Qualms

There is a few things that tick me the fuck off and I need to get them off my chest:

1. How people keep saying I look good now. I mean, what the fuck? How the fuck does coming to Canada change the way I look? It's not like the authorities make it mandatory for immigrants to undergo makeovers in special booths stationed outside customs. And how they expect me to grow out my hair when I get here. I'm pretty sure it is common knowledge how my hair is coarse and dry and given my chronic scalp condition, growing out my hair would be a real pain in the butt when it comes to maintenance. Fucking morons.

2. How people say I look so much like my mom. Oh thanks for telling me I look like a woman. No wonder people burst out in laughter when I say I'm a guy. Fucking morons.

3. How people say I'm pessimistic. I'm sorry that my idea of what's probable and realistic doesn't match that of yours. Heck, in spite of how absurd and eccentric my ideas and arguments may seem to be, they are usually more analytically and logically sound than yours will ever be. And in that I'm positive. Fucking morons.

Bye.

booo....

Original plan was for me to talk about my first ten days here divided into a post each. However, the combination of a hectic schedule(yeah rite) and my sloth-like habits has squashed that ambition. At least I tried to upload whatever pictures I took on my blog but sadly due to certain complications, that plan has been delayed until I feel like trying again. Haha.

Anyway, my time here has been rather awesome. Downtown Vancouver kicks ass and there are so many tourist attractions here it's mind boggling. Unfortunately, I have yet to make the time(and initiative) to visit everyone of them but since I'm spending 3-4 years here I am in no rush. The thing about this place is everything here is so organised and everyone is so polite and friendly. Back home, you strike up a conversation with random people and they get suspicious and shit. Here, it's like the norm to talk up whoever you are standing in the lift with. I'm still accustoming myself to it. Well, I have to if I wanna make friends don't I?

Hmmm.. my social life here, has been decent so far seeing as I willingly turned into a recluse a couple of years ago. I meet alot of people and I introduce myself to a fair few but I'm so bad with names and faces and I'm not that memorable either so it's abit of a challenge. Been hanging out with a couple of dudes from Africa though. They're pretty cool. The social scene in my dorm is pathetic though. Everyone is so fucking shy(Asians especially) its hard to get a decent conversation going. The locals are generally friendly though but it's hard to talk to them due to lack of common interests and stuff. All they talk about is hockey and I have no fucking idea how it's played. Maybe I should take the initiative to learn how its played. Hmm, parties on campus are non-existant so every friday night it's like borefest but there are drunk people roaming around aimlessly and they are funny to watch. LOL. There is a pub on campus though which checks for ID as to prove one is of age and fuckin' Malaysian Mykad and Lisen Memandu do not show our age so I'm pretty pissed off.

Girls here, hmmm overall there is a considerable amount of eye candy here. Sadly, my floor is almost devoid of hot chicks and has a gross surfeit of guys. I could say the gender makeup on my floor is 65% males 35% females. So I have to stalk girls from other buildings. Hahah. They don't know it yet. They will. When they find me on the adjacent rooftop with a telescope in hand.

Studies here has been pretty laid back(maybe its just me). Professors and teaching assistants are pretty funny but certainly not as good as the ones I had back in A levels. I miss them. Assignments are a bitch and I'm lazy but I do try and hand them in on time. Failed my first calculus test. Didn't know it was going down so I wasn't prepared. Haha. I need to focus man otherwise I won't be able to do an honors. Or something. OK bye.

Day 6 & 7

Since it's been like three weeks since the aforementioned days, and without pictures to help me, it's safe to say I have all but forgotten what transpired those two days. All I can remember is that Day 6 was the second day of my campus orientation which was shortened to half a day seeing as the first half of it was for those who hadn't had their UPAS's and student ID's set up yet, both of which I already had by then. The half-day I spent there is pretty much a blur to me meaning it probably was dull. I'm pretty sure we rounded up the on-campus tour then and there so it's all good.

Day 7 now. International Student Orientation. The only reason I actually went for it was so I could find out the procedures required to set up my insurance and stuff. There was intermission at noon and I had to leave for a bank appointment and when I got back, everyone was gone. I'm pretty sure the orientation was still on although I have no idea where it resumed.

Day 8 is much funner. A ton of pics to boot. Bye

PS: Uploading pics is a bitch

Day 5

Day 5, this is gonna be one disappointing post devoid of pictures to accompany it. So it's Campus Orientation. Probably the funnest day I've had here. Much thanks to my orientation leader for her outgoing personality making it fun. Anyway, as usual, I awoke quite early as I had to be at university at 9 am plus my uncle had to work so he had to drop me off much earlier. 8 I think.

First off, I was quite glad daddy wasn't around to embarrass me this time. So I made my way to the convocation mall, which is fyi like the midpoint between both ends of the university. I threaded through the light crowd in search of my Clan number which was 77. A few minutes of aimless walking and I run into my orientation leader, which just so happened to have been the one who sold me my cellphone a couple days before. Talk about coincidence. As I lingered around, exchanging occasional words with her, members of my clan slowly started to pop up. Half of my clan were asians and most of them were so reserved it pisses the fuck outta me. You talk to them they just nod at you or don't even answer. Wtf huh?

Anyway, after we have all gathered and received our handbook and other stuff, the opening ceremony begun. I thought it was a good idea to test out my camera phone. So I tried to snap a picture and the damn phone replies,'low on battery'. What's worse is I forgot to bring my camera and without pictures, my memories of the events that day has all but faded lol. First they was a speech welcoming the students to SFU followed by the unveiling of the SFU mascot which is a dog of some sort. Scary. What followed was a few games that required everyone to move about. One of them involved running from one end of the mall to the other. Seeing as it was overcrowded as fuck, I sat that one out lest I injure my thumb again. Haha. The second game involved less running around so I partook in it. Fun.

With the initiation done, we all splinter back into our original clan groups. The whole reason for the existance of clans was so that new students would move around the campus in smaller groups to avoid congestion and stuff. My clan leader started showing us around and giving somewhat of a commentary of the buildings and structures. We didn't tour the whole campus as it is too huge plus there was another event at the convocation mall later in the day. I think it was the Drum Cafe which entails a group of professional african tribe drummers teaching everyone how to produce drum beats and stuff. I drummed until my palms went numb. So much fun. I think. Too long ago I can't remember lol. With that done, we did a little more touring and after that I went home. That's all I remember. Bye.

Day 4

First off, let me apologise for being so behind schedule. And due to the amount of time that lapsed between my postings and the actual day it's supposed to entail, my memory of what happened has become quite vague. This means this post and the ensuing ones are gonna be rather short I think.

Okay, day 4. Seeing as I had a jampacked schedule for the past three days, I started the day intent on cutting it short by half. So it being Sept 1 meant it was move in day for my on campus residence. As much as I wanted to move in then, daddy dearest seemed kinda reluctant to let me leave. Anyway I woke up early as always and breezed through my morning routine. With 9 am approaching I geared up for key-collection day which replaced move-in day thanks to mr.daddy. The drive up was fraught with questions such as, " are you ready?","feel scared?","we're always here for you." Okay the last one wasn't a question. Nevertheless I shrugged them off irritably.

I was glad to get off. For the first time I thought I could escape the dogging questions posited by my dad. And also the constant berating of my malaysian roots by my uncle but alas it was not to be as daddy dearest decided to tag along. Luckily, I was not the only new tenants who brought their parents along so I blended it a little or so I thought. Anyway, when my turn arrived to collect my check-in, I had to sign on some documents alleging that the university is not responsible for bla bla bla. Not important. After all that was done, I was handed an SFU Residence Move-in bag which had lotsa different candy in there, a contact card, some forms, and a Trojan. That's right. The university expects me to get laid. I'm glad someone is expecting me to get laid. Sadly most girls don't agree with that. You see I have VD and stuff. lol.

