Festive Spirit

Exactly a month before Christmas, hundreds of people gathered on the lawn of the Vancouver Art Gallery . It was time for the second annual lighting of a large Christmas tree in the city centre. Kevin Bieksa of the Vancouver Canucks had the honour of flicking the switch.

As the magical moment came near, the revelers counted down from 10 and watched the Christmas decorations come to life. It was a rather lacklustre ceremony, but all was forgiven as everyone was in a festive mood to mark the start of the holiday season.

RT: Year One

In September I completed my first anniversary of working diligently at ResponseTek (RT), an employer of mine. As a principal developer of the flagship Customer Experience Management (CEM) product and visionary founder of the Council of Office Lunches (COOL), I was given great responsibility and many learning opportunities at the organization. While helping ResponseTek grow as an organization, I also grew as an individual (includes net gain of 15 pounds over the year).

“You won't realize the distance you've walked until you take a look around and realize how far you've been.” - Anonymous

Some of the highlights during my time there:

People

• Good times with my friends and collegues at various events and gatherings, COOL and otherwise
  

“To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.” - Charles de Montesquieu

Projects

• A grand slam of feature packed quarterly releases (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer)
  

“You will achieve grand dream, a day at a time, so set goals for each day / not long and difficult projects, but chores that will take you, step by step, toward your rainbow. Write them down, if you must, but limit your list so that you won't have to drag today's undone matters into tomorrow. Remember that you cannot build your pyramid in twenty-four hours. Be patient. Never allow your day to become so cluttered that you neglect your most important goal / to do the best you can, enjoy this day, and rest satisfied with what you have accomplished.” - Og Mandino

Processes

• Introduced valuable documentation practices into the organization

“Aspire rather to be a hero than merely appear one.” - Baltasar Gracian

Iona of Solace

On Good Friday, a paladin of the people was seeking a moment of peace. I would find it at Iona Beach Regional Park in Richmond. It features a massive sewage pipe stretching into the ocean. There was no stench emanating from the sewer, so my nostrils enjoyed the natural scent of the sea as I walked on top of it. Around 4 km in length, I completed the round trip in two grueling hours.

It was quite chilly, so I did not break a sweat during the strenuous walk. The breeze wafted through my hair, as the wind flowed languidly around my aerodynamic form and into the Straight of Georgia. I was one of the few people on the jetty apart from a handful of birdwatchers, joggers, dog walkers, and cyclists. 300 species of birds reside in the area.

The North Shore can be seen in the distant and Vancouver Island on the horizon. Fantastic views of the Vancouver International Airport were afforded from the jetty. Planes flew overhead as I strolled along the pebbled surface. There were a few Plexiglas shelters along the way where I rested. A sewage treatment facility and an outhouse lie at the end. Upon arrival I made a significant contribution to the complex ecosystem, gazed at the open skies, and then headed back.

Shady Business

I was meeting a friend so that we could visit the newly opened Starlight Casino in Queensborough. One of the restaurants there had been recommended. As I was getting into my friend's car I viciously collided into the side door frame of his vehicle. A *crack* sound resonated through the September sky. It was not my head that had been split in two, but my spectacles. The left arm had snapped cleanly off the rest of the frame.

I had misjudged the height of the vehicle, believing it to be of regular height when in fact it was quiet low. The collision caused no damage to the offending car, so no insurance claims were filed. The impact was strong enough to cause severe damage to my eyewear. My friend laughed with unabandonded glee at my misfortune for several minutes straight. He even phoned some of our other friends to tell them of my mishap, tears forming under his eyes as he shook uncontrollably whilst recounting the incident. Several more bursts of laughter followed, his mirth untouched by compassion for his fellow man.

The only store in the vicintiy selling glasses was Wal-Mart. I showed the optician my new pair of monocles and asked if he could fuse them together. He studied them carefully before coming to the conclusion that he could not. He scotch-taped them together, but they soon dislocated. At the restaurant I could not read the menu or see my food properly, relying on my other senses for guidance. We then went to another friend's house where I was barely able to watch the debut of the new version of 90210 on television.

I would have to wear sunglasses indoors and out for many days thereafter until my new glasses arrived.

The Pursuit of Happiness

The importance of tasty food and natural beauty can never be overemphasized when gauging the general level of happiness experienced by the people of a city, province, or country. I celebrated British Columbia Day by going to Vancouver's tastiest vegeterian buffet. Saravana Bhavan is a worldwide chain of restaurants serving South Indian staples offering a "synergy of taste and quality". While the quality of the food at the Vancouver branch is comparable to average fare available anywhere in India, it vaults into the upper echelon of Indian restaurants in the city. I had several dosas and finished my meal with a cup of filtered coffee.

I headed off to Charleston Park near Granville Island after my lunch. The park is a haven of the rich, both in accumulated capital and leisure time. It offers a grand view of the False Creek skyline, with the residential condominiums that have sprung up across the waterway in Yaletown serving as a backdrop. Yachts are docked along the shoreline, beautiful women are tanning, and ducks are floating in the pond in this idyllic locale.

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“There is no such thing as the pursuit of happiness, but there is the discovery of joy” - Joyce Grenfell