BWI $35, PF Chang $55
Snacks from T&T = $40
Safeway $27

Shopping
Souvenirs $23
Target $40
Stroller Rain Covers $50
Basketball shorts $72
Old Navy $13

Tips here and there - $5, $5

Total (thanks to Excel) is about $1600 for all 3 of us, 6 days/5 nights in DC/Buffalo

Notes

Next time, leave EARLIER than expected to not miss the flights
DC people are really friendly everywhere
Winter was very kind to us, giving us almost 10C sunny weather for 3 out of 4 days
There are so many movie references - National Treasure, Nights at Museum
What's left to see next time, and needs another 3-4 days

National Zoo, Kennedy Center, National Air and Space Museum - Udvar-Hazy Center

Ella - she was so cooperative in many ways: she napped in her stroller when she's tired, doesn't cry for food or nap, and she's curious to see/touch new things. We are so thankful for her kindness as we cannot imagine this trip with Ella fuzzy 24/7

Conclusion
I am glad we took the trip to truly enjoy a vacation away from home, in warmer weather. Even though we were tired from the walking, travel, baby-caring, it is a great X'mas memory. Sometime in future I would like to re-visit in DC in non-winter seasons.

ELLA - Y0.M11 Ella is almost One Year Old

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:18:00 +0000

Sorry I skipped the Y0.M10 post, because of busy schedule and not much new happened

Month 11 has a lot more to tell because Ella had her first Christmas, and New Year!!
Plus she went on a week trip with us to United States, showing how good of a girl she is~

她有六七顆牙齒一段時間咬人會痛了而且他咬人用力到全身顫抖
現在會開始一直要試著站起來了可以30到60秒沒問題有時候他自己還沒發現
吃的食物越來越多喝奶越來越少
現在還是跟我們一起睡小姐需要爸媽陪睡睡得東倒西歪的踢來踢去不過這也是一輩子的回憶吧

Pictures

Aeroplan devaluation, and 2012 Mini-RTW

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I meant to post this when Aeroplan was busy de-valuing itself in Nov 2011.

Then December 2011 came and they ran a "secret promotion" to redeem Business class for only 75000 miles, same as redemption for Economy class. Normally one needs 125K miles to redeem Business class so this was a great promotion (that lasted 2.5 weeks to everyone's surprise). We took advantage of booking one Mini-RTW trip to Taiwan for Summer 2012, so now I feel slightly better.

Compared to my 2011 Mini-RTW planning (days and $350 in fees), this one only took hours thanks to the limited # of YQ-free airlines and Istanbul lounge has been nominated as the best *A lounge so a visit is an easy decision. It was booked simply as Multi-City on Aeroplan.com

YYZ-IST TK J on 777
IST-ICN TK J on A330/340
ICN-TPE TG J on A330
.......................................................
TPE-NRT NH J on 767
NRT-ORD UA J on 747
ORD-YYZ AC J on E75 but who cares...

Fees only $220 as we avoided most YQ-airlines

http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=YYZ-IST-ICN-TPE&MS=bm&DU=mi

http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=TPE-NRT-ORD-YYZ&MS=bm&DU=mi

My own calculations of Aeroplan mile's value
I did a dummy Aeroplan booking for CNY 1.21-1.29
75000 Aeroplan + $400 in fees for 1-stop Y both ways (Tokyo, Beijing)
vs.
TourEast.ca
2-stop = Delta $1200 to United $1350
1-stop Cathay $1460

Let's take $1400 - $400 fees = $1000 for 75000 AE miles..
= 1.3 CPM.. worse than Gift Card redemption

Here are some complaints, taken from FlyerTalk
- No more earning points on Flight Purchases (1/$3.00 spent)
- addition of extra seats to the E90
- elimination of free baggage on transborder flights
- minimum flight/miles requirement on AC metal
- drastic devaluation of the E benefit package/gutting of the Elite program
- Increase to the mileage required to book travel.
- Tango fares no longer earning 100% miles on int´l routes and AC introducing Tango fares in many markets
- no more domestic 2-cabin F segments on int´l J/C awards
- implementation of fuel surcharges on *A partners without any/much notice
- retroactive application of new T&C, generally much less transparancy, the goodwill AC had managed to build with many FFs over the last years has pretty much disappeared
- LMUs offered before all upgrades on the waitlist have cleared (not confirmed, but also no statement saying otherwise as we received in the past)

