Top Ten Things I Hate about Vancouver

Well finals are over, thank god. I'm sitting at home in Regina and, at the moment, I couldn't be happier. Vancouver is an exciting city to be in... there is always something to do and something to talk about. However, I never want to be that guy who goes to a new city and just bashes his hometown. I love being home... and if it were possible to get the kind of education i'm getting at UBC, I wouldn't even dream of moving.

Each city has its own cliches. In Regina, everyone complains about the weather and the riders... usually in tandem. In Vancouver, everyone says "Oh... it rains a lot... but I love Vancouver." Everyone in Vancouver... loves Vancouver... that's the cliche. It's like a hidden taboo in the city to say anything bad about it. They talk about how the great beaches, mountains, and forest landscape... you know.. the regular. However, they always politely forget the "other" things that go along with the west coast lifestyle. I'm going to kick this taboo in the teeth and air out vancouver's dirty laundry.

Top Ten Things that suck about Vancouver

10. Its prohibitively expensive... things like rent are ridiculous up here

9. The Internet service blows. The two main ISP's are Shaw and Telus and they both blow. They are not as heavily regulated by the CRTC and your likely to wait way over 20 minutes if you call them. While SaskTel is pumping out Television services through brandband and leading the world in fibre optic technology ... those two are still in the dark ages with upload and download caps, as well as automatic throttling of torrents.

8. Traffic is terrible. I don't even bother going out between 3:30 - 6:30, if i can't walk there.

7. You walk everywhere.... and it always seems like ur going uphill... especially if your from the flat prairies

6. There are only 2 Wal-marts and they are not accessible if you live in Vancouver. If you neet to buy something cheap you'll have to drive over a half an hour or buy it bulk at the Costco. Regina has a quarter of their population and even we have 3 Walmarts.

5. There's tons of homeless people. If you walk the same route each day, you can literally watch a homeless person gradually get worse with time.

4. It can get claustrophobic. They use every ounce of space here. I can't tell you how relieved I felt when i drove to heather's house and all i saw was highway and a wide open skyline.

3. Mother nature owns Vancouver. You'd think a city that plays russian roullette with a major fault line would be better prepared for the wrath of mother nature, but that's just wishful thinking. The first sight of snow will send the city into a uproar, hell even torrential rain can shut down the city. RAIN! You'd figure they would have that one mastered by now.

2. No one speaks english here... not even the white people.

1. There are no left hand turning lanes. If you personified the city, your best fit would be Zoolander. The city is a uni-turner and blissfully ignorant of its faults.

But even then... Vancouver will always win you over. Vancouver is Canada's dirty mistress. She has some definite deal-breaker faults, but you keep sleeping with her cuz she so fucking hot.

Coming home for Xmas!

I'm coming home... finally.

Finals are done... i think i slept a total of 7 hours in the last 3 days... its law schools way of kicking u in the teeth.

it'll only get harder too but that's about the furthest thing from my mind right now...

I just hope i don't start tearing up when I see a John Deere tractor... nothing says home like John Deere.

A long overdue update

God, I thought I had updated this thing two weeks ago... time flies when you’re busy.

I've been meaning to post this sooner, but i've been pissing around with a new website. I built it with my mac, i dunno if i'm gonna keep it yet, but it looks pretty slick. Check it out Don't mind the other blog, its basically a carbon copy of this one, except work people read it... so some of the posts are a bit "edited." Enjoy!!

Sorry I didn’t update this sooner. Lately, if i find time to eat dinner and go to the bathroom, I consider that a good day. Among writing an insane number of papers, I’m encroaching on finals soon. In fact, its next week, so even though this blog is overdue... my next one will probably rival the present one in lateness.

When the riders beat the stampeder's in the semi division finals, i was jumping up and down my living room chanting “Burr-is Sucks! Burr-is Sucks!” The next day, i bought tickets to the western division finals. On game day I headed into BC Place clad in green and black, proudly donning my Saskatchewan Roughriders hat. When i got to my seats, i realized that the Bank of Nova Scotia handed out those inflatable tube noise makers to...EVERY lions fan in the dome. The place was one giant noise generator... Heather was a foot from me, but i could barely make out what she was saying the entire game. Is it any wonder they got hit with an insane amount of time count violations. We got heckled up and down the dome... but i gave as good as I took. I yelled until my throat got soar but in the end it all comes down to the basic math. 10,000 full time rider fans can’t out cheer 40,000 part-time Lions fans (most of them are Canuck fans who just need to cheer for a team that can make the playoffs). We were lucky to get out of the dome without any major incidents but there were fights happening left and right. The ride home sucked. All the cars saw Heather’s Saskatchewan license plates and honked us all the way home. One guy even got out the window and yelled “ITS GONNA BE A LOOOONG RIDE HOME!!” At the time, i thought that guy was an ass... but if this happened in Regina... i’d probably would be doing the same thing. Although we weren’t driving to Regina, he was right, it was a long ride home...

The fall season of flag football just wrapped up recently. They held the playoffs in BC place. It was a bit eerie since it was only a week prior that my Riders got whipped on the very same field. It was nice to finally play in a dry environment... it made catching footballs so much easier. Unfortunately, we finally broke our five game winning streak. In heartbreaking fashion, nonetheless, our loss occurred during the championship game. The other team thoroughly whipped us during the 1st half. In the second half, we made adjustments and had them practically shut down, but it was too little too late. We lost 27-19. Not a bad run for a team that never practices (we simply don’t have time). The team that beat us, has been in this league for 5 years... and apparently has won its division all five times. Hopefully, we’ll get a different ending in the winter season.

