The Canadian National Exhibition

Well, I apologize for not posting during September!  I have been quite busy with school and stuff!  I am getting my own apartment in November and have already moved from my old dwelling.  All of that has made me quite the busy body.  Anyway, now that I have time, I thought I'd make a post about the CNE, or the Canadian National Exhibition.

I went to this on a lovely sunny day with Steph.  This was my first time going there and I was surprised to see how big it was!  The CNE started in 1879 and has been annually held since.  This is their 133rd year!!  Like I said, it was huge.  They had convention halls set up with things to buy, sample and use.  They had a huge international building where it was set up like a market and on each booth it showed what country the people were from.  That part was so interesting.  Then we continued on and reached the main building where they were selling things.  The Canadian cheese people were there.  We conveniently showed up about 5 minutes before a seminar they were holding so we attended and got to sample free cheese!  Here are some pictures of my experience!

We got to try 5 types of cheese, all of which I enjoyed.  We started with mild ones and ended with a very strong cheddar.  mmm!

Then we continued on our journey and found the food building.  It was soooo big and overwhelming.  We decided the best plan of attack was to walk around the whole thing and see what there was to choose from, then to go get lunch.  So we did that and I ended up getting Greek food.  I'm not sure if there is a picture from that experience, but it was fun!  There were easily 100 restaurants to choose from.

Then we went outside and walked down the midway, I put a loonie down on a crown & anchor game and won 2 back!  We continued and went to the animal building where we got to see a bunch of livestock and pet some of them too!  I like that part - animals bring a smile to my face!

I like this picture.  It shows the midway, and the aerial tram ride that brings you from one side of the fair to the other.  Then there's the iconic CN tower in the background.  Fun!

Here are some of the animals!

That last one is a bad picture of me, but is an example of how close you can get to the animals!  I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I really liked the goats (even though there isn't a picture of me with one) and if I ever end up with an exotic pet, it will likely be a goat.

Right.  Anyway, then we went to a really cool acrobat show which was worth the price of admission to the CNE in itself.  It was amazing!!  I couldn't get good pictures because it was dark in there but I can say that we saw 2 skaters there who are famous (Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir).  They were part of the show.

It was a great day - nice weather and fun times!  Sadly, as I sit and write this, it is a bit less than spectacular outside, but alas.  It's October and we must start to fasten our winter seatbelts because we're in for a long ride until April when things start getting hot again!  Luckily, I am a winter person and I actually prefer cold weather!  Good thing for me I live in the Great White North! lol.

Alright.  Have a swell day everyone.  My next post - this year's cottage trip!

Dundurn National Historic Site

Well here in Hamilton we have very few old things.  Age is all relative however, we need to keep that in mind.  In Canada, old things are 200 years old.  In Europe, I was walking through places that were 1000 years old.
Relativity.
Anyway, back to my topic.  Dundurn National Historic Site is an old building that has been restored to a museum.  It is laid out to portray what life would have looked like in the 1800s when the MacNab family lived there.  The property is on the waterfront which lends to nice views, but most of my pictures were taken inside.  Hamiltonians call the place Dundurn Castle.  That is an informal name we use.  Kind of how we call the escarpment the "Hamilton Mountain".
Anyway, here are some pictures!!

Books and Business

That's business pronounced 'busy-ness'.

Well, I'm nearing the end of my summer semester.  I am quite happy with the results of my studies again this time around.  My final mark in the most difficult class so far was 96.1%.  It was a class that gave a lot of trouble to my classmates.  I think I must study more than some of them or something.  Anyway, I'm very pleased with that outcome.  I just wrote a Geography midterm (focusing on American Geography) on Friday (it is now Monday) and I'm waiting for that mark.  I think I got around 76/80.  That is a good mark I guess, but I like to get more than 95% on things!  Perhaps I'm spoiled with good marks.

Onwards.

I recently read 2 books.  I know that is not a statement most people find remarkable, but for me it is.  I don't usually read.  I should explain further.  I don't usually read fiction.  I am always reading school textbooks, but were I not in school, I would be reading facts and information.  That is my preferred library of literature.  Anyway, like I said, I recently read two books.  I finished Dracula about 2 weeks ago.  It was my 3rd time trying to read it.  The first time I got about half way through and then I lost the book.  The second time (after buying another copy) I got half way through and just stopped reading it.  The third time (which is reportedly a charm) I finished it.

It is a book that is written in a journal/diary format.  The story was assembled after the ordeal took place, and several characters' written logs were compiled into a chronological series of letters, diaries and newspaper clippings that reveal only a few things at a time which keeps the momentum of the story moving along.  I enjoyed the read.

Upwards.

The second book I read was Life of Pi.

How to explain this book.  Beauty, Religion, Significance, Endurance, God.  This was the second time I read this book.  I believe the last time was the summer of 2008.  Maybe 2007.  It was introduced to me by my good friend Jenna (whom I visited in Toronto a few months back.  Perhaps I made a blog post about her).  Anyway, this is an absolutely astounding book.  It blew me away 5 years ago, and did so again this time.  In a nutshell, it is a story about a boy named Piscine Molitor Patel.  An Indian citizen who grew up in a zoo, he has a very interesting insight on human behaviour and is deeply religious in an unconventional way; he claims to be Christian, Muslim and Hindu.

