How (not) To Repair Apple Headphones

University residence is really loud. Sleeping is not a right, it is a privilege earned by those who call security to shut down parties. I enjoy sleeping, being a human being (unlike the other people in this building). 

Both pairs of my SkullCandy headphones broke the same way a week apart, and I'm sending them off for warranty replacement tomorrow. I'm stuck with Apple headphones: superior audio quality, in my opinion, but do nothing to cancel noise. The only way I can fall asleep at TRU Rez is by blasting the soundtrack to Kon Tiki on repeat (I'm at 162 plays, and that's only because I don't use my expensive and breakable iPod while sleeping. Please note, the song is 14:38 long, adding up to over 39 hours of one song. That's more than my whole library put together).

Tonight I decided to kick back and not study (ok, bad choice, but a much needed break). First I built the Banff Springs Hotel in the Sims 3, then got bored with that and decided to watch Life of Pi for the third time. Two seconds into the movie, the left headphone failed. I froze in horror: this destroyed all prospects of getting any sleep for the next month. My life fell apart at the same time as Pi Patel was thrown into the pool by Mamaji. By the time his family was being drowned by a Japanese cargo ship, my heart was going at about ten thousand beats per minute, and it had nothing to do with the movie. I need sleep. I'm not one of those university students who can party and operate on two hours of sleep (like my roommate, which is why I'm moving). I did, in the end, thoroughly enjoy the movie, as did my neighbours, because of my lovely giant speakers. I could feel the storm (although there was actually a storm outside as well). As the movie drew to a close and my best friend on Skype decided that sleep was in order due to illness, I needed something to do. How about fixing headphones? Ok. Let's go... (Warning: do not do this to your headphones, EVER):

1. Check for bent 3.5mm jack. Checked. Present. Probably from the amount that I roll around in my sleep combined with my stuffed fish.
   Solution: What to do... oh yeah, I have a toolbox. What's in it... a hammer? Ok, cool. three firm whacks later, the headphone jack is straight and fits into the female socket (that's what she said).
2. Check for damaged cable. Absent. Good. I'm not ready to carry out my fourth headphone surgery in my life at 11:30PM at university. 
3. Further diagnostics: The left earbud was emitting no sound... or so I thought. When placed backwards in my ear, it sounded beautiful, but they aren't really designed to sit that way in your ear. Obviously the speaker diaphragm has been damaged, probably from a sudden exposure to pressure from me rolling around in my sleep.
   Solution: Wtf. Apple builds things to not be taken apart. What do I do... what killed it... Pressure. With enough energy, anything can be reversed. With what, however, does one provide the inverse energy? Um... my mouth. This literally sucks. (har har). Suddenly, I hear Chopin wafting from my nostrils.

You should have seen my eyes light up. I had music... I had sleep. I would recommend this all as only a last resort, if your headphones have a warranty (like shotty SkullCandies do), make use of it.

Anyways, that's all I have to say for today. Other than people in this residence are truly stupid. Excessively so.

On Gay Stereotypes

This one will go to, and possibly tumble over the edge of controversy.

Recently I read a reblog on how we should have a TV show with every character being gay and one person being stereotypically straight and going into bars and getting women and so on. This made me upset. First of all, the show would be economically unfeasible, as it would not appeal to the majority demographic. Second, in a sense, it already exists. 

Have you ever heard of any of the following shows: Modern Family (Remember this one), How I Met Your Mother, Hogan’s Heroes, Gilligan’s Island, The Simpsons (remember this one too)? I mentioned two very old TV to use. I’ll start with them. Even without a gay character, these TV shows portray “straight guy” stereotypes as you like to call them. Being distracted by beautiful women, wanting to be drunk, reacting violently to bad situations. Most people just don’t realize that those are stereotypes, they think they are the norm - but wait, isn’t that the definition of stereotype? As a guy who (a) would never set foot in a bar to save my life, (b) will never touch a drop of alcohol, (c) isn’t attracted to every girl, (d) I don’t react violently (anymore) to bad situations, shouldn’t I get all offended and shit and start a campaign for fairness for straight people? Hell no. That wouldn’t make sense. Let’s take a look at the Simpsons.