Law school is busy. The amount readings assigned are relatively reasonable, at least at face value. However, once you couple that with just over a paper every week, you can fall behind quickly. Now that finals are approaching, the amount of fear and panic in the building is intense. I try to get out of the building as quickly as possible. Nothing can shake your confidence like watching another group of law students panic over the most minute details. Confidence is a treasured commodity here... the main catch is keeping it intact before everyone else’s infectious insecurities whittles your confidence to the point where you are intellectually impotent. Law school is great... but this is the ugly side no one tell you about in the brochures. For the most part, the “old saying” seems to be holding true. “In 1st year, they scare you to death. In 2nd year, they work you to death. In 3rd year.... the bore you to death!”

I’ll be coming home in late December 19th! I can’t wait. Sadly, the only time I’ll likely think about coming home will be the Dec. 18th (when my final paper is due). The more i think about home, the more i miss it. I gotta put it out of my mind and focus on finals... time to go for broke.

If your life was a movie what would the soundtrack be?

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...just type it in man!


Opening Credits:
Natural Anthem – Postal Service

Waking Up:
Never Change – Jay-Z

First Day At School:
I’ll do anything – Jason Mraz (…that’s pretty much true)

Falling In Love:
Cavanaugh Park – Something corporate

Losing Virginity:
Playing for keeps – Matchbook Romance

Fight Song:
Hangin’ Around – Counting Crows

Breaking Up:
Apple Shampoo – Blink 182… (how appropriate)

Prom:
Night Shift – O.A.R.

Life:
Fall Line – Jack Johnson

Mental Breakdown:
Wendy Clear – Blink 182

Driving:
Hold True – O.A.R

Flashback:
Livin’ It Up – John Legend… (I guess it’s all down hill from here)

Getting Back Together:
The Heart of Life – John Mayer… (I’d be surprised if John Mayer didn’t make the list at all)

Wedding:
Silence vs Romance – Rilo Kiley

Birth of Child:
Little Dawn – Ted Leo & the Pharmacists

Final Battle:
Getting Away with murder – Papa Roach… (good lord, I swear this really came up… eerie.. but so awesome)

Death Scene:
I wish I was a girl – Counting crows… (I never would have guessed having counting crows on my ipod would bite me in the ass so bad.)

Funeral Song:
Just like I remember – Bleed the Dream… (crazy appropriate)

End Credits:
My My My – Grant Lee Phillips

The flag football ninja

One of the things that took me off guard in law school was the number of extracurricular activities that I seemingly had to join. The reasoning behind this was that everyone’s grades will be pretty close to one another. Extracurricular activities would help differentiate you from the next person. That being said, everyone in law signed up for a myriad of extracurricular activities. Maybe its just me, but if everyone signs up for extracurricular activities... doesn’t that defeat the purpose of differentiating?

Law school is a land of extremes. For instance, when it comes to recreational sports they either were extremely wussy sports like badminton or incredibly violent like rugby. After seriously considering playing rugby for lack of a better sport, but, after seeing what it did to Brian Frye (a co-worker from my marketing days @ sasktel, who played rugby for UVic)... the only person i’ve met who had worse shoulder problems then i did... i decided against playing rugby. Brian was build like a bull, but he could barely lift his arms above his head.

Luckily, i wasn’t the only one dissatisfied with the selection of rec sports... My buddy Micah... from Idaho... felt the same way. We figured we’d be pioneers and start our own unofficial flag football team for UBC law. We joined the Point Grey flag football league which was run the the university. We play in the tier 2 competitive league and our current record is 3-1-1... not too shabby.

Oh yeah... our team name is “Penal Offense.” How perfect is that!!

Anyways, in a incredibly long and round about way of explaining the above picture... you all know that when my face gets exposed the cold for an extended period, my face swells up and I break out in hives. Since we play in the dead of night, it can get cold enough for my face to completely swell up if i don’t cover up. So i wore a balaclava for the first time last game. The opposing team actually called me the “ninja guy” when they called out who they were covering... awesome.

Here’s our rankings and our stats, they aren’t completely accurate... Vic and I got robbed of our touchdowns even though in one game we technically scored 26 points with only 3 touchdowns... dumb refs

This week in law school...

So this week in law school is "Bridge Week" for me. Essentially, all the regular classes I have this week will be converted into one class called "Law in Context" that's worth 3 credits which is half the credits of a regular law course. Basically, our schedules are the same but the content of the classes are different. In each class we get to learn a different facet of all the ethical duties, potential professional conficts, and disclipinary actions that could arise if we happen to be total fuck ups as lawyers.

Did you know I can receive disciplinary actions based no what I do outside the office, I guess being lawyer means scaling back my dreams of becoming an international playboy. No blatant drunken-coke-induced debauchery for me. Only covert drunken-coke-induced debauchery... (in international waters) for me.

On a another note, Heather's heading home on Thursday for her convocation. I'm so jealous... i was so tempted to book a ticket and head home with her, but unfortunately there is no flex in my schedule. After bridgeweek, i'll have 4 writing assignment all due the next friday. Plus, I've got an LSLAP (Law Students Legal Advice Program) clinic the following monday.

The LSLAP program is the UBC legal aid program that provides legal advice to low income families and individuals. Its run entirely by volunteer lawyers and students. Basically, at the start of school, they said join this club or you won't get a job. So I joined, as did the rest of the 200 other fearful 1st year law students. So, with the help of a volunteer lawyer, I get to utilize my supple 6 weeks worth of legal education to help deranged homeless people or uppity-rich-folk-pretending-to-be-poor so they can get free legal advice about their 4 beach front properties.

Craziness.

Law School in a Nutshell

So i'm sitting in the "interaction area", which is effectively like "the pit" of the U of R in the the law building... i should probably start on the paper I have due tomorrow, but since i can't quite work up the motivation do it yet, i'll write to u guys in the mean time.

If it weren't for the horror stories of how dilapidated the engineer building is, i probably would not be able to appreciate the few amenities at the UBC law building. Its a bit of an eye sore, definitely not as pretty as the new buidlings that U of R seems to erecting these days. I think the UBC law building won some award for the most creative use of concrete (did i mention that in my other blog? I can't remember). No joke, i think its in a brochure somewhere. For most political science student this building is an upgrade but, for me at least, its definitely a downgrade from what i've been used too. Business school spoiled me. I forget sometimes that the business is by far the most highly funded faculty at least at the U of R. Lectures without powerpoint in a "smart" classroom was almost unheard of in classes. At law school, there's a podium, desk, and chairs, and maybe four power outlets for 40-50 students who all have laptops. Thank god I have a new Mac with a fresh battery.

There are some great features about the law building, its got a great library, and if you ever need a dead silent place to work, that's the place to be. They also have a "candidas" which i guess is our food court which is nice. They have a panini press, microwaves, fridges that everyone can use and free hot water... which is great for me... since i have a french press cup from starbucks.

Law school as a program is definitelys structured differently from any program i've ever heard of or participated in. Its pretty crazy. They take 200 first year law students and divide them into "small groups" of twenty. They pretty much stated, very eloquently, to all of us that these people are our new friends, get to know them... cuz they will be the only people u will ever see for the rest of the year.

For the most part, that's been holding true. i see the same 20 or so people, some in my small group, some not, in all my classes. Our schedules are exactly the same... right down to the breaks. Crazy, huh. It pretty much forces you to get to know these people. These will be the people that will share notes and save your ass when you happen to forget some important detail... so you'd better buy into the spirit of cooperation b/c the people that go it alone are the ones that are left behind.

The grading scheme is pretty messed too, but everyone expected it; however, its still hard for me to choke down sometimes. Basically, you are not graded on how "right" you are, you could construct a picture perfect case brief, that is absolutely rock solid, but if everyone does a picture perfect case, you'll only get a 70... at best. You are marked in comparison to the class, not to how "right" you are. At least in undergrad there was a distribution that the profs had make all student fall under... so there was the chance someone could get a ninety, but not everyone could get one. In law school, there is a range of marks and no distribution. The basic range of marks is generally 68-75, if you are absolutely steller u'll get a 72-73, if your avg u'll get a 70. Oh, if you want to do a masters in law, the minimum requirement is a 80% to be considered... brutal gabe.

I spend about 15.5 hours in class a and a about 26.5 hours in the law building a week. that's gotta be at least double what i did in my undergrad.

Its hard to imagine, after just reading what i just wrote, how or why anyone would subject themselves to this kind of punishment. I can honestly tell you, that i love it here. I can't say the last month hasn't been difficult because it has been a huge adjustment and it definitely did not go smoothly. I guess, its finally nice to be finally doing what i wanted to do since I graduated high school. Feels like it took me forever to get here... but I finally feel like i'm in the right place.

A Much Belated Blog

Hey guys,

Sorry i haven't written in awhile... life has been crazy. Ever since I’ve gotten into Vancouver, I’ve been feeling like I have a million things to do that HAD to be done yesterday.

For the most part, Vancouver has been great. I miss home terribly... there are days where it would nice see another person in Rider paraphernalia or not feel like I’ve been consistently walking uphill for a fort night. I miss my family, car, and all around easy-going-friendly Saskatchewanians. I guess probably the hardest adjustment for me was not being able to just pick up the phone and call people to do stuff. Everything in Vancouver needs to planned ahead. Those spur of the moment plans that I have been so accustomed to in Regina are not possibly in Vancouver.

Everyone loves Vancouver (that seems to be the general rule around here). There really isn’t any reason not to love Vancouver, it’s a very exciting city and there will always be a ton of stuff to do… if you have time to do it… that is. For what its worth, I like Vancouver too, but the “lifestyle” takes a bit getting used too. I pretty much feel like a bum 24/7, I can’t be bothered to put on anything other than a T-shirt and jeans lately. When your living in Kitsilano area (people here call it Kits for short) your likely to fall in this continuum: a poor student, uppity yuppie, or some weird blend like poor student pretending to be a uppity yuppie. I love those ones, you can pretty much foresee the real world slamming into them like an angry train when they realize they shouldn’t have spent their rent money on a $500 blinged-out sweat suit. People are generally nice here, that is… until they hit the road, then they all become maniacs. The view can’t be beat, I love seeing the mountains, and I’m less than a five minute drive to the beach… although I’m pretty sure you can bike to the beach just as fast too.

… there’s so much more I have to write about, but, alas, I have no time. I gotta start my readings for the tomorrow’s classes. However, for next time, I’ll either be writing about UBC Law or my move up there, and if your lucky, I might post some pics too… that is, if anyone reads this

T-Blog

T-Blog

I'm sorry people. Hectic schedule...

don't have time to write in full..err.. sentences

Update coming soon... promise!

stay tuned...

-T

P.S. Does anyone still read this blog?

Some perspective

okay... where was I, oh right... perspective.

I can understand how some people would lose sight about why I went to BC in the first place. Here's a quick flashback. I just bombed my first lsat and my dreams of law school were shattered. A month later, i already began the interview process with SaskTel with the plan on becoming a full time employee there (since law school seemed like a pipe dream at that point). I cannot recall a lower moment in my life. I was completely sapped of all motivation, i was nothing but dead weight at that point.