The book is split into three parts.  The first part is the most beautifully written.  It has deep, intellectual themes of religion, personal development and childhood challenges.  The second part is the most dramatic.  After deciding to move to Canada, the family embarks on a journey on a Japanese Cargo ship from Asia.  Their destination is North America.  Things quickly go wrong (this part of the book actually starts with the sentence, "The ship sank."  What a deceivingly simple way to start).  This section of the book details Piscine's (who likes to be called Pi, hence the name of the book) 277-day survival story.  He spent 277 days on the Pacific Ocean.  If that wasn't challenging enough, he was with wild animals.  His family was transporting animals in the ship, and several of them escaped their cages either prior to, or during, the ship's sinking.  As a result, the lifeboat on which Pi escaped was also home to a zebra, a hyena, an orang-utan, several insects and flies, and most impressively, a Royal Bengal Tiger.  It is a brutally real description of what follows that makes up the second part of the book.

The third part takes place in a hospital after Pi has made landfall.  It is an interview between Pi and 2 Japanese investigators who are asking about the sinking of the ship.  They care very little about what happened to Pi and his family.  This part is interesting to read because you see how Pi has become a bit less like his human counterparts and more like those he spent time with in the lifeboat.

If I had to summarize this book in a word it would be mesmerizing.  Just read it.  It will knock your socks off.

I'm thrilled to announce that they are making a movie of it.  I will be the first in line to see it, but for now we only have this trailer to watch.  (I highly suggest clicking that and watching the trailer on youtube!  You might have to sit through a 15 second advertisement for Courtyard Marriott hotels...)

That's my post for the day folks.  If you enjoy reading (or even if you don't), you should pick up Life of Pi.

Beginning of July!

Well, July has started and that means a few things.  First of all, on July 1st, it was Canada Day!  We turned 145 this year!  I feel as though in 2017 it will be a big party for our sesquicentennial!
Also happening on July 1st, at the same time as Canada Day, was Grandma Day!  That of course means that it was my Grandma's birthday.  We had a nice meal and a nice visit too.

The next day it was my nephew Logan's birthday!  He's 2!  Getting bigger every time I see him!

Now those are all of my updates!  I just thought I should write a quick something!

Until next time!

June's comings and goings

Well, June is almost done.  Actually, it's the 28th.  Today is my sister's 4th wedding anniversary, so Happy Anniversary!!

June has brought fun times, and a week off of school which is great!  At the beginning of June, we had Camp Day at work.  That is an annual event that raises money for the Tim Hortons Foundation.  We had a reptile guy come in and show us cool creatures.  My Mom, Jill and Logan came and saw them!  Here is a picture of my co worker Matt showing the lizard/crocodile (not sure what it was) to my nephew!

Then last weekend I went to the cottage with my sisters, their significant others, and my nephew.  As always, it was a great time.  I just love it up there!  Here are a few pictures of that trip!

That was a nice weekend.  It was raining the day we left, which always makes it easier.

After that weekend, I went to visit Jenna in Barrie.  Jenna is a friend of mine from University.  We had a great time down at Barrie's waterfront, and later catching up with her family.

So, all in all, June has been a good month!  Lots of travelling & visiting with friends.  The second half of my second semester starts next week, and I'll have Travel Geography 2, Hotel Operations, Active Citizenship, and my continuing French courses.

That's my update for now!

Dean's Honours List!

Today I got mail from Mohawk College.  This is a transcription of the letter I received!

Dear Ian:

It gives us great pleasure to advise you that you have been named to the Dean's Honours List for the Winter 2012 semester.

This is an honour reserved for those who have met the extremely high standards established for this special recognition.  We know that this standard can only be met through a great deal of hard work and dedicated effort, and it is an achievement for which you should be very proud.

We would like to take this opportunity to offer our personal congratulations to you and to extend congratulations from the faculty and staff at the College.  Your efforts have been recognized and are appreciated, especially by those faculty members with whom you have been most closely associated.

Congratulations once again on a job well done and best wishes for the future.

YAY!!!!!

Niagara-on-the-Lake

Well, a few weeks ago, we were bored and didn't know what to do.  I suggested going to Niagara-on-the-Lake - a very quaint town close to Niagara Falls.  It's a big tourist attraction, so during the summer it's riddled with people, but we went before that so it wasn't too busy.

One of Niagara-on-the-Lake's most famous events is probably the Shaw Festival.  It's a nearly half-year long festival of theatre.

Anyway, we went a bit late so not much was open, but the buildings were nice and the horses and buggies were still out.  Here are some pictures:

Tulips at dusk

Those are some pictures from our adventure.  We vow to go back during the day when we can explore the little shops and look around the town a bit more.

For now, it's off to school.  I have 3 classes today - Worldwide Tours, Active Citizenship, and Apollo (I just wrote my midterm exam in Apollo yesterday - 96% . I thought I got perfect!  I'll be able to see where I messed up today.)

K bye everyone!