Latest one being the new 2013 Top Tier program de-valuation. I'm glad I was never near Elite status because I'll be upset too

Just another note, my friend booked even crazier route to.... AFRICA

2012 New Year Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:07:00 +0000

First of all, I wish everyone a happy new year and a better 2012 than 2011.

It's our first new year with Ella, and she was actually tired & fuzzy all day long.

Here are my resolutions for 2012

Everyone is healthy and happy
Ella will continue to bring joy to all of us, as we all watch her grow
I hope my MBA will be on pace for an early September graduation (end of 3 year school!!)
RIM to do better, please
Go on trips to West Coast Canada, Los Angeles, and Taiwan
Maybe... Ella may have a sister/brother

For Reference, here's what I did last year (i.e. not much)
http://blog.jerryhung.com/2010/12/happy-new-year.html

Monthly Recap - MBA, Travel, Ella, RIM @$^#

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:16:00 +0000

Can't believe I did not post at all in last 30 days, so here we are, for my loyal audience (of 1, my wife, especially if Facebook stops importing my blog RSS feed)

You can say it was as expected, a crazy month before the holiday

MBA

Wrapping up 2 courses in the last few weeks, with crazy 35% individual case, 45% group case & presentation, 40% final exam (which made everyone work hard for every question... $^@#%&)

Travel

Booked my parents' flight to Canada for Chinese New Year
Thanks to Aeroplan's unadvertised "book Business class with Economy 75000 miles" promotion, booked my brother's Summer trip to Taiwan in All-Business class on Turkish, United, ANA, Thai Airways. Departure: YYZ-IST-ICN-TPE, Return: TPE-NRT-ORD-YYZ

Ella

She is 10 months old, oh my god, closer to 1 year old than 6 months

What Else

RIM disappoints, again, and again, and again, for the last 4 quarters. Sigh, enough said.
PlayBook was $199, and it was amazingly sold out like it should be, and I can only hope OS 2.0 will make it even better and more attractive to consumers/companies to save RIM

Holiday

It won't be a quiet one either, as there is X'mas party dinner gathering here and there
Catching up with Movies and TV shows
Baby-proofing the house, with baby stair gates
We'll travel to Washington DC with Ella, gonna be a fun experience

Acura Wheel Alignment and Brake Pads/Rotor story

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:53:00 +0000

So my Acura TL visited the dealer to do

Diagnose and replace RF Tie Rod - done, about $200
Wheel Alignment - done at $99+tax
They found my brake rotors rusty, brake pads worn, again (they just did a regular maintenance in July, 4 months ago and didn't recommend replacing). Now they recommended me to replace them at dealer for ...wait for it... $1200 + tax!! No thanks to 3 hrs/$330 labour and $800 parts

Then I called to this Chinese mechanic whom I never used, but I've met his wife and son in Tzu Chi chinese school in Mississauga. Small world isn't it... Andy lives in Oakville and commutes to Kitchener to work!

All I need to say is look at the prices below, how fair, and all parts were Premium parts
Now my car is all good, no noise or shakes when braking, for half price.

Front Pads (Pro) $58.8
Rear Pads (Pro) $46.89
Front Rotors (Raybestos Pro) $62.42 x 2
Rear Rotors (Raybestos Pro) $54.34 x 2
Labour $120 (he spent 1~2 hours on it)
+ tax = $518.91 total

光明汽修 PNT Auto Service
C103-1601 Victoria Street North, Kitchener, N2B 3E6
* go into 1601 plaza and drive to the back, and circle back on the left side
http://www.kwcg.ca/supersite/?action-viewnews-itemid-18813

I probably won't visit the dealer again, especially with their super long shuttle waits (twice in a week I waited hours for shuttle)

BlackBerry PlayBook 16GB for $199 starting Friday Nov 18

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:52:00 +0000

Want a tablet? BlackBerry PlayBook price drop is coming

Retailers with flyers confirmed $199 price are Walmart, Staples, Future Shop, Best Buy, for now
Other retailers are unknown yet - Sears, The Source, Chapters, etc..