Everyone did their best to keep me in good spirits. I heard things like "you'll get it next time" and "law school isn't everything." But lets face it, it was everything to me. I had been chasing this dream since highschool, that's a good six years. Everyone that knew me...that knew of me... knew that i wanted to go to law school. Law school was the ultimate goal... my dream... my purpose. On top of that i was hit hard with my grandmother's death, who had been my greatest source of inspiration. Imagine that you lost your inspiration and your purpose all in one day, and then add every stage of of self pity, self loathing, depression, frustration, and sadness... and you might understand where I was at that particular point in my life. I was all sorts of fucked up. I basically meandered through... day after day. Empty. Souless. I was dying slowly, by the hour... minute.... second and I didn't care anymore. This went on for what seemed like forever. When your in complete darkness there is no way to tell time. You just know its pitch black and you can't remember which way is forward or which way is up.

When I got that call from U of T, it sparked something in me. I felt motivated, driven and focused. I had a second shot. I knew i probably didn't deserve it, but i welcomed it. I had swore on my grandmothers casket that if i get a second chance, i would not half ass it. I would give it everything i had, lay it all on the line. I would bare my soul to the world and welcome judgement. I would not hide or shy away from failure. I would fight... I would fight to win.

So i sought out the best LSAT course I could afford and I moved to BC. I left my job, friends, and family... for one dream. I hope my grandmother considers that to be enough to honor my promise. I didn't leave to get into U of T. I left to reclaim a my sense of purpose. I had lost a dream... I was there to get it back. I remember the exact moment when i got that back. It was the day I got my acceptance letter from University of Saskatchewan. That letter was my redeemer. A few weeks later, I was lucky enough to get one from UBC.

I was never there just to get into U of T. I was there to get into law school at all costs... and, incidentally, U of T was the only school that seem to give a damn about me. I got into UBC law school and i'm going to a world famous school with one of the biggest law faculties in Canada. I really think i've turned the corner in my life, i've hit some sort of sweet spot. Everything seems so crystal clear about where I should head. I found clarity... finally.

Yeah, i lost a few battles along the way but I won the war... and thats enough for me.

a totally belated posting

It has become increasingly hard for me to write my next blog lately. Its not that i don't have anything to write. It's quite the opposite... I just have too much to write about that I really don't know where to start.

At the end of my stay in BC, i remember telling Heather that i never wanted to ever speak of the LSAT ever again. It wasn't that i thought that i did poorly on it, but rather the feelings it still conjures up for me. I can't help but associate the LSAT with traumatic events. Think about it. Febraury 4, 2005... my first LSAT test... and my grandmother dies while i'm writing it. Febraury 25th, 2005, i find out my score... and all hope of going to law school dies. I am incapable of feeling any good emotions when someone mutters the words LSAT to me.

So, here is the short version. Yes, did score higher on the LSAT, signficantly higher but i did not score high enough to get into U of T. I can't really divulge any more than that... because, quite frankly... i can't bear talking about he lsat anymore. I hope everyone can understand.

Yes, I do consider not getting into U of T a failure. However, I feel no shame in not getting into U of T... but i do feel a little embarassed now and then about how highly publicized it was in the end. Obscure people at work would stop and talk to me about it... even the GM (general manager... my bosses boss), who has incidentally has a budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars... stopped by my office to talk to me about my law school situation... Heather's work friends would ask about me... even strangers who happen to stumble across my blog.

I know there are people out there who are sad that i didn't get into U of T and I know there are people out there who love to watch me fail (i can name a few). Lastly, and most importantly, there are people who are geniunely worried about how I feel about the whole situation.

Let me try to put this entire situation into perspective for everyone....

(...to be continued)

(sorry this blog was getting way too long)

Totally Belated Post

I've been home for a little over a month and I'm loving it. I know i haven't posted in awhile and I feel totally unapologetic about it. I've been trying to take in as much as home as I can... and quite frankly, that means posting a blog about my home coming is a low priority. However, here's something to tide you over until my next blog. Its not a lengthy discussion piece... but its a gooder.

So picture this, Rick's father and me at my sisters wedding! This picture was suppose to be us waving the "West Side" gang sign.... but all they captured was what our facial expressions would be IF we were fronting the "West Side" gang sign. Check it out.

At the reception, he was the irish booze hound... i think we finished an entire flat of sleemans together.

I'm Coming Home

I'm done

I finished the test and did my best... whatever happens now...well... happens.

I'm not worried about where i'll end up.

All I can think about is home.

I miss my friends... i miss them even more now that I know i will be leaving Regina for sure in two months.

But most of all, I miss Heather. I thought about Heather every minute of every hour since i've been here. She's been my biggest cheerleader. I know I would have gone mad without her support My ambition has always put a strain on our relationship. My decision to leave for Vancouver, maybe the biggest strain yet...but she has always encouraged me to chase dreams that seem to far way to be possible. She is my light at the end of the tunnel. I love you, Heather.

I'm coming home.

I GOT INTO LAW SCHOOL!..... AGAIN!!!

I was up studying till 4:30 am last night doing logic games, i went to bed
roughly around 5:30ish...(it takes me a hour or so to get out of test taking mode in order to get to sleep... otherwise i'll be up all night going over logic game setups and going over argumentative flaws)

Around 8:45 am, I hear a loud knock on my door. It was Aunt, she told me my father was on the phone. The last time he called was to tell me that University of Ottawa sent me a rejection letter.

I remember answering the phone and my dad said something like... "Are you awake? UBC sent you a letter"

Half asleep, I replied "...uh huh"

"You got IN to you UBC!" my dad said excitedly.

