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!

My second semester starts... and other updates

Hello all!  Welcome back.

Lots has happened since my last post and for those who are close to the family I'm sure you've been informed. Since this blog is accessible by everyone who has internet, I've decided to keep our loss private out of respect.

My second semester has started and I have a whole bunch of new classes.  Here they are:
Worldwide Tours
Power of Pictures - Today's Visual Culture (that's my elective)
Apollo reservations systems
Active Citizenship

In addition to that, I'm continuing on with my French courses.  I'm in level 3 of those now.
My classes are pretty good.  I haven't decided which one is my favourite yet, but they all seem interesting anyway.  As usual, every day in class I'm reminded of the fact that I want to travel!  It's a dangerous program to be in for someone flighty like me!

A few weekends ago, May 5th-6th specifically, there was an event called Open Doors Hamilton.  It is a special annual event during which historic buildings are open to the public.  This year I went with Steph to the Auchmar Estate.  This is a large house on the corner of West 5th Street and Fennel Avenue in Hamilton on the west mountain, 'kiddie corner' to Mohawk College.  I have always seen that house and have always wanted to go in.  This was my chance!

It was more or less what I expected in terms of architecture but it was much more worn down than I thought it would be.  It is kind of sad to see what has happened to one of the few old buildings we have here in Hamilton.  My time spent in Europe showed me many things, one of which was that we have almost nothing of historical significance around here.  It's too bad that the Auchmar Estate is in the state it's in, but they are raising money for it and all.

Here are some pictures from that tour:

The south side

The ceiling leading to the hallway

The church that was added when the complex was being used as a monastery

The north side.  (almost identical to the other side because this was originally used as the front)

I saw a tree that I liked so I lied down underneath it, looked up and took this picture

Steph!

That was my trip to Auchmar.  It was really fun and something I've wanted to do for a really long time!  Let's see.  I'm not sure what other news I have right now, except that Victoria Day is soon.  For my international friends, Victoria Day is also known as "May 2-4" (said May two four) - referencing a case of beer!  It's a big celebration here because it informally marks the beginning of the summer for us.  It's when we go up to the cottage and open it for the summer.  It's a good time.  That's this weekend.  I'll probably have to work (I think I just threw up a bit...) but at least it's a holiday and I'll get paid extra.

That's all for now!  I hope everyone is well!

A little bit of America...

Hello!  I know this is a blog about my Canadian adventures, but whether or not we like to admit it, here in Southern Ontario we're quite close to America.  Also, I've had some requests for another blog post.  So, for cryin' in the sink, here we go!

About a week ago, my friends and I decided to go to "the states".  We live closest to the border crossing at Niagara Falls.  It's frequently busy, but we went at about 9pm so it was not bad at all.  We got right through.

Niagara Falls is a unique place.  There are actually 3 waterfalls there.  The Horseshoe falls (a.k.a. the Canadian Falls) are the best.  Let's not beat around the bush.  They see 90% of the Niagara River's water.  The other 10% is split up between the other 2 falls: the American Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls.  Here's an aerial map of the location:

The Island in the middle is called Goat Island.  You can see 2 bridges coming down from it.  We traversed both bridges which was quite the experience.  The rapids that flow under them were very strong.  Here's a picture taken from the beginning of the bridge, with Canada and the Skylon Tower in the background:

After that, we continued walking towards the falls and ended up right beside them, where this picture was taken:

In the background on the right of this picture, you can see a tree with a few lights around it.  Around that, there was another platform which we made it to, and that's where this picture was taken:

And that was pretty much it.  The American side of Niagara Falls provides a different perspective than what most of us Canadians are used to.  Firstly, you can be very close to the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls, and there are lots of trails and trees around you instead of casinos, hotels and Clifton Hill.

That's all for now!  Tomorrow I get my schedule for the second semester of school so that will be exciting.  I'm looking forward to new classes!

I'll post again soon, so don't worry!

Maple Syrup Festival

Saturday was the world's largest Maple Syrup Festival!  It took place in Emira, Ontario.  Elmira is close to Kitchener, but its closest well-known neighbour is St. Jacob's.  There are lots of Mennonites there who drive their horse and buggy along the side of the road and such.  It's always a nice experience to go there and see their quilts and taste their baked goods and such.