The show the Simpsons aired on December 17th, 1989, and since its pilot episode, has been based around the concept of stereotypes. No one, as far as I know, has ever taken the creators to court over racism, sexism, homophobia, or any other “problem.” It’s because people are willing to laugh at problems. Also, the show is a cartoon, which is blandly unrealistic and in my humble opinion not that great a show, but that has absolutely nothing to do with this rant: it’s popular, that’s all that matters. But something that’s not a cartoon?

We change the stage to Modern Family, a rather decently acted but poorly scripted and shot sitcom that I was forcibly exposed to by a now ex-girlfriend. There is a gay couple in it. They are “stereotypically” gay. Guess what? There are also two “stereotypically” straight families in it too. The younger family with kids includes a mum and dad who argue non stop and the woman is always over-reacting to everything he says, which is a stereotype. In the older couple, the man always just wants to spend time out with his friends drinking or gambling or just generally not being around his stereotypically annoying as hell South American wife. People laugh. And they don’t realize it, but they are actually laughing at heterosexual stereotypes.

So before you make some brilliant comment about stereotypes and racism and segregation, look at the realistic and logical side of things - perhaps where people don’t always look. Don’t get so caught up in political correctness that it actually hurts you.

What is wrong here.

Life. The greatest gift we are given. And so many people abuse it like it's just a right. It isn't. Why am I writing this?

I am inspired to write this because I have become increasingly aware of the polarity of the world. I'm not talking about the gargantuan superheated sphere that allows compasses to work, I'm referring to the people who crawl on the surface of this rock. I also just noticed there is a corrosion hole that is growing every day on my computer. Back to the philosophy: 

I believe there are four corners to the quadrangle of humanity: Those who are intelligent and good people, those who are stupid and good people, those who are intelligent and bad, and those who are downright idiots and assholes. I hate generalizing, but it allows us to understand the universe better, like classifying a planet the size of Jupiter an Earth-like planet.

My roommate falls into category two: although not truly stupid, he's messy, disorganized, not very bright but a total "Good guy." Always willing to turn down the music or do the dishes. We are too different to live together, and that lead to a meeting with the residence coordinator that got me a guaranteed move in December at the end of semester. He is in category one. 

I am scared of confronting people. I end up shaking for fifteen minutes afterwards uncontrollably, the only immediate cure for which is piano playing. I was scared this was going to happen. Instead, I got greeted by this young guy with a huge smile on his face. The meeting went well and I actually left it smiling. 

Where am I going with this... oh yes. I look around this residence, even in my room, and I ponder my situation. On the wall of my room, there is a patch because a hole was put there - sometime in the last seven years that this building has existed. there are scratches on all the walls. The fridge looks like someone dropped it out the window (I am on the fifth floor). In the 17 years that I lived in my family's house, never once did a hole appear in the wall, or did the fridge get dented. This makes me wonder: what kind of people are doing this?

Confusion continues. I can't figure it out. There are only a few true morons in residence that I've met, and that number just doesn't add up to how many broken things there are here. I think the problem is that people don't respect the world enough. That's all I can think of. Sorry. They don't fit into my four categories. They are an entity of their own, people who could be any of those but shouldn't exist due to their simple lack of ability to recognize the importance of their surroundings.

Devotion and Love

Today I would like to share a little story about true devotion.

When we purchased my dog in 2006, he immediately attached to my mum and hasn’t left her side since. During the summer, we visit our cabin at the lake. Every morning, my mother goes kayaking. The dog does not fit in the boat.

Instead of chasing squirrels, looking for scraps or barking at ghosts like he usually does when she’s around, while she is out kayaking, he sits and waits. He will not do anything but stare in the direction in which she departed. Our dog is completely hydrophobic, I have never seen him enter the water except for four occasions, and every one of those occasions was during the arrival of my mother. I think his attachment is amazing, humans don’t even display that kind of love sufficiently in my opinion.

