The end

It's been fun writing about my adventures in Japan, and adjusting to live back here in the Great White North, but it's time to move on.
From now on if you want to know about my life you'll have to e-mail me or call me.

Take care... it's been a great journey!

I'm glad I'm not from Winnipeg

Last Thursday three teenagers were arrested in Winnipeg, Manitoba for playing a "sick game" of driving around in stolen cars and trying to hit joggers. Police allege the youths, between the ages of 13 and 16, stole a car on March 9th and made repeated runs at joggers along Winnipeg's posh Wellington Crescent.

One man suffered minor injuries, but a 49-year-old man running just a few blocks away sustained serious head injuries and remains in the hospital.

What is this world coming to? I think I better be careful the next time I go runningnbecause some crazy teens may just copy-cat this sick act.

I really hope the injured man gets better and that these kids get counselling, because this is not normal behviour.
Where were the parents of the children when this happened?
Could bad parenting be to blame for this act of violence?
You be the judge.... feel free to leave some comments.

Oranges

Do you know what keeps me going in the winter. Ripe, juicy oranges. Mmm they're delicious. Who needs alcohol when you can eat organes. LOL
I'm not a winter person, but going to the Y to work out helps me shake the winter blues.
What I'm looking forward to now is a new career....
I know good things are to come.
Here's looking at the bright side of life.. from a Canuck in the Great White North.

Keep on going and chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down.
-Charles F. Kettering

Weather causes problems

Snowy days are nothing new to Ontarians, but with snow usually comes danger especially on transportation lines. Last week, while I was in Toronto a blizzard hit the city and I later found out there was a CN train derailment in Pickering. The office workers in Toronto found out about the accident via the Web so many bosses sent their employees home.
As I headed to the train station there was already a large line-up at the GO booth. I waited for the train along with a hundreds of others. When the train finally arrived people all pushed into the train. I have never seen this in Canada before, it totally reminded me of Tokyo. You see Canadians usually aren't accustomed to squeezing themselves onto trains. I couldn't force myself onto a train, I had no desire to be so close to strangers. I thus waited for the next train, which luckily was already on another track.
The train conductor was friendly and told us "If you hold on to your hats and be kind to your neighbour you will get to your destination safely." I wasn't worried about making it home, I was more surprised about how many people were sent home.
I wondered if this would happen in Japan, I mean what a loss in productivity!
I know trains don't stop running at 4 p.m. in the city and I'm sure if people were sent home at the usual time they would still make it back.
But hey this is Canada, much more lax than Japan.
As the train passed by the CN train accident there were loads of "ooos and aaas"
one woman commented, "It's like we're on a bus tour."
I agree with her, and I wish I had my camera with me on that day. As I had predicted I made it back to Whitby and headed back the rest of the way by the Beetle. Driving stick-shift in the snow isn't that easy.

Die Biene Maja

This was my favourite cartoon when I was living in Germany. Oh I miss you Maja!

Fire Poi Japan

Comes the Dawn

After a while you learn the difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
and you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't mean security,
and you understand that lives aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises,
and you begin to accept your defeats,
with your head held high and your eyes open,
with the grace of a woman and not the grief of a child.

You learn to build your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain
for plans, and futures have a way of falling
down in midnight.

After a while you learn that even
sunshine hurts if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate
your own soul, instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure
that you really are strong
and you do have worth
and you learn and learn
and you learn.

By Jim Davis

I choose today to free my soul of greed, anger and jealousy. I forgive those who have done me wrong... and I am open to anything the universe has to offer me.