will i am's delayed diary

The first day of KH's course marked the first day of my solo adventures ( no saunas and bathhouses ) in Vancouver. I took a leisurely stroll down to Robson Square, right in front of Vancouver Art Gallery ( also known as VAG, yes VAG ). On weekends, they close off a section of Robson Street and turn it into an 'urban reef' with three slinky-esque, curvy wooden structures that act as long benches. Perfect to lounge and bask in the sun. Went around taking photos and loitering around the area. Saw the Douglas Coupland art installation out front-- Gumhead: a giant sculpture of the artist's head fully decorated with used gum! The public were welcome to interact with it. One can smell the bubblegum fragrance permeating from it and upon closer inspection you can also spot the flies and wasps buzzing around it. Perhaps I should have paid CAD20 to view his collection at VAG. In case you're a Percy Jackson fan, VAG was one of the filming locations for "Sea of Monsters&q

Warning: Photo-intensive post ahead! On the first morning in the Westin Bayshore, I finally took a good look at the room ( was too tired the night before ). Not only did they have a Starbucks ( they have a crazy Starbie culture ) coffee machine in the room, the TV channels also had py per view gay and straight porn. And the view of the harbour was fantastic. On one side was the luxury glass and steel condominiums, on the other the yachts and the sea. Lovely to hear the seagulls in the morning. We had one free day before KH commenced his induction course, so we went to the nearest attraction which was Stanley Park. There was no free breakfast with the room, so we ate at Blue Tree Cafe which was also the closest option. Nothing to shout about, but it was cheap and fast. On our first morning we had a good trial run with the selfie stick that Moonlight Piggy suggested we bring. Coal Harbour provided much photo opportunities with its boats, yachts and seagulls. The Seawall wa

Since I was in Singapore for a week before I flew, I only had the weekend to pack for my great Canada vacation with KH. Wasn't really sure what I needed, so I just randomly dumped clothes and supplies into my luggage bag. Hopefully it would suffice. For the flight, KH chose Cathay Pacific. My first time flying with them actually. Based on company entitlement (well, he gets a two year bond as a result), KH could have flown business class, but in order to accompany me, he chose premium economy instead. Such a sweetie. Our flight was at 1730 to Hong Kong where we transited for a couple of hours before proceeding to Vancouver. The flight number was very auspicious, CX888. With the extra leg room and cushier seats, the twelve hour flight wasn't so bad. Just ate and slept and ate and slept. By the time we had arrived at Vancouver International Airport ( Yay! ), it was 9:40 PM the same day, kinda 'gained a day' flying East. Took a cab to the Westin Bayshore Hotel. D

After years of gruelling examinations and coursework, KH finally passed all of his acturial exams in 2012. To finally qualify as an actuary, he has to attend an induction course to the Society of Actuaries, and that must take place within a stipulated amount of time from the date of his passing the final paper. The course is basically just a formality and a short recap of all his effort. Basically the course is available in many locations and many time slots around the year. However, many take the opportunity to go as far away as possible to 'graduate' since employers usually foot the bill. And of course, there was no exception for KH. Initially, he had planned to attend the course in the US, but somehow that changed to Canada somewhere along the way. In Vancouver, the city where his ex lives no less! Truth be told, it was all very spontaneous. Happened some two months before our date of departure. Quite crazy. Had to settle leave plans ( I had more than 40 days to clear, so

Anatomy of a spy cam shot. You get off work. Take the 25 minute train ride to your station. Walk to the parking lot to get your car. Pass by a public pool and a lean, tanned CYT appears in front of you. Your eyes follow his cute, little ass and then it suddenly hits you that you need to take some shots! You fumble for your phone and your target continues to walk. You try to match his pace, furiously clicking the shutter button. You get a few shots, but the moment has passed. Back in the car, you review your handiwork. Crap, out of many shots, only one wasn't blurry! Oh well...

For my work trip to Singapore, my company had purchased an Air Asia ticket. Hence, I had the opportunity to experience KLIA2. A really huge airport that has more substance as a shopping mall than an airport really. The walk to the gate was really, really long. And the funny thing was that one had to go up and down. The escalators were few ( like too small a small a swimsuit to cover Nicky Minaj's booty ) and there was only one travelator. Hardly saw any buggies travelling the length of it. The old and decrepit will most probably take three days and nights to complete the journey. In Singapore, I tried to do as much work as possible as I was only there for a week before I go off for my Great Canada Adventure! The first thing I did was to tell my supervisor that I had already applied for my block leave prior the assignment. Tried to understand as much of possible about the initial requirements and came up with the database design and relevant documentation so that my colleagues cou