Awesome Things

Some things are far too good to take for granted. Mind you, some reading this mot believe that all of these things are awesome, but at least some of this should bring out a smiles.

Starting with nature, my personal specialty. Think about a warm, temperate forest: you can just see a lake through the trees, the sun is high in the sky. You get back to your boat at the shoreline but opt for a quick swim in the deep, blue-black waters. They are cool and refreshing, and the silence is interrupted by the sound of the small waves colliding with the tree-covered water’s edge. Back on the boat, you find a nice peninsula that is exposed to get he heat of the sun, but it is no problem: a cool refreshing northerly breeze whispers across the lake. The mountains create and oil painting of reflection at the bow of the boat.

In the city, a sunset is just breaking out across the horizon. From the balcony of the restaurant where uo are enjoying your rich, creamy Atlantic Bisque with a crisp and fresh caeser salad. As the hue of reds and pinks spreads across the sky, you finish your dinner and get a cup of coffee to enjoy with you loved one, maybe a friend, a family member, boyfriend, girlfriend - you recall every great moment with them. Soon the skyline of the city becomes a silhouette against a navy blue sky, and the lights beginning dotting the sky scraper. The heat of the day lingers on the waterfront walk, where you enjoy an night time walk back to your car.

I hope this has been enjoyed by someone, I quickly threw it together on my tablet in Geography 12 - I’ve seen the episode of the birds of paradise looking like goofballs one too many times… Even for a nature lover. And that shows you how many times I’ve watched that (stunning) series.

Assassin

This world has too much blood and gore,
But in this world there’s so much more.
Everyday I step outside,
And witness a bloody war.

This is not a war of man and men,
It’s not between two of us again,
It’s a fight for peace,
A fight for rights,
A fight that’ll let us see the light,
But it’s a race,
Where’ you’re the ace,
And your opposer has no face.

The sky was blue It’s taste was sweet,
It warmed the earth beneath my feet,
I shake hands with my enemy,
But he doesn’t understand or see.

We’re friends. He gives, he takes.
He causes storms and starts  earthquakes,
He gives us life, he takes away,
And I only wish that he would stay.

We’ve taken his life out of his hands,
And taken the water off the sand,
And pulled the trees off the hills,
And against him, we’re fighting still.

This is not a war of man and men,
It’s not between two of us again. 
This war is between,
My mom and I,
The ground, the sky,
And as he dies, 
He can’t speak,
Over time he’s become too weak.

I saw him just the other day,
I didn’t know what to say.
All I could do is look up and sigh,
And wave to his face in the sky.

How I Party

Most people in university party. They go out, or to another dorm room, they literally poison themselves with crappy tasting poison (at least use the good stuff), and have massive hangovers. And other consequences that are even less glorious. That's not how I party, that's for sure. So what do I do?

I stay up until 1AM staring at the computer screen for hours, doing two things: talking to my best friend on Skype, and designing airports. Yup, designing airports. What could be better. Nothing. Nothing in this world. Except maybe playing piano.

CZBB, Boundary Bay Airport

This obsession took off with my love for aviation (no pun intended). I got into X-Plane flight simulator in late grade 9, during version 9.10 if I recall correctly. Details aside, I quickly fell in love with flying, seeing the world, and so on. I've never gotten into the aspect of flying by regulation in X-Plane as so many have, I'm into visual realism, and X-Plane 10 (the latest version) is simply shouting out, "I have potential! Use me for graphics!" Alas, not many do. A people do, including me.

KBLI, Bellingham International Airport

One of the first things I discovered when firing up this new fangled flight simulator, which was pretty young and small in amongst the FSX fanatics, was how barren it felt. Back then, the whole world looked the same. Since then, add-ons have been released to improve realism to huge extents, now putting default X-Plane 10 at about ten times the reality level of Flight Simulator X. So where do I fit in?