You can buy now for $499 and get the price refund on Friday when prices are $199
That's what I did (I have 2 at home already). PlayBook 32GB will be $299 and 64GB $399

And please don't compare with other $199 tablets like Amazon Kindle Fire..which has NO camera, memory, Bluetooth, etc.. Proof is below
And there are enough apps for PlayBook, just in case people never usd one and just heard rumors

Go find some if you want, because they're selling like hot cakes already

ELLA - Y0.M9 Ella is 9 months old

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:00:00 +0000

Ella九個月大囉時間過的真的好快他現在離一歲比0歲近多了

九個月沒什麼大發展不過神情和動作都越來越成熟了

一樣到處爬爬的比較快抓不住了
會爬樓梯只是他不想爬也有點害怕一直抓旁邊欄杆
偶爾想要站但是還是要扶著東西
會想要抱（攻擊）其他「小」朋友和他們的玩具果真是龐然大物也
什麼都不怕（除了吸塵器的聲音）
什麼都吃（被酸到的表情超讚）
上面門牙開始冒出來了
開始跟媽媽出門去MALL和YMCA上課囉～

歷史的今天 - 人間菩薩招生假如沒有過去鋪這一條路走過來要如何接引別人進來呢

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:37:00 +0000

人間菩薩招生
假如沒有過去鋪這一條路走過來
要如何接引別人進來呢

上人開示，「如果不知道過去，又怎麼能延續在未來呢？所以天天的歷史，天天慈濟所走過、舖過的路，都應該要時時和新進的志工做分享，哪怕是舊法，其實都是人生最珍貴的歷史！」

曾有人問　什麼是功德
證嚴上人說
給寒冷的人一件衣裳
給飢餓的人一碗米飯
就是功德
願您將善心　化作行動
一起來做
功德圓滿　福慧雙修之人

我也希望以後能夠接引更多的菩薩加入慈善的行列！
從三昧水懺入經藏開始

Happy Halloween, Happy Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:31:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone for the Birthday wishes. It means a lot to me

It's my first one with Ella, she had no clue and did not care (fuzzier than ever) ^_^

Today is a strange birthday indeed, but quite memorable

My car was in the shop and let's see - $100 wheel alignment, $180 Tie Rod (RF), and...they wanted 1200+tax to replace all brake pads & rotors. No thanks, not to mention the super late shuttle. Not a good birthday surprise
Look at Ella wearing uncle's Old Navy Halloween gift (75% $8), she is a cute butterfly indeed. Let's hope she will fit next year when we take her Trick-or-Treat for the first time
Ella is teething, again, and that means lack of sleep for her and us. Tired
As we get a week off during Christmas, we decided to book a trip to Washington D.C. Flight from Buffalo to Baltimore/Washington is only $120 USD on Southwest (wow, YYZ is $$$). I also chose a hotel with kitchen, free breakfast & dinner (Residence Inn Marriott) so Wendy can prepare baby food. It shall be fun, and pray for no snowstorm.

Flat Tire, Wheel Alignment

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:45:00 +0000

Last Monday (Oct 17) I had my first ever flat tire, in my 12 years of driving and 5 different cars.
I am truly thankful my TL got me to work safely and only leaked air right when I pulled into a parking spot

Thankfully I have TD Auto Club and called them again (this is the 3rd time in the last 6 months) to come install the spare tire for me (LF tire), and I drove to put on my 4 winter tires at Canadian Tire ($20+tax). Possible cause is wheel misalignment, I was told, as there were no nails or sharp objects present.

Scheduled a wheel alignment ($99+tax) and diagnostic at Fairview Acura next week. My first ever alignment too (I don't even know it needs to be done). Hopefully won't cost me too much...