Not comprehending what he just said... I think i replied with, "cool... i'll think about it"

I was just about to hang up the phone... and it started to sink in... I get back on the phone and my dad, and he asks me... a bit confused "Which school are you gonna to?"

"err... UBC... " It starts to sink in a bit more "Holy Fuck, Dad.... I got INTO UBC!!" (no shit... i really did say that to my father)

My dad laughs and then congratulates me.

Not in a million years would I have imagined that I'd be able to get into a U of S, let along UBC. This time i know for sure that my GPA saved my ass. Finally, after 5 years of busting my ass 24/7, countless all nighters, and hundreds of hours of studying... it actually paid off. I was beginning to think that hard work was all for not.

Here's some stats about UBC and other law schools for comparisions sakes. The following provides the avg GPA and lsat score of the last years accepted applicants. FYI... A 160 LSAT score is 80th percentile, 163 is 90th, and a 170 99th.

________________________

UBC - 82% GPA - 163 LSAT score
________________________

U of Alberta.............................. 3.6 GPA - 161 LSAT
U of Calgary............................. 3.5 GPA - 159 LSAT (rough estimate)
U of New Brunswick............... 3.7 GPA - 158 LSAT
U of S........................................ 78% GPA - 158 LSAT
U of Victoria............................ 82% GPA - 162 LSAT
U Western Ontario................ 3.7 GPA - 160 LSAT
U of Toronto........................... 3.8 (84%) GPA - 166 LSAT

Unbelievable Headache

Today I had the headache from hell. It is unwelcomed especially since I have developed a nagging neck cramp, which feels somewhat like a pinched nerve just between my neck and shoulder. It seemed to have developed once i started writing all these practice tests. I guess my test taking posture isn't very ergonomic. Anyways, this headache coupled with this neck cramp tag teamed me into submission. It got so bad I stopped mid test, cuz i literally couldn't hear myself think anymore.

I think the headache was a result of me deciding that I didn't need coffee today. Bad idea, since they only thing keeping me afloat these last weeks has been the bag of freshly ground starbucks coffee i got a month ago. I've been drinking it ever since. Starbucks totally has me by the short hairs. My brained started to throb around 7:30 pm and continued till about 10:00... then i just gave in and made myself a half cup of coffee and hoped that would tide me over until i finish this test. That helped but i could still feel my head throb. So now, while i'm waiting for the aspirin to kick this headaches ass, i decided to give u guys a glimpse into what I have to listen to in a day while i'm writing my practice tests.

Here's the back story. I bought ear plugs to drown out my aunts family while i study. Ear plugs are rated on a scale of 0-30 (30 being the most effective). A score of 30 means your ear plugs can reduce noise levels by 30 decibels. The ear plugs i got had a rating of 29.

So this is what I did... i put the ear plugs in and tried to compare my aunt's loudness with known decibel ratings of other things. Here's what i got.

When my aunt is talking she sounds like a residential area at night (40db)... if you add 29dB to that without earplugs... she actually comparable busy traffic at 5m (70dB).

When she raises her voice she starts sounding like the inside of a restaurant with the ear plugs on (60dB) , add 29 dB without the ear plugs and she loudness rivals that of a heavy truck at 1m (90dB)

When she's absolutely furious, she sounds like a vaccum cleaner (80dB) even when I have my ear plugs on... which means she actually sounds like a chainsaw (110 dB).

Oh by the way, the threshold of pain is a 120 dB, which is a train horn at 10 m.

God bless wikipedia.

Time to go back to studying.

Home Stretch

Last three weeks.

Gut check time.

Much of my score will depend on how aggressively I study in the coming weeks. I plan to study night and day.. until my vision blurs and till i collapse of mental exhaustion. There is no tomorrow.

I got a rejection letter from U of Ottawa today. I asked my dad to save it for me.

It'll look nice when I hang it beside my acceptance letter to U of T.

Veni, vidi, vici.

Pictures!

Its been a long time since I last posted. I thought I would make up for it with some pictures! This is the just the first set, more to come later!

Enjoy!

I GOT INTO LAW SCHOOL!!!

The title isn't wrong. Its TRUE! I got into law school! My little sister called me yesterday afternoon and told me I had an important letter from the University of Saskatchewan College of Law. She opened and read it to me. When I heard her read out, "Congratulations, you have been accepted..." I nearly fainted. Then I remember jumping up and down, hugging my aunt, while giving high fives to my cousins. Oh yeah, i think i yelled... "fuck the little people" a few times too (Just for clarification, i'm refering to Eastview when I say "fuck the little people").

No one is more surprised than I am. My LSAT score was dismal. I'm guessing my average was the saving grace of my application. Luckily for me, not every school weights the LSAT the same. I know for instance, U of Vic only attributes 30% of the overall weighting to your LSAT, while your university GPA makes up the rest. I'm interested to hear from U of Vic but i'm not getting my hopes up. I'm not gonna push my luck.

In case you were wondering about the type of standards U of S has in comparison to other law schools here's some quick facts for you. U of S only accepts roughly 10% of its applicants, which basically means you have a 90% chance of not getting in. The average LSAT scores of their applicants is roughly 158. Most law school hopefuls know that if you score a 160, you'll prolly get in to most of the law schools you've applied too. U of Vic (which is always ranked one of the top law schools in Canada) has a average lsat score of 160 amongst its acceptees. So what's the difference between a score of 158 and 160... roughly three questions on the actual LSAT. You'll be required to answer up a 140 questions when you are writing the actual test. So, they won't let just anyone in... unless your name happens to be Terrence Ma...*Pimp*

So what does this mean? Am I coming home?