Blaine Airport (semifictional)

I make airports. I'm no good at aircraft design, so I jumped that boat and headed for the welcoming arms of making the environment realistic. It seemed so easy. Boy was I wrong. Although it's simple, like any straightforward task, it takes a lot of practice and a lot of hours put into it to get good. I had about seven failed scenery project before I released my first (and startlingly, still my best) scenery, KBLI Bellingham International Airport. Soon thereafter, I started work on what is still my dream: PHNL Honolulu International.

PHNL Honolulu International Airport

I started this project on Boxing Day, 2012. I put over 300 hours and sacrificed over 115GB of hard drive space for all the imagery modification and all the airport layout. Then my computer crashed. I lost all the work. All of it. All that remains is a ghost; a beta-demo release I put out that included only one runway and twelve orthophotos (satellite images). I cried on that day, and threw my dream away. For a few months, I did nothing. Then, in March, I travelled to Hawaii (see my journal entries from then, they are probably my best writing) and was inspired once again to take on scenery. I started work on the pleasant little airport called Kamloops Airport near my university. That went well, I'm more proud of it than I am of KBLI, but barely anyone flies there in real life, and consequently neither do they do so in X-Plane. I needed a new plan of action, a business plan, if you will.

CYKA Kamloops Airport

I proceeded to make a beautiful discovery: American Samoa is not a country. What does this have to do with flight simulation? It is a dependency, or pseudo-territory of the United States of America. Therefore, like Puerto Rico, the entire country is available in the form of aerial photography with few clouds, for free and for public use. I was ecstatic. I did a quick experiment.

Aunu'u

You would have to pay me a lot to completely leave this project behind. American Samoa is beautiful. It has a nice variety of airports, from one large international airport to a bush strip, and some helipads here and there. But, that would take a very long time. I needed something to do in the meantime. I started fixing up CZBB, Boundary Bay (see photo at top) and decided I wanted something smaller for the meantime to get my work out there to prove I hadn't simply vanished. Thus, I discovered a small recently closed airport south of the border: Blaine. It was closed in 2008, but the imagery for the open and functional airport was still available. So, I brought a dead airport back to life. It received very positive reviews and I was once again motivated to shoot for the moon.

Blaine Municipal Airport

I then published CZBB, and shifted my focus back to American Samoa. To this day, it takes up all my hobby time other than piano playing. Today American Samoa isn't even close to 1% complete, mostly because I haven't even opened WED 1.2r4 (the scenery editing utility available from Laminar Research for free) in about a month. Today I am hoping to get a crap tonne done on my demo release of the island Tau, American Samoa, and the two small airports it hosts. 

Unlike my PHNL project, this project has been and will be very hard to market. Honolulu International Airports is arguably the most important airport in the entire Pacific Ocean, acting as the halfway-point for millions of flights. Most people flying from the USA to Asia (in X-Plane, not real-life any more) stop in Honolulu. I just don't think I have the drive to start that project up again... yet. In the meantime, I'm going to go pour some fresh concrete on a short runway!

Consumer Christmas

I was asked what I wanted for Christmas. I didn’t answer. Why do we want things “for Christmas?” Ok, to be honest, I just want that car I’m looking for so I can drive to school when it begins next year.

But why are people enfatuated with the concept of giving and recieving? Why don’t we just give year round? Andwhydo we use a fat, lazy, slave-labour employing roly-poly for our mascot of this religious holiday which give us two weeks off secondary school each year while others don’t?

I cannot deny, the feeling and spirit of Christmas are nice, Santa is a friendly man who only means well for the world. I love the lights, the music, the food, seeing family and friends… but why do we feel the need to spend more during this short period of the year?

On average, Americans spend 4.1%morebetween American Thanksgiving and December 25th. I still don’t understand why. Shouldn’t a time of celebration be a time during which you reduce spending and save for the new year?