After collection of the keys, I was showed by a volunteer, who I presume is a student in SFU, to my room. My building is called the Pauline Jewett. It's one of the four towers which are geared towards first and second year students. Anyway my room is one the seventh floor, number 13. Bad number eh? You can probably tell from the view I get from my window. The building facing my window is so nice I laughed till I puked. My room, according to Mervyn, looks Ikea-ish. That's only because it wasn't furnished/clattered by my stuff yet. Anyway, after taking a peek into my room, I ran into my CA, Community advisor. Aka floor coordinator. Nice girl. My uncle thinks she's a party girl. LOL. With that done, we decided to do a little exploring of the campus. You see, the concentration of people was in front of the residence dining hall, where we were to check-in. Everywhere else on the campus was empty. Good opportunity indeed.

Dragged my dad to my uncle's car around 11. We went to lunch and straight home after that. I still had to be back by 5 for my residence orientation clan meeting. It was all fun and games. I'm so pissed I was only able to make it to one. Thanks Dad for depriving me of the chance to bond with my community. With the games over, we had a BBQ dinner where I sat alone. Amazing. What followed was a floor meeting where we get to meet and introduce ourselves to people on the same floor. There were like 25 of us and the introductions and names just didn't stick in our heads. Wouldn't say it was totally useless but it wasn't able to do what it was supposed to. They had an outdoor theatre activity which followed where we all lie outside watchhing a movie. It was Up or so I heard. Seeing as I watched it like five days before. Decided to skip it and come home instead. The End.

Btw, it's a saturday night and I'm holed up in my room alone blogging. Ahhh Uni life. It's gonna be great.

Day 3

Stomp stomp stomp.. The day has arrived where I invade downtown Vancouver. Muahahahahaha. Rewind a few hours first. Early morning circa 7 am, I was just waking. It still being summer meant the sun was up earlier than me. Regardless, after a few days staring blankly at the ceiling following my rousing, I've sorta expect what I'd gain by doing so--nothing-- so I wasted no time and got up and went though the morning ritual I have begun to adopt which entails coming online lol, having breakfast, chitchatting, bathing, brushing my teeth, and admiring myself in the mirror. All in that particular sequence. Yes, I'm cool. After completion of all that, we decided to make our way up to SFU for some exploring whilst waiting for 11 am to arrive, which is the time I was scheduled to meet up with my tourguide for the day Kistina.

With 11 am approaching, my uncle dropped me off at Braid Station, where Kistina and I were scheduled to meet up. I was there at 11. No sign of Kistina. So I had to hang around for abit. My uncle's exhortation came to mind. He said they have CCTV's everywhere and they probably suspect me for loitering around what with my baggy jeans and hoodie. So I got scared. LOL. 20 minutes of waiting and here Kis comes to my relief. I thought she abandoned me or something. Anyway after exchanging greetings while waiting for the next train, we boarded the train. The train system in Vancouver is known as the Skytrain. It is the longest automated driverless light rapid transit system in the world and it comprises two lines; the Expo and Millenium lines. They connect downtown Vancouver with its neighbouring municipalities. So much better than KTM. Haha. Anyway getting on the train for the first time was quite overwhelming as it was the first time I sat amongst a congregation of as many white people. Yes I'm racist. I took a few random pics just to buat jakon haha. Anyway the train system here works on an honour system. You are expected to purchase a ticket before boarding but nobody checks so you could basically board it FOC. However they do have officers who come aboard once awhile to check and if caught without a ticket, you will be fined heftily. So after we arrived downtown, we alighted the train. I'm not usually a camera person but this sudden urge to snap pictures captured me and I had to brandish my camera right away.

First stop was the Vancouver Public Library which is enormous. It holds 1.3 million items says Wikipedia lol. The first floor houses a row of shops opposite the actual library where all the books are. Kis only showed me around the first three floors or so. If it wasn't for its distance, I would consider frequenting it regularly for my side-studious exploits. We left. Not far from the library was BC Place, a multi-purpose stadium. It's home to the local football team the BC Lions. We didn't actually entered it. We just jakon-ed outside. Awe-inducing indeed what with the sheer size of the structure coupled with the enormous dome. Anyway after sight-seeing/jakon-ing around aimlessly for abit, we arrived at a harbour just off Yale street I think. A small consortium of yachts were moored there. We trailed the railings for abit before deciding we were hungry.