Nope. I'm seeing this through till the bloody end. I promised my grandmother and i promised myself I wouldn't half ass this second chance. I don't intend too. I'm going to study my ass off, write this test, and wait for U of T to accept me too.

The Perplexities of Mass Transit

Here's a synopsis of my first week in BC. I got to learn the intricacies of Vancouver's mass transportation system the hard way. I figured my aunt would know the bus routes and would be able to explain to me which one's i would need to take once i got to Richmond. I was in for a big surprise. Apparently, she rarely leaves Richmond. However, she did point out that i could take the 480 bus straight to UBC. If only it were as simple as that. I found out very quickly that 480 bus only runs from monday to friday and not on weekends. Which means that when i have my weekend diagnostics tests i need to find some other way of getting there... which my aunt has no idea of how to actually get there. On top of that, the 480 bus makes it last stop at the UBC around 9:40 pm and my class goes straight to 10:00 pm, and sometimes a little late. I also have to find an alternate way of getting back. After a few fiasco and a very long and unintentional trip to downtown vancouver, on my first solo experience with the bus system, i think i got everything figured out.

Tues and Thurs: I take the bus 480: UBC around 4:00-4:15 pm and i'll arrive at the UBC roughly around 5:00 pm (its usually sit around and finish up some last minutes questions). The instructor arrives early and 5:30 and goes over questions from last classes homework. This part is not required but he's there if you want to review the homework, so, i like to take full advantage of it. Class continues to 10:00 pm.

I catch the 99 B-Line bus headed for Broadway Station and get off @ West Broadway and Granville. Then transfer and catch 98 B Line bus headed for Richmond Center and i get off @ No 3 rd and Westminister Hwy. Then I walk down the block to my aunt's place on Buswell St.

Weekends: On weekends its different. I take the 98 B Line: Burrard Station @ rought 8:30 am and get off at 41st and Granville. Then I transfer to Bus 41: UBC or Bus 43 UBC, whichever comes first. I arrive at UBC @ roughly 9:25 am and my diagnostic tests start at 10:00 am.

After the test, which usually goes till 1:30, I catch Bus 41: Joecyln and get off at 41st and Granville which i then transfer to 98 B-Line Richmond Center.

Oh yeah, not all bus drivers are nice... most are, but the ones that are dicks...well, are REALLY dicks. Oh, and one last thing, not all bus drivers know where their going... how do u think i ended up in downtown?!

Anyways, I finally feel comfortable with the transit system. Just yesterday I found the MEC store by myself using the bus system and today i headed downtown (on purpose) and even used the sky train... stay tuned for more updates

Message from Vancouver

So I've been in Vacouver for roughly three days. In those three days, i've have done my best to take mental notes on the social peculiarities of living in Vancouver or more accurately, living in Richmond. For those of you that don't know, Richmond, is basically a pseudo-suburb of Vancouver. I've personally dubbed Richmond, New Hong Kong. I still find it a bit awkward here even though I know i'm part the the ethnic majority . It's pretty hit-and-miss here when you ask for directions. Most people know english... at least the younger people do. However if you ask directions of a random asian person over the age of ...say... 25, you have a 50/50 chance of finding someone that actually speaks english fluently. I know what your thinking, just ask a white person for directions. There's risk in that too cuz most of them don't live in that area, they just come down for the chinese food, so they can't help you either. Thus, knowing cantonese becomes a big strategic advantage, one that I won't enjoy since my cantonese is terrible.

The great thing about Richmond is that everyone here is pretty short and skinny. Based on my personal observations, the average height seems to roughly 5'6-5'7, and clocking in at roughly 150. When your 5'10 and weight 195... your practically a giant in Richmond. If AJ were here he'd probably would be mistaken for a Yeti.

This entry is getting big, i'll report more later...

ps... vancouvers been fun so far... but it still isn't home.

Shove it, Gradworks!

So I walk into work on Tuesday morning... late as usual and I sneak into my office.

One of my fellow colleagues walks up to me and says the dreaded phrase, "the boss wants to see you"

Then I think i peed a little...

Anyways, I go into Kelly's (my boss) office. She says that she has bad news. Apparently, HR called her yesterday and stated that gradworks would not extend my contract. So, basically, if I need time off to write my LSAT, i would have to quit. Then she called them "stupid" which is her usual closer when you give my boss bad news like that.

She had already told me to book my flight to Vancouver last week plus I had already paid for the LSAT course I'd be taking there. Here's the exact thought that went through my head,"...shit...".

Yeah, i was pretty choked. Then she told me not to worry cuz she after her meeting with HR she had a little discussion with Lana. The "General Manager". If you are unfamiliar with SaskTel heirarchy, there's only two positions higher than her.... Vice president, and the CEO.

So here's the dilly, Kelly does some fancy juggling with her budget so she could keep me on her staff as a temporary manager. She calls, Lana, sells her on the idea of keeping me on! So, when i return on June 13th I will dumping gradworks and officially returning home under the flag of SaskTel management. Can anyone say pay raise!

Best boss ever.

HAPPY TB DAY MIKE!!

Today is my best bud's birthday.

Happy Birthday Mike.... incidently, today is also World TB Day!!!

Way to share your birthday with a disease bro!!

Join me in celebrating mike's birthday AND keeping up the fight against fucking TB.

A Second Shot

March 14, 10:44 am. I'm rushing...

I got the craziest of all crazy calls at work yesterday... on my work cell phone nonetheless.

My work cell phone rang at 4:50 pm, on March 13 (Doug’s Birthday… mad props to Doug), when I was just wrapping up at work. I looked oddly at my cell phone because the area code started with a four. I didn't know where it was from, but I knew it was long distance. I pondered if I should really answer the call and inflict long distance charges on some poor guy who happened to misdial. I let it ring for a little while, everyone at work was looking at me… wondering what the problem was. Curiosity got the best of me and I finally decided to answer the call.

“SaskTel, Terrence Here.”

(silence)

I speak up, “Hello?”
“Hello… is this Terrence?”
“That’s me, what can I do for you”
“This is Judy Finlay, calling for the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law Admissions….”

I’m stunned and then an overwhelming sense of dread washes over me. As you all know, I had a dismal score on my LSAT. So low, in fact, I knew I had ruined any chances I had at attending any law school in Canada… regardless of my academic record. My gut tells me that this was going to be a rejection call… thank-you-for-applying-but-you-didn’t-make-it-call. However, at the same time I also knew they had a little under 2,000 applicants every year with a rejection rate of 90.5%. Would they really call approximately 1800 people and say “sorry, u didn’t make it.” Sounds excessive. Something didn’t jive here.

“We just wanted to tell you that we received your application… and your LSAT score”
“Oh….”
“I assume you know what your LSAT score is too?”
“yeah, unfortunately, I do…. It isn’t very good, I’m expecting a lot of rejection letters soon,” I said with a morbid sense humor.

“Well, I wouldn’t lose hope just yet” she replied. “Did you apply to any other schools?”

I gave her the list:
U of Vic
U of S
U of BC
Queens
Ottawa…
and the infamous U of T.

She listened intently like she was calculating odds in her head. Strategizing… I found this odd. She replies “have any of those schools contacted you yet”

I replied, “No, my LSAT score isn’t good enough for any of those law schools… I know that”

“I wouldn’t say that…. It’s just not good enough for U of T…”

Ouch. Zing. Burn. Low Blow. My ego ran for cover. Thank you, lady… I was completely aware of that… way to drive it home.

She backtracked… “I was reviewing your application and you have a stellar academic record…”
(For rizzle… she really did say ‘stellar’… awesome)

“but your LSAT score doesn’t really reflect the rest of your application, what happened on your LSAT?”

I took a deep breath and then told her ‘The Story’. I told her how my grandmother got sick. Going to the hospital, the surgery, the survival rate of my grandmothers surgery. Visiting her in the intensive care unit… and how she died the very day I wrote the LSAT. Retelling it was like reliving it. My heart sunk and at that moment, I could’ve cared less what she had to say afterwards.

“That’s terrible, I’m sorry to hear that, that must have been difficult” she replied.
“It still is.” I’m annoyed now, I want this call to end. I wish she would spit out what she had to say and get this thing over with.

“… Well, even though the technical deadline was Feb, in light your situation and your academic record, U of T is willing to hold your application IF you rewrite the LSAT in June”

#?!?!???@@@?! … I didn’t saying anything, I just gasped. I suddenly found it hard to breathe.

She pauses, “don’t make a decision yet, I will email you, and call me when you have decided”

The call ends.

The hugeness of the situation overwhelms me. I’m babbling… people at work stare at me. U of T! The premier law school in Canada. Industry leaders, political giants, and Prime Ministers have graduated from that school. U of T standards rival schools like New York, Stanford and many Ivy League law schools… picked my application… out of thousands… to give me a second shot.

Un-fucking-believable.

It’s been 18 hours since the call

I barely slept.

I'm still rushing...

Gut Check

Its 3:20 am on Tuesday March 7th. It's my sisters b-day and, incidentally, tomorrow will be mine.

I still have trouble sleeping. I'm tired drowning in my own grief and self-pity. I've been numb and unhappy for a better part of 8 months and in the last month, life stomped on me.

In the last nine months I let myself entertain unrealistics wants. It eventually tore me apart. I wanted to go to law school. I wanted to get into management. I didn't want to leave Regina. I didn't want to leave my family. I didn't want to leave my friends.... the list goes on.

I need to let go... Its time to sacrifice

It starts here. No more excuses. I have failed... I have failed miserably but failure is temporary.

I will not put my life on hold forever and I am willing to fail and embrace rejection as many times as need be!

These are my goals:

1. Score between 160-170 on the LSAT
2. Get accepted to a Law School that has a international law or human rights program
3. Find a job that pays equitably (that i wouldn't mind doing) even if it is not in Regina.
4. Move out... even if it is outside of Regina and Saskatchewan
5. Get back down to 175 lbs
6. Let go of my grief

You will be my witness... my accountability. I have announced it. I can't imagine anything more humilating than failing in front of an audience. I'm ready for the consequences. No excuses.

This is no journey, there will be no first step. This is a war.... a bloody fight to the bitter end.

This is my comeback.... THE comeback. No Plan Bs. No escape.

Time to pick a fight...

The List of 2006

Welcome to the list

1. I am the lowest paid person in my building
2. I royally screwed up a teaching assistant job at the university for a professor whom once regarded me as her most talented student
3. As a manager, I am a failure
4. As a motivator, I am a failure
5. As a leader, I am a failure
6. I have no people skills but I work at a job that requires me to interact with employees and customers at every moment
7. I ruined christmas for at least 10 people on my staff
8. I wasn't hired for the job I was doing for 8 months
9. I openly accept work that I have no idea how to do
10. I was deemed unfit to keep my staff (see 3-9)
12. I can't count
13. I am a 165 lb man trapped in a 195 lb body
14. I'm going to be unemployed in 4 months
15. All my friends have bright futures... I pissed all over my future
16. I am a self destructive, ego centric maniac... and its unjustified b/c i can't explain what i've got to be egotistical about.
17. My grandma got sick a week before i wrote the LSAT, no in my family one told me... that way they could keep me studying for a test that i knew i would fail
18. I didn't spend enough time with my grandmother while she was dying
19. My grandma died the day i wrote the LSAT
20. I spent a small fortune studying for the LSAt
21. Today, on Feb. 25, 2006... I FAILED THE LSAT
22. In the next few months, I expect 7 rejection letters from 7 law schools
23. At 23, I am a failure

...time for a comeback

One day at a time...