My favourite depressing signs of collapsive consumerism are the car ads. Who thehellneeds a new car for Christmas? The car I’m going to buy is probably nine or ten years old and doesn’t require a mortgage on my house. Buying a new car in general is not something the general population can even really afford.

Then there are the “Mom one, Santa zero” ads running on the radio. We now believe that gift giving is acompetition? Aunt May got me aneven ugliersweater! I spent more on that toy than you did…

Christmas is a Christian Holiday. Why don’t we get two weeks off at Hannukah? The Chinese New Year? Frankly, in Vancouver, BC, The Chinese new year should get at least one week off.  I’m cool with time off for a holiday - buttwo weeks?

Anyways, this Christmas, embrace life, your friends, family, and not your credit card.

Written on December 10th, 2012.

Ripples

The sunset that evening had been splendid. I had watched it myself, having come out early enough to have witnessed the fiery spectacle of colours dancing across the mountain riddled horizon. Tonight would be a long night; I would be out much longer than usual. This was a night I would remember for centuries to come, a night of realization.

Where I shone down tonight, the air was brisk and smelled of icicles on a rocky precipice. The lake was as I had never seen it before. I had known it to become an eerily placid mirror once my nemesis left, remaining warm even as the air cooled above it, but it was not so tonight.

I looked forward to seeing this lake every evening. Normally, the lake was smooth. Now, the surface was rippled. An early evening star stared wisely from his age-old command. I had barely achieved any height at all when the remainder of his acolytes struck the night sky with their brilliance. Tonight, though, I could not see them in the water.

A torrid autumn day had created a light breeze that evening, there was not a cloud in the sky.

With time, and only time, this light breeze would settle. When it did, I set into my usual routine. The night became frigid, the lake like ice. Not a ripple disturbed my perfect orbit. I watched proudly as I sailed across the sky. Then something caught my eye.

On the Northern shore of the lake, there was movement. This dispirited me. My perfect evening, my unbroken lake. That lake was my dream. It was all I had. The movement carried a flask of a hot liquid, steaming. The thought was very welcoming. It approached my lake.

A dock sprawled out before it, extending a year into the lake. It made the choice. One step and it was on the fixed portion of the dock. This was fine with me; it had not yet disturbed my glassy surface.

One more step, and it was almost on the ramp leading down to the pinewood dock. He stopped and looked up at me. Something made me yearn for it to come closer. I did not notice my bright friends looking on disdainfully.

My light shone brighter then ever before. Now, all was visible. The rusty shoreline, the houses, the forest, the river. The dock, this new thing, it’s drink and the steam floating from it.

We stared at each other in awe. I knew that I could not breach it’s world, but that it could breach mine. It stepped onto the ramp. A loud sound of metal and wood broke the deadly silence of the night as my foot settled down. It seemed unshaken. My lake was destroyed. But now, I could see a million tiny, distorted versions of myself, dancing around in the lake. Another step.

With every step added, the ripples became more intense. It reached the end of the dock, and with that, his movement ceased. A new calm fell over the lake. My reflection recollected itself back into one perfect, unchanging shape. I had introduced something new, something wonderful, into my life. Something that could change my lake.

It looked down into my reflection. Never once did it look up at my actually body, only at the reflection. Waves of light danced across it’s face. The night had a new, more exciting feel to it. Was this to stay? It would. I knew it would. How could something so perfect, so great, not last?

With no warning at all, it pulled its gaze from my reflection. I did not notice immediately.

And then, my lake was broken again. But this time it was not with the coming of something good, it was with the departure. This I did not like.

I longed to scream out, yet no sound could I make. I longed to strike it, but no force could I create. I was too weak, too unwilling. It was leaving. The great thing that had entered into my life had not even looked me in the eye. It did not even say goodbye, it merely left.

The waves radiated from the dock as my dream climbed the ramp. It did not even turn to look back as it went. I could not go on. My old light was gone. I had no desire for the new. I felt as if something was gone… but then something struck me.

