Farewell Vancouver!

Posted on September 1, 2011

My wife had an 8-month co-op placement here in Vancouver, BC and my remote job allowed me to travel with her. I was really excited, as I knew Vancouver was one of the most liveable cities in the world. But at the same time, I was kind of scared that we would be bored since it was just me and my wife. We didn’t know anybody in Vancouver.

So we decided to sightsee and visit all of the tourist attractions in Vancouver so that we could make the most of our stay. As a result, we went out almost every weekend.

What is good about Vancouver?  – Definitely weather!

And what is bad about Vancouver? — Weather.

Confused?

Let me explain –In Canada I think winter is the worst season because of the frigid temperatures and obviously snow. Snow sometimes prevents you from getting out of the house.  Imagine a winter season with cold temperatures but without snow! This is why Vancouver is the best, because during winter you’ll hardly see any snow and temperatures aren’t too low. And summer in Vancouver? It’s not just good—it’s awesome! Summer in Vancouver is the most comfortable summer I’ve ever experienced. Not scorching hot and definitely not too cool. It makes you feel like going outside and just enjoying the sun.

However, rainy weather is the hallmark of Vancouver. During the winter and spring seasons it rains almost all the time. Especially during the winter–it rains almost 80% of the time. Sometimes it’s frustrating to see continuous rain. But I guess rain is better than snow. So they there you go.

Anyways, if you are visiting Vancouver, here are my recommendations for places to visit:

  1. Stanley Park
  2. Capilano Suspension Bridge
  3. Science World
  4. Canada Place
  5. Jack Poole Plaza (Olympic Cauldron)
  6. Downtown Vancouver (Robson St & Granville St shopping)
  7. Vancouver Aquarium
  8. Metropolis Metrotown Shopping Centre
  9. Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden
  10. Richmond Night Market
  11. Kitsilano and Jericho Beaches
  12. UBC (Wreck) Beach (*only for sunset)
  13. Horseshoe Bay –> Ferry to Bowen Island
  14. White Rock Beach
  15. The PNE Playland
  16. Granville Island
  17. Whistler, BC

In summary, Vancouver is a BEAUTIFUL city. We will definitely miss this city and its gorgeous mountains (my wife loved those mountains)! Eight months is not too long but we’ve gathered lots of sweet memories here, which will stay with us forever.

We made some good friends here too who will be greatly missed. Whenever we have a chance, we will definitely consider visiting or even living in Van city.

For now, I have to go pack my bags and fly back Hamilton, ON.

Thank you Vancouver for the wonderful memories and hope to see you soon!

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Define: death

Posted on August 29, 2011

I thought politics was a dirty subject, but I was quite surprised to see the amount of people supporting Jack Layton in Canada’s last national election, specially university students. This guy had something special in him. He was a true leader with substantial patriotism and uniqueness. He successfully got NDP to become the official opposite party. I’m sure those who didn’t vote him, still love the man he was. In  my head I always thought that if I could vote in this country, I would definitely vote for Layton.

Jack Layton lost his battle against cancer on 22nd August 2011. I knew that his end was near, yet when I heard the news of his death I was completely shocked. I immediately thought, “he still has lots of things left to do and give. He would definitely be elected as Prime Minister in the next election. How could he be gone?”

Gone means he won’t be coming back again or we won’t hear him speak those words of hope and wisdom? It truly upsets me to think that those who have some power in this world to make change still can’t escape death. All the people mourning across the Canada, can’t do anything to get Jack Layton back.

Then, two days after the passing of Jack Layton, we were all hit with another shock. The announcement of the resignation of Steve Jobs from Apple. After I read his statement, the first thing that came to my mind was “wait he has cancer too!” My wife has been working as a Research Assistant focused primarily on cancer for last couple of years. And though I know the answer, I still ask her this question again and again “why people get cancer?”

Really. I can’t stop thinking how such disease can give people no chance to fight back. Sometimes death is so unfair. And at the end , money, fame, or power cannot increase your chance of escaping death. I always wondered about death, and till now it remains the most mysterious things. Truth is always hard and death is the hardest thing to understand.

I know that there is very little chance to hear Steve Jobs on the stage again, but my humble request to Almighty is to please keep him strong and give him another chance to enlighten us. It’s going to be too much emptiness to carry in our heart if we lose him.

Now, I’m going to get back to Mr. Jobs’ speech again. “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” –- Steve Jobs, Standford University

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