It’s 5:11 am, Feb. 19, 2006.

I miss my grandmother…

I can’t sleep. I lie in bed. Awake. Alone with my grief.

I miss my grandmother.

I’ve broken down twice in the last two nights… completely overcome with grief. It’s an emotional ambush. You can’t see it coming, and you don’t know what’s going to set you off. It overwhelms me—a complete and sudden surge of sadness. It has been a dark week… a dark month. I’ve been lucky that I’ve been alone when it happens. I don’t like people seeing me like this… I’m an antisocial mourner. I want to be alone with my grief.

The house feels empty. The house felt empty when it was over run by family and friends planning my grandmother’s funeral. I still want to turn the tv to the Chinese channel before I turn it off. It was the only channel she watched, that way she’d only have to turn on the TV to get to it.

I’m physically fine but I know something is not right with me. I don’t feel right. I can act normal… for the most part. A part of me is dying and I’m watching it die.

I want to experience every moment of my sadness, like it’s a measure of how much I cared for my grandmother. I want to feel it at the height of its intensity. I don’t want to dull it or dilute it. I want to consumed by it.

Everything feels false. Nothing feels right anymore… except heather. I’m okay, when I’m with Heather. I can sleep when I’m with Heather. Grandma, always liked Heather. She loved that she was tall, but not taller than me.

5:57am, still can’t sleep.

I haven’t talked much about the week leading to my grandmother’s death or any of the circumstances that lead to it. I mentioned bits and pieces of it to Mike. I know I probably should tell my friends, its not good to repress these things. I just rather not have to repeat the story a dozen times to a dozen different people. Retelling it is like reliving it. I will blog it when I’m ready but it won’t be today.

I’m a tired and emotionally drained.

I miss my grandma.

Dark days ahead

My grandmother, who I loved dearly, died today...

everything looks dimmer.

Farewell Martin

Today is the saddest day in Canadian politics. Today we bid farewell to Paul Martin, who will probably go down as the most underrated Prime Minister in the history of Canadian politics. In my opinion, he was the most capable leader this country has ever produced but whose political power was crippled because of timing and the blunders of the previous dinosaurs of his own party.

Paul Martin has an extensive and commendable record as a politician, but I feel, the people of Canada short changed him today. We punished the Liberals and, in turn, damned his leadership.

In doing so, we lost a leader that could have single handedly united Canada with one common vision even the Bloc Quebecois would be foolish not to consider. We would have had fiscally responsible government, one that has led this country out of its debt dependency. A country whose leader lives by morals and principles that celebrate Canada's established identity and would never lower it to American standards.

I am ashamed to say that, as Canadians, we have elected the most homophobic, pro-Bush, republican-style conservative that has ever weaseled his way into Canadian politics. If this was the price we had to pay for punishing Liberals, then I say the price was too high. My only comfort is that Harper's government is going to be even more crippled than the previous Liberal minority government.

Martin led his government with unwavering principles. He continually put his reputation on the line, battled countless character assassinations, set up investigations, put in checks, and established impartial committees with complete disregard for the potential political consequences. Even in defeat, he lives by those principles, stepping down for what he believes will be for the greater good of his party. I cannot help but respect a man who lives his life with uncompromising values.

I would argue that we have not seen a leader of this caliber since the days of Trudeau. He had built is reputation on accomplishments and achievements. Paul Martin had done more to set Canada on the right path than any other leader in the last twenty years. He has earned the right to lead. Sadly, he was brought down by power-hungry conservatives who care more about gaining power than earning it.

I hope, for Canada’s sakes, we have not seen the last of Paul Martin.

Come back soon, Paul.

Bye Bye Homefry

It's a sad day in the Queen city. One of my closest buddies, AJ, is moving to Calgary. As my good bye gift, here's a blog about the top ten dumbest things i've done with AJ. I'm gonna miss ya buddy.








Top Ten Dumbest Things I've Done with AJ

10. Chucked rotten oranges at Duncan’s house

9. Watched AJ order a Taco from McDonalds

8. Peed on the SIAST sign

7. Forged parking passes

6. Watched AJ break his ankle after jumping off a stone frog

5. Saved AJ before he made out with Crystals fat friend

4. Hung a “dirty” diaper on someone’s basketball hoop

3. Watched him hit on a 14 year old while drunk at McDonalds

2. Watched AJ pee into a mail box!

1. Helped AJ download 40 gigs of porn

Chuck Norris Facts

1. Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried. Ever.
   
   
2. Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
   
   
3. Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.
   
   
4. The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.
   
   
5. If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris, you may be only seconds away from death.
   
   
6. Chuck Norris has counted to infinity. Twice.
   
   
7. Chuck Norris does not hunt because the word hunting implies
   the probability of failure. Chuck Norris goes killing.
   
   
8. 4 out of 5 doctors fail to recommend Chuck Norris as a solution to most problems. Also, 80% of doctors die unexplained, needlessly brutal deaths.
   
   
9. Chuck Norris is 1/8th Cherokee. This has nothing to do with ancestry, the man ate a fucking Indian.
   
   
10. In fine print on the last page of the Guinness Book of World Records it notes that all world records are held by Chuck Norris, and those listed in the book are simply the closest anyone else has ever gotten.
    
    
11. There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard. There is only another fist.

Welcome to the real world

... I didn't get the job...