A new calm fell upon the lake. A new calm, different then the first one that evening, the second calm that evening. It felt… unique. I felt as if despite my loss, I had gained more than I had lost. I knew what to see in nights to come. A reassurance fell over me, and a glow formed on the eastern horizon. I smiled and my light dimmed as the day shift took my place.

As the lake slipped out of my sight, I saw the magnificent thing again. Only this time, I didn’t care. Ripples formed. But that lake wasn’t mine. The whole world was mine. And no one could stop me.

New Series: Works of Fiction

I'd like to announce that I'll be republishing all my past composition work from all my other websites to this blog.

Every two days a new piece will be published. My live posts will continue, don't worry. The first piece will be Ripples, a short story that I consider one of my best, from grade eleven. I wrote it shortly after I got back from China. It is about... well, that's up to you to decide. It's about anything really, anything that affects us. 

After that, there will be poems, stories, compositions about history, humans, etc. Anything at all.

Cheers, I hope you enjoy it if you're reading this.

All the stories can be found at this moment on my Tumblr (click the link in the top bar).

How the Past Drives our Future

Today I look out my window at snow covered mountains, only five kilometres away. They are stunningly beautiful. I can't say that's only because they have snow on them, although that is certainly part of it.

It is because it reminds me of a place in the past that I have been before. Perhaps it wasn't even significant. However, it is just that: significant. Everything is, in my opinion.

These snowing mountains drive me back to elementary school when I was just learning to ski at Manning Park. Just seeing snow-covered mountains this close reminds me of it, every little thing: the smell, the temperature of the air, how tired I was, who I was with. This drives me to continue. 

Although it seems strange, I try to recreate my past in a better way than I already remember it. Skiing at Manning Park Resort gives me blasts from the past like nothing else, because I've spent every winter of my life there since I could start remembering winter. The odd thing is that it doesn't remind me of only that particular place.

In 2012, I biked around Stanley Park and False Creek with my then girlfriend. From that point on, I do not only remember being on a date with there when I bike around the park, I remember everything about the relationship (including why I'm glad that it's over). I'm going somewhere with this, I promise. 

My past gives me something to strive for, something to reexperience or perhaps replace. I feel like my head is a computer program, and running the same scripts replaces the old iteration of them. I want to go back to Kauai to replace the memories that are slightly flawed and the problems that were going on in my life at the time. Yes, I wish to turn my back on the past, but I want to hold onto certain components of it. 

I have yet to meet someone who is attempting the same thing. I went on a trip with my best friend in July to Oregon, partially because Oregon is beautiful, but also because last time I had travelled to Oregon, I had either been eleven years old, or I had a girlfriend who I would do anything to forget about.

We set off bright and early on a Wednesday, as I had a week off school. First order of business: Museum of Flight, Seattle. Last time I was here... girlfriend. Not with her, but it's a place I want to remember without having to remember her. I'm strange, yes. We then got in the car and drove to Astoria, which I had done only ten months before. But I was replacing lots of memories. When we arrived in Fort Stevens State Park, I was flooded with good memories, since I hadn't stayed here since I was eleven. Those memories can stay, but I also have it fresh in my memory now. When visiting the Peter Iredale Shipwreck, I even replaced the photos from when I had a girlfriend with nearly identical photos. Certain things stay in my mind from the trip a year ago, but most have been replaced by this more recent trip. 

That trip represented a release from childhood, I could travel on my own accord. I was over seven hundred kilometres from home. This replaced the memories of going just where my parents organized. 

Today I am going to Biology to replace the flawed knowledge of the genome that we were fed in grade eleven, which is a perfect example of a practical application of this process. I'll be replacing the memories of that class, including the harassment I endured in that room. 

Maybe it'll all work out, maybe I'll be able to replace what I remember with great things I love.

The Dream of an Unattainable Future

I've been lucky during my life to travel more than anyone I have ever met. And yet, I wish to travel more. I am addicted now. 