Subway. That's where we had lunch. Tasty. The urge to convert and compare the prices overcame me here and I died inside a little. After having our hunger satisfied and thirst quenched, we resumed our sight seeing. Just a stone's throw away was Harbour Centre which houses a subsidiary branch of Simon Fraser University. We didn't really enter yet as next on the itinerary that Kis wrote up was Gastown, which was designated a national historic side of Canada not too long ago. This area was littered with machiney steam-like structures, of one I took a picture. We strolled through this area till we reach Granville Square which houses the offices of The Vancouver Sun and The Province newspapers. Being 142 metres tall and 30 storeys high makes it one of the tallest buildings in the city. Again, we didn't enter. Our sights were set on Canada Place, which was directly adjacent from where we were standing. It is the home of the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre, the Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver's World Trade Centre, and the world's first permanent IMAX 3D theatre. We skirted the outside of the building as the promenades permitted a splendid view of the harbour. Pictures will not be able to do it justice. After walking around the corner(which is btw a very long walk), we saw the entrance to the IMAX theatre. We both agreed on taking a toilet break. We used the restrooms at the theatre with permission of course.

After catching our breaths, we decided to proceed. We continued on the path and not long after we came across a humongous cruise ship parked just by the railings. It was called the Island Princess. It's so huge there were, I daresay, 300 hotel rooms built into the ship. Anyway after a few camwhoring snaps, we decided to move on. Only now we stepped into Harbour Centre. Up top was a viewing platform with a revolving restaurant, reminiscent to that of the KL tower. It costs 12CADs, if memory serves me right, to get up there. We didn't, of course, being the cash-strapped students we are. Instead we went to visit the SFU mini campus on the other side of the building. Walked around abit and admired the architecture somewhat then.... Stanley Park.

We boarded a bus. I flashed my UPAS and the bus driver didn't even give me a second look as I made my way down the aisle to the back section of the bus. Stanley park is akin to New York's Central Park only 10% larger. Beautiful place I tell ya. I tried capturing the scenery with a camera but as it turns out, it's not quite possible. I still tried though. Amongst the featured attractions of the park is Vancouver Aquarium, a mini train, a rose garden and a restaurant. We sat the mini train which costs 6CAD each. Surprisingly, it was fun although the seats were kinda small. Safe to say it was built to cater to little children. That was the highlight of the day.

Afterward, we went to one of the many harbour-like areas in Vancouver. Again, yachts everywhere in the water. We took this opportunity to jakon. It was fun. Then we headed off to Robson's Street. According to Kis this is where everyone hangs out. She was right. The vibrant air about it was interesting. Whatever. She then brought me to have icecream at her favourite ice cream shop. I don't remember the name. It was good btw. Finally, we called it a day and made our way to the nearest train station. She was nice enough to see me off at Braid Station. Okay bye. Post pictures later.

Day 2

I'm just gonna crap most of this post as I'm exhausted as hell right now but I'm already way behind my blogging schedule. So Day 2, I roused the earliest once again. Staring in the ceiling did nothing to reinvoke my desire to sleep so I trudged down to the kitchen to prepare myself a cup of water. Omg the air here is so dry I wake up every morning with my throat a desert. I can't remember what I did while waiting for the rest to wake up, perhaps online I think.

So we had breakfast which if I recall correctly consists of buns and fruits. Breakfast was accompanied by the usual morning chatter which mostly revolved around my uncle and my dad constant badmouthing of Malaysia and its people. Me being the patriotic malaysian that I am got pretty offended at parts but seeing as my uncle's been so accomodating, I let it slide.