Conestoga Mall Apple Store & Steve Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:13:00 +0000

Was at Conestoga Mall over the weekend, and saw this tribute for Steve Jobs.
Taken with my BlackBerry (ironic), and no iPhone 4S in stock

KFC Free Zinger Burger Coupon

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:10:00 +0000

Apparently you get a nice size burger, and a SUPER SIZE drink, for $2.xx only. I shall try soon
Expires in 4 days, October 16, 2011

ELLA - Y0.M8 Ella is 8 months old

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 20:03:00 +0000

Ella八個月囉時間真的過的很快
12 kg 大概73-74cm

可以爬了
可以扶著東西站起來很久
可以吃食物泥
可以翻身
可以一一阿阿
可以撒嬌
可以找人抱抱

只是也摔來摔去的真讓人心疼 >_<

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011. The world won't be the same

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:11:00 +0000

Mini-Round-The-World Conclusion

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:20:00 +0000

Photos
You can view the planes, the lounges, the seats, and most importantly the food.

Toronto-Tokyo-Taipei

Taipei-Singapore-Bangkok-Zurich-Montreal-Toronto

* I stopped over at Zurich for few hours

Hardware
Flying business class, I'd argue hardware (Seats, Monitor Size, Airplanes, etc...) are the most important thing. This theory is further confirmed after my trip

Lie-flat seat makes a big difference for sleeping (and 170 or 175 degree angled-flat seats are not as close to 180-lie-flat as one would think
I want my TV screen to be as large as possible, Touchable too despite being far away
AC's business class hardware, despite installed in 2007, is still good. It was the only aircraft with separate air nozzle per seat so you can adjust temperature.
Singapore airline and SWISS have great and attractive business classes also. Large screens
Thai's Business Class is just money spent without any detail. Lying down to sleep at an angle is annoying
ANA is your standard old short-haul seat.Cannot lie down

Service
Average hardware can be saved by superb service, and vice versa

Great services - Air Canada, Singapore Airlines. They were friendly, attentive, and ask if you need anything or photos taken :)
Okay to Good services - ANA, Swiss Air. They were friendly and did what the should do
Never mind - Thai Airways

Lounges

Whatever flies in the air gets complemented with lounges on the ground. For my trip

Thai's Bangkok lounge & spa is the best
Singapore's Taipei lounge has the best food
ANA's Tokyo lounge is huge, half-crowded with a view, and the noodle bar was the highlight
Air Canada's Toronto/Montreal lounge are okay, some hot food but nothing to write about
Thai's Singapore lounge is tiny and sad, while SWISS' Zurich lounge is huge but completely crowded and uncomfortable.

The map

Some sample photos

Phone Comparison - iPhone 4S, BlackBerry 9900, Galaxy S2

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:46:00 +0000

Zurich, Switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (Jerry Hung) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:00:00 +0000

I had 5 hours of transfer time in Zurich airport, and since the city is only 10 minutes train away, I decided to go for a walk. I am glad I did, because Zurich (old town) is a beautiful European sight for the memory.

There's just something about a city with river, lake, and mountain (like Pittsburgh, USA). I'll let the photos speak for themselves (click on the photo to see the Zurich album)

TG970 Bangkok (BKK) Zurich (ZRH) 346 Executive 00:30 07:25

LX86 Zurich (ZRH) Montreal Trudeau (YUL) 333 Executive 12:50 15:00

My TG970 actually arrived earlier at 7, and I was on the train into Zurich around 8 and returned around 11 am, to a overly-crowded SWISS Business lounge though. 2~3 hours is plenty of time to walk, rest, and take photos around old town Zurich. Unfortunately I was only by myself, as I'd love some companion.
I took out $20 Swiss Franc from ATM just in case, but never used. Sadly it cost me $26 CAD + $5 fee from TD Canada Trust. Should've just used Credit Card instead. So I bought chocolates and postcards before I headed to airport

My walking tour is pretty similar to the official walking tour map

1. Bahnhofplatz

The site of the Hauptbahnhof, the central railroad station, this is the beginning of Bahnhofstrasse. The square itself is rather drab, but the scenery improves as you go along (the street extends almost a mile to the lake). The Hauptbahnhof was built in 1871.

25/E-4 The Bahnhofstrasse of Zurich – The world's most famous streets for strolling and shopping. At 140 years old and 1.4 km in length, it links the Main Station and the Lake of Zurich. With lime trees decorating on both side of the street, it has about 120 first-class shops of different trades. This elegant structure is built on the site of the city walls and has bank vaults full of gold and silver underfoot. With every major banks having a foothold on this street, coupled with all the jewellery shops, it is the world’s most expensive street. This street is not only littered with international banks, but also boutique, departmental stores, pastry shops, cafes etc. And of course its very own Swatch store is also located here.

14/E-5 St. Peter’s Church – Located near the site of former Roman custom at Lindenhof, this eldest sister, though slightly overshadowed by the other two sisters, is in a league of her own. This oldest church in Zurich is endowed with Europe’s largest church clock face, font dates from 1598, five bells dating from 1880, fire-watchers in the tower until 1911. Walk up to the pulpit and you will see rich acanthus-cartouche with Biblical verses over it. She definitely has what it takes to make sure visitors do not bypass her, to go for stained-glass or view of Zurich city only.

2/E-5 Fraumünster – Founded by King Ludwig in 853 AD, the other landmark of Zurich, stand at the west bank of River Limmat, opposite facing Grossmünster. Not to be outplay by her sister, this sister church flirt with visitors with her 1970 five part biblical stained-glass in the choir and south transept by Marc Chagall. The best time to view these stained-glass is during morning. The freshness of a new day together with the burst of morning light thru the stained-glass can make you feel the warm of God’s love while standing in the aisle of the church. Also look out for ‘The Heavenly Paradise’ which stained the north window in the transept.

3/F-5 Grossmünster – The largest cathedral in Zurich, stand at the east bank of River Limmmat, attracting visitors with her twin towers. There is nothing special about the towers by outward appearance. Furthermore, the Karlstrum tower has 187 steps and there is no lift to take you up the tower. As there is no lift, you have to climb the narrow stairs to get to the top of the tower. Half way up the tower, there is a history galley of Grossmünster. Once up at the top of the tower, you will find that the bird’s eye view of the city is a great reward for the 187 steps that you have struggled up. The view overlooks the River Limmat and gives a good aerial view of the other 2 sister. It also gives a good photo taking angle of the entire Lake Zurich. Take time to enjoy the fruit of your labour while at the top of the tower and appreciate Grossmünster from the inside.

cloudy sky

Travel - Promotions, and Status

ELLA - Y0.M15 Ella is Travelling

Trip - 2012 West Coast - Highlights

March Update

ELLA - Y1M0 Ella is ONE YEAR OLD 一歲了

人生 就是無常 和徒勞無功啊

大時代需明大是非

TRIP - 2011 Christmas in Washington DC

ELLA - Y0.M11 Ella is almost One Year Old

Aeroplan devaluation, and 2012 Mini-RTW

2012 New Year Resolutions

Monthly Recap - MBA, Travel, Ella, RIM @$^#

Acura Wheel Alignment and Brake Pads/Rotor story

BlackBerry PlayBook 16GB for $199 starting Friday Nov 18

ELLA - Y0.M9 Ella is 9 months old

歷史的今天 - 人間菩薩招生 假如沒有過去鋪這一條路走過來 要如何接引別人進來呢

Happy Halloween, Happy Birthday

Flat Tire, Wheel Alignment

Conestoga Mall Apple Store & Steve Jobs

KFC Free Zinger Burger Coupon

ELLA - Y0.M8 Ella is 8 months old

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011. The world won't be the same

Mini-Round-The-World Conclusion

Phone Comparison - iPhone 4S, BlackBerry 9900, Galaxy S2

Zurich, Switzerland

人生就是無常和徒勞無功啊

歷史的今天 - 人間菩薩招生假如沒有過去鋪這一條路走過來要如何接引別人進來呢