My love for travel is rooted deeply, way back in kindergarten. We travelled to the destroyed Glacier House, part of the original Rogers Pass route of the railway. This is the earliest point that I can recall that I was obsessed with seeing something bizarre and beautiful. This was where nature was reclaiming the area that humans messed up for it, and I couldn't pry myself away from it. I spent quite a while exploring the ruins of the old hotel.

Over the years, I travelled to dozens of locations, some of which are gone or closed (cue that Beatles song). I've been to all sorts of places too, not just one type. I've lived in a Parisian Art-Deco mansion, rode the elephants at Disneyland (and World), been at the top of the world's tallest mountain (Mauna Kea, in height, not altitude), navigated the highest swamp in the world, seen the midnight sun, walked the great wall, flown a plane, witnessed a waterspout in Oregon, driven through a sandstorm, been irradiated at the oldest nuclear power plant in the world, timed Old Faithful, driven the world's longest continuous highway, and I'm just now beginning University. I've done a lot in my life. A lot more than a lot of people. 

What does the future hold? I don't want to know. Exploration to me is the key to happiness, not even knowing what you don't know, to the point where what you learn is completely unexpected. 

Unfortunately, I haven't had this option as I have pretty boring parents (despite that list of things I've done). They don't believe in taking any risks. If the trail doesn't look like it's maintained, they don't hike it. Had I been with a friend while hiking the Awini Trail through the Pololu, I would have carried on to Honopue valley, a secluded and difficult to access valley seldom seen by anyone. We stopped after Honokane Nui, because my mum didn't want to come along. This was a turning point for me, I decided that adventure is my sort of thing. Very few people hike beyond the next valley, Honokane Iki. I plane on doing so once I have the money to fly to Kona (which I already do, I simply need enough to survive after buying a plane ticket). My parents will disapprove. Highly. I don't care. I love the outdoors, I want to experience things.

At this point, I'd like to make it clear that, no, I don't believe I am invincible as do many young adult males of my breed. I want to stay alive long enough to see where this out-of-control world is going. 

So what is truly my greatest goal in life? Hamakua coast. That's about all I can say. If things go the way I want, it will be all the way from Waipio to Pololu or the other way around. What does this entail? 

Ten to twenty days in hell, to put it mildly. There is only one account of anyone else ever doing this hike, and it took them twice the estimated time of seven days. There is no trail (although many have been built, most are destroyed by nature). What else?

A partner: be it a girlfriend who actually appreciates hiking as much as me or a friend who is nearly as insane as I am. I just need a partner, or multiple partners. Hiking alone isn't safe. Nothing is safe when you're alone. 

To conclude this, I'd like to say that it is a dream. Not a terminus in sight. A dream. Hiking a route that no one else ever writes about will be difficult, to say the least. This is the only unexplored tropical rainforest in the fifty states, and it is dangerous. I will need a good troop. One day, this will happen. Not today, or any time in the next five years. 

The Best Food in Kamloops

If I ever go on a date while in university, which so far, seem incredibly unlikely, I know where to take them. If it's the morning (if you know what I mean), Hello Toast is my first pick. This place serves gargantuan plates of steaming hot premium food. It's the coolest restaurant I've ever been in, super happy, friendly staff (who are all friends or family), and it's bustling and efficient. Go there if you want breakfast.

On the other hand, if it's only my first date with that special person, I'd make a reservation at Taka Sushi. Despite their empty website, call them up and drop by to get a menu. The prices are a little higher than the average Sushi joint, but holy cow, this place exceeded all expectation. Smiling, polite and sociable staff love making the evening a good experience. Order the ebi sunomono, it's phenomenal. 

There is snow. Not much, but a little bit of snow. Not in Kamloops. Above Kamloops. Well, actually, Aberdeen has snow. Kamloops doesn't. No fair. My parents visited this weekend, and other than the fact that my mum is in need of some glasses everything went well. We got up to Peterson Creek Park without a hitch, and it was beautiful. I'll be going back there to do some climbing sometime soon.