Anyway, back to the festival.  We got there at 8am, and it was already PACKED.  There were tons of people there.  It was also really cold, but luckily I was prepared for the weather and dressed in layers!  It had snowed the night before, so that provided a nice back drop to some of my pictures!

We got to go into the Sugar Bush (which is just a forest with tapped trees) and see the sugar shack!  It was very interesting to see how maple syrup gets from the tree to the bottle.  Then, we explored the festival and finished it off by watching a dog show (indoors where it was relatively warm!)

Here are some pictures!  It was great fun!!

Our ride from the parking lot to the festival

A pancake!

The beginning of the festival.  There were more than 100 vendors!

This was our ride into the sugar bush, which you can see in the background

The sugar shack!

mmmmmmmm.  Maple candy straight from the source!

Lumberjack log cutting contest!

Yes, the whole experience was really fun.  There were lots of things to see and do, and no shortage of maple syrup, that's for sure!  For more info and probably more pictures, you can go to their website by clicking here.

Thanks for reading!

Quick Update!

Oh, quick update!  The teacher made a mistake marking my exam - I was supposed to get 88/90 instead, which makes 98%!!!

Final marks and other tidbits

Hello!  Well, I got the final mark that I was waiting for in Travel Geography.  It was 96%!

This weekend I'm going to the Maple Syrup Festival in Elmira, Ontario with my roommate/best friend Steph.  This is my first time going to the festival, and I'm really looking forward to it!  There are "sugar bush tours" on the schedule, but we'll have to see if they are running when we get there.  We have had really strange weather this year in Southern Ontario, so the trees aren't producing their syrup as they usually do.  It has been really hot, then really cold.  About a week ago (maybe 2 weeks ago now), it was in the 20s all week.  It's supposed to snow today.  As you can see, it's crazy.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to that.

There will be pictures here and info about that festival after the weekend!!
Bye everyone!

Half way through the first quarter

Well, as the title suggests, I'm half way through my first of four semesters.  I have written all of my mid-term exams and have most of the marks back.  I realize it's been a while since I updated so I apologize, but here we go with my updates!

I wrote 6 mid-terms.  I'm still waiting for one mark (which I think will be the highest), but here's what I know:

Airline Operations (one of my 2 favourite courses) - 94%
Communications (the English course) - 81%
Independent Tours - 98%
Introduction to Tourism - 84%
French level 2 - 96%

I'm waiting for my mark for Travel Geography which is my other favourite course.

Ok, other than that what else is new... I recently finished learning all of the countries of the world and their capital cities.  That was fun.  It should come in handy during an episode or two of Jeopardy.  My favourites?  Tegucigalpa (the capital city of Honduras), Ouagadougou (capital of Burkina Faso), and Antananarivo (capital of Madagascar).

After at least 2 years of looking at the living room and deciding that it couldn't be changed, we finally rearranged it.  It looks nice.  There are also new curtains that I bought from a store called Tag.  I'll take a picture at some point.  Not now though, because my roommate is sleeping on the couch!

The weather here has been crazy.  It was -17 the other night.  It snowed.  This week, it's supposed to go up to 18 or 19!  I'm not sure what's going on, but it's entertaining anyway.

I've signed up for level 3 French.  That starts in April.  There isn't much of a break between the second level and the third though, maybe only a week.

Remix (the chocolate lab) is great.  He's much better than when he was a puppy!  Now he's friendly and fun.  A little stupid sometimes, but that's just part of his charm.  Here's the most recent picture I have of him.

That was actually taken in January but he pretty much looks the same now.

I recently took a trip to Toronto to visit a friend who I went to Western with.  She works for the Canadian Opera Company, and we were able to go into their performance hall the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.  It's a really really beautiful place:

It was a really cool experience - with the exception of some maintenance workers, we were there alone.  We went up to the 2nd Balcony area and sat in the chairs for a while.  There was a guy on the stage sweeping.  The place was built so well, with acoustics in mind, that I could hear the sound of the bristles on the floor.  It was amazing.  It sounded like the broom had a microphone attached to it.  It was so cool.  That was a very fun night!

Well I believe those are all of my updates for now.  I asked my teacher today about the Travel Geography mark and she said that it will likely be posted tonight or tomorrow so perhaps I'll just jump on here and quickly post how I did!

Have a great March everyone!