After the routine morning bath, we started stuffing our bags with water bottles, snacks, and whatnot. Today we were going to the tourist town, Whistler while making stops on the way at Shannon Falls, Squamish, and Porteau Cove amongst others. I took a LOT of pictures I tell ya but problems with uploading has setback my posting them on my blog. I will rectify the issue ASAP. So anyway we began to move about 9-ish on the high way. Nothing much to say here aside from the sight-seeing opportunities that accompany the two hour drive to Whistler. My uncle starts narrating, calling each mountain by its name and sharing with us a brief history of it.

Anyway, first stop if I'm not mistaken was Shannon Falls. Nothing much here aside from the flocks of tourists and Shannon Falls itself. With the absence of rain for the past three weeks or so, the waterfall wasn't as majestic as it usually is. According to my aunt, there usually is ten times more water rushing down the cliff. Regardless, it still allowed a magnificent view. There are actually two vantage points that I know of were you can snap pictures of the falls. The first was at the foot of hill/mountain. The second one required some clambering to get to. Honestly, it was so cold my balls practically froze over. What surprised me even more was how some people were able to walk up the steps in shorts. Fucking shorts. Wtf. Anyway, after attaining at the second vantage point taking a minute to savour the view, we all made our way down back into the car. Onto our next destination, Stawamus Chief Provincial Park.

Seeing as it was mainly for mountain climbers, we didn't stay long at Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. We just lingered around at the carpark trying to point out climbers from below. Nothing much here. Moving on to Squamish.

Squamish is a small town to my knowledge. It is named after the natives who first inhabited this place. We didn't take much time exploring the town, we just stopped by the Squamish Adventure Centre situated a little past the town. We got down there to take pics of the inside of the structure. We also took pics with the big lumberjack structure just outside the centre. After about fifteen minutes of camwhoring, we moved on.

Next stop was Quest University for lunch. It being a private institution means its tuition fees are probably astronomical. Anyway, its located up a hill/mountain I dunno and the cafeteria was made right on the peak with a balcony for people to sit an enjoy the view. We sat down and started munching down on the delectable eggs sandwiches my aunt made. 45 minutes there and we were gone.

Brandywine Falls Provincial Park was next on our itinerary. More nature at its finest I would say. I dunno. Alot of breathtaking view points. First one was of Brandywine Falls I presume. Of course the vantage point was fenced off at the edges to prevent sightseers and stupid dickheads to plummet to their deaths as it was pretty high up. Snapped a few photos and we followed the trail till we arrived at another vantage point. This time of a valley. I will google up the information later. This sight was probably the most amazing one yet. A true wonderment indeed. It was a dead end so we turned back. Retracing our footsteps down the trail, we arrived back at our car and now on to our true destination, Whistler.

Maybe an hour past before we arrived at Whistler. Just making it to Whistler alone made this long journey worthwhile. Whistler being a tourist town implied that everything there was extra pricey. Regardless, just walking down the streets and taking in the scenery the unique architecture offered was enough to make my day. Just the ambience that pervaded the air was enough to leave you in total amazement I don't even have words to describe it. One of the main tourist attractions is this cable car-like contraption called the gondola which takes you up and down both Blackcomb Mountain and Whistler Mountain. Once up there, you have the option to mount the peak-to-peak gondola which spans over 1.6 km or so says my aunt. The slopes, during winter when it snows, are used as ski areas. Other times, they are used as bmx circuits and the like. So after walking around aimlessly for half an hour, we decided to grab a bite. A bowl of french fries with mayonoise here costs about 6CAD which after conversion is roughly RM20. OMG i know. With our hunger satisfied, we decided to head back to the car as we were all rather pooped.

The drive back was pretty dry as we were all too exhausted to do any more sightseeing. In spite of that, we stopped by the Tantalus Viewpoint which is just on the outskirts of Squamish. I've gotten accustomed to the many mountainous sceneries by now. The breeze that blew by was very refreshing though. We got back into the car for a bit more driving. Our final stop was Porteau Cove, a popular scuba diving destination. We snapped some pictures of the scenery encompassing the place and we left. We arrived home around 6pm with the life drained outta us. If I remember correctly, we had a quick dinner and we all turned in early.

All in all, I had a lotsa fun that day. But I still wish you were here with me gorgeous.