I just completed the largest biology assignment we've had all year in 15 minutes, whereas smaller ones have taken me two hours in the past. I love this course, even if I'm aiming for a low sixties grade with the final.

Orange Juice and Onions

Happy belated Halloween!

Well, sorry, I didn't feel like posting last night. I was pretty depressed feeling. My computer ate an entire NRSC science paper I had worked on for four hours. 

I have discovered two sets of two foods that should never be found on the same plate (or cup): Dr. Pepper and chocolate, and orange juice with raw onions (please do not ask how any of these things came about).

Watching Jurassic park, all I can say is as follows: Wow, there were a lot of screw ups in that film. First one is where the people are sitting in the helicopter. Next, when they land, there are already Jeeps parked there, then the Jeeps arrive. Ok, enough of this, but lets finish by declaring that at no point are the jeeps attached to the track, nor is there any sign of a track mechanism on the bottom when rex flips over the Ford Explorers. At least they spared no expense. Spared no expense. 

Stir fry is awesome, it's the lazy man's (ie, me) way of feeling like a gourmet (ahem, not gourmand, not yet). If you ever come to Canada, drop into a Superstore and buy some no name chocolate. 99c for a whole full sized bar, and it's not bad stuff. Affordable to the "gourmet" university student.

Another day is over in the life of a pointless pile of proteins and DNA. 

Photo of the Day: 31/10/13

Spooky Water, Poipu, Kauai County, Hawaii
Happy Halloween! Be safe, have fun, and get lots of candy. March 2012.

Photo of the Day: 30/10/13

Hanakapaai Falls, Kauai County, Hawaii
Located along the Napali Coast in Hawaii, definitedly worth the five hour hike and blistered feet. March 2012.

Photo of the Day: 29/10/13

Arches, Waimea Canyon State Park, Kauai County, Hawaii
Amazing arches as seen from a beautiful waterfall in Hawaii. Look for the goat. March 2012.

Photo of the Day: 28/10/13

Kalalau Valley, Kauai County, Hawaii
The most photographed valley in all of Hawaii, and certainly deserving the title. I will be hiking into this valley some day once I have the means to do so. March 2012.

My First Job

No, I do not have a job, as the title implies. However, I am starting my search for one. Seeing as I'm not part of the co-op program at Thompson Rivers University this year, I am ineligible to get co-op work term job. However, I'm fine with that. Basically, it means I won't have homework, I'll just have a good old job... if I get a job. So far, the chances are slim. I have two options: Manning Park Resort (and work for the summer in the campgrounds of the visitor centre), the Government of Canada or Parks Canada. That's it so far, however, those are the ones that interest me the most. 

I do not want a job while in university, simply because I want to be able to focus on studying and doing my work, and not having to dodge curve balls thrown by retail employment. It is my dream never to work in retail. Ever. In my entire life. Unless it is the gift shop in a National Park Visitor Centre. 

Let's talk about today for a bit instead of next year. Today, I went for a hike, like most weekends. What was different was that today I went somewhere I hadn't gone before, which I haven't done in about two weeks (that's a long time in Colin hiking time). Sage trail in Kenna Cartwright Park (which is now marked out clearly by me in Google Maps, your welcome) is a beautiful little trail that is very much a workout with a few good views. With an average slope of 7.4%, a maximum slope of 37.0%, elevation change tallying up somewhere near 1,020 feet, and a nice short distance of just under four miles, I think it was a nice hike. Maybe I'll try running it some time to kill myself. 

Elevation profile of Sage trail in Kenna Cartwright Park.

All in all, if you're in Kamloops, stop in at Kenna Cartwright Park and see what it has to offer. Views, exercise, natural beauty, history, anything really.

Photo of the Day: 27/10/13

Poipu Coastline, Kauai County, Hawaii
These are lithified sand dunes near the hotel district in Poipu. March 2012.