School

Ok, so school has started and it's great!  My classes are interesting and I have great teachers.  I think my favourite class will be Airline Operations.  I'm starting to adjust to my schedule of work and school, so that's good too.  I have started with my French again - I'm now in level 2!  My goal with that is to go through the levels and eventually get my certificate that says I'm officially bilingual - I think that would certainly help when it comes to getting a job!

Lots of my classes have online components.  It's difficult to keep track of for me because the last time I was in school, nothing was online.  Now I find myself handing in assignments, doing quizzes and participating in discussions all online!  It is a bit confusing to get used to, but I think I will become more and more comfortable with that as time goes by.

Today I went to a discount store and bought a board game for myself called "13 Dead End Drive".  I used to have it when I was a kid and I was so excited to find it today!  It cost me $1.25 and I'm thrilled!!  I played it today with Steph - it was like stepping back in time!  While I was there, I also bought a board game version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire ($1.25), a sort of logic word puzzle game for $1.25, and 2 books - a guide to Europe ($1.00) and Tours of North America ($2.00).  That last book is about driving tours you can do in North America which I thought might be a good resource.

Right, so as you can see I bought a lot of things for next to nothing!

Ok, that's my update for now.  Not much else has happened with me!

Stay warm and enjoy the rest of January!

My first day of school

I dreamt I was late.  I woke up at 5:45 a little excited... or nervous.  I'm not sure.  Maybe it was the other dream I had - I lost my favourite scarf.  It was terrible.  Anyway...

After I had my coffee, visited with my roommate and got my backpack ready for the first day of school, I felt better.  This, of course, wasn't my very first day of post-secondary school.  I went to UWO for Music.  That was an awesome 4 years.  Then I went to Nipissing for Education.  That was less awesome, but I still met great people.

This first day brought me back to being a student again - something I haven't been for 4 years now.  It's not a long time, but spending lots of those 4 years teaching, I found it hard to listen to people telling me what to do rather than being the one on the other side of the desk!  It was fun though, and I think I'm really going to get a lot out of the program.

I entered into a draw.  I want to win.

Right, well my classes seem like they will be interesting.  The ones I'm looking forward to most are the travel related ones.  I've got Airline Operations, Independent Tours, Introduction to Tourism and Travel Geography.  I'm taking an online Communications course, and also a course called Office Software Applications.  Just like last semester, I'm in a night class too - La Pratique du Français 2.  This will be the second level of the series, but I'll have the same teacher, which is good.

The less exciting part of all of this are the prices of the text books.  I stopped in at the bookstore on my way out of the College.  I almost had a stroke when I saw that one of my required books is $147.  $147!!!  Who makes these books?!  Blind virgins?!

Anyway, when all is said, done, and in the past, I will probably have learned a lot and will be thankful that I have a job dealing with what I love - travel.

That said, I have 2 classes tomorrow.  I start at 10am so hopefully I don't wake up as early as I did today!  (Unless of course I have some terrible scarf-related dream again).

I hope everyone's well - we're having such a mild winter it's hard for me to remember it's January sometimes!

Have a great week everyone!

Christmas & New Years!

Alright, now that it's 2012, I think it's time to put my post up about Christmas and I'll combine it with New Years.  Every Christmas we have certain traditions.  Christmas Eve we go to my Aunt & Uncle's house for a big family dinner.  I don't use the word 'big' loosely here, there were 26 people there this year!  The food is always really good and it's nice to get together like that.  Some of those people I only see once a year so the Christmas Eve dinner is something I really look forward to.  Then comes Christmas.  This year, our family did the big Christmas things (presents, dinner etc.) on the 26th.

Here are some pictures of those Christmas traditions.

This picture shows almost everyone who was at the big dinner.  There are 2 people not visible.

My house - this is my first attempt at Christmas lights ever!

This is my best friend Steph and I at my parent's house for Christmas dinner

Then came New Years.  Every year, at least 4 of us go to Niagara Falls for our New Years celebration.  We have been going since 2007 I think.  We usually go to the casino, although the first year we went to the outdoor concert.  Anyway, here are some pictures of that night!

It was a fun night!  Well, here we are in 2012.  I'm glancing out the window to see light snow and patches of blue sky.  It's kind of nice actually!  Alright, that's that.  Happy 2012 everyone!