27.5.04

hello from oakville.

[oakville]
i know i've been slow on posts (really), but i have arrived here in oakville safe and sound. my hotel is really quite nice (yes, it's a holiday inn), and the petro-canada office and people have been very welcoming.

i've always thought that it would be cool to travel for work, but i'm realizing that it is not as glamourous as i thought it would be. that all being said, even though it's intense, i'm certainly learning alot.

so much has been happening, i'll try to catch up on the posts later. hope all is well with everyone.

here's a picture of the refinery, where i'm working.

Petro-Canada Refinery in Oakville
Posted by double R at 7:10 AM | 0 comments read on

25.5.04

leaving on a jet plane.

[oakville]
off to toronto for my first official business trip, and i'm stoked. it was quite fitting that this morning, when doing some last minute errands i saw one my old colleagues in the lobby of my old building. it was good to let him know that i was off to toronto for businesss. i know that sounds cheezy, but it was if things have come full circle for me...from leaving a career that i knew wasn't meant for me, to being in a position where oppotunity presents itself continuously and in many different ways.

got to toronto, and our car rental got upgraded from a sebring to a cherokee to a huge ass durango.

life is so cool sometimes.
Posted by double R at 8:47 AM | 0 comments read on

21.5.04

whew, friday!

i'm glad that it's friday, and especially the friday of a long weekend. i seem to be going a million miles a minute these days, between work, kp and other commitments that it is starting to catch up to me. part of this also is that i've been preparing to go away to toronto for work which is an exciting prospect since it is going to be my first real business trip. even though i know i will be busy there, it'll be good to get away from here for a while to gain some perspective. insight seems to come to me when i'm in a different place.

an added bonus is that i'll be able to hook up with sheldon and other friends to catch up and have some good times. word has it that sheldon was able to hook us up with tickets to this. it looks like all the fashionistas are going to be out in full force considering linda (still one of my favourite models) is hosting and patti labelle is one of the headliners.

i hope to post often.
Posted by double R at 1:01 PM | 0 comments read on

19.5.04

is he human?

i know that i've been saying lately that "forty is the new thirty", and now i have proof -- brad pitt in troy.
Posted by double R at 9:29 AM | 0 comments read on

15.5.04

first picture.

okay, i guess that didn't take long. here's my first picture.



can you guess which camera i got? :)
Posted by double R at 8:03 PM | 0 comments read on

pentax or canon?

i've been in the market for a digital camera...with so many choices out there and an opinions from a few people, i think i've narrowed it down to a few choices. my criteria are:

  • i'd like it to be compact, slim & small -- i already have a pretty good 35mm camera. it should fit in my jacket pocket.

  • i'd like to spend up to $600

  • i'd like it to be at least 4.0 megapixels, just because it is the current standard it seems

  • i'd like to be made by a reputable brand, one that traditionally makes cameras (sorry hp)


  • anyways, i've narrowed it down to these two choices (camera 1, camera 2), and i'm about to head out right now to see what else is out there.

    any suggestions?
    Posted by double R at 11:45 AM | 0 comments read on

    12.5.04

    random thought.

    [vancouver, listening to the miseducation of lauryn hill]
    whatever happened to her anyway? her album is still one of the only ones that i listen to the whole way through.
    Posted by double R at 3:50 PM | 0 comments read on

    9.5.04

    swan-e-set & playa paraiso.

    [vancouver]
    i guess i should say that i'm lucky, but i'm the type of guy that gets invited to like eight million weddings a year. okay, well maybe not that many but at least 3 or 4. after being to more weddings than i count, i hate to say it, but the novelty has kind of worn off, but perhaps this is coloured by my own perceptions of love and relationships, which is of course not fair to the couple who invited me to share in their special day.

    yesterday, i had two very good childhood friends that got married, both of whom i've known over twenty years -- michelle, a classmate since elementary school got hitched in mexico on the mayan riviera and kim, my next door neighbour and my brother's childhood sweetheart at the beautiful swan-e-set country club in pitt meadows. of course the setting was gorgeous, the decor tasteful, the food delicious and the bride was beautiful. the favourite part of every wedding for me is always the speeches, especially the ones delivered from the couple's parents and family. i love the honesty and the humour that comes out, especially if it is coloured with a filipino accent and the indeliberate comedy that only a mom and or dad can deliver.

    needless to say, it was good to check my cynicism at the door and be witness to the beginning of something that is special, extraordinary and truly a gift. congratulations michelle & dino! congratulations kim & j.c.!
    Posted by double R at 9:56 AM | read on

    8.5.04

    new site.

    [vancouver]
    usually when people ask what kind of work i do and where i work, i sometimes find it hard to tell my story. well, my company just updated it corporate site, which i think does a better job of what we do and will be updated more frequently with related shipping and IT news. check it out.

    on another work related note, i'm happy to say that i'm going to have a chance to travel to the toronto area in the next month to work at a client site. both nervous and excited, i'm glad for the opportunity.

    i'll have to ask gary for tips on how he deals with working away from home so much.
    Posted by double R at 11:09 AM | 0 comments read on

    6.5.04

    is it weird...

    [vancouver]
    ...that i really, really hate the prospect of vacuuming and cleaning my hardwood floors, and yet i have (possibly) an unhealthy feeling of pride and accomplishment when done?
    Posted by double R at 8:36 PM | 0 comments read on

    3.5.04

    pas de bourrée

    [vancouver]
    even though i am director/choreographer of a filipino folk dance company, and have been 'dancing' all my life, good or bad, i have never had any formalized dance instruction. i guess up to this point, my passion has only been for the folk arts. however, over the last few years i have become more and more intrigued by the prospect of expanding my dance horizons, by taking some ballet classes/and or even some modern. i have always felt (through observing some of my dancers who have taken ballet), that ballet is of course the language of dance and can be extended to all forms of dance, including folk.

    well, after thinking and saying, tonight, i actually took my first dance class, an intro ballet class with wiL and celine. i guess it was obvious that i was new (even though wiL and celine i did great for my first time), because our instructor did her best to single me out...:). i did not care because i am used to instructing role, and it was great to have the roles reversed. it felt exactly like the movie "center stage", people of all different skill levels and ages, a great atmosphere, a great workout, and overall a great feeling of accomplishment that i was able to begin to move my body in more a classical way.

    needless to say, i loved it and will be definitely back for more next week. however, so i won't get picked on again, i better brush up on my french and these ballet terms.

    plié!
    Posted by double R at 9:45 PM | 0 comments read on

    2.5.04

    big 3-0.

    [vancouver]
    all i can say is whoa, what a party! last night veejay held his thirtieth birthday, a 'cocktail' party (in style) at his home in surrey. great food, some live music (yes!), a free flowing bar with a pretty extensive drink menu (mmmm, lychee martinis and mojitos!), various rooms to sit down and talk or boogie on the dance floor with everyone looking so fabulous -- it was a fun time had by all indeed!

    click on the photo for more photos, courtesy of cristina.

    happy birthday veejay!


    Posted by double R at 10:32 AM | read on

    Name:
    Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada