Group Photo from this evening. (L to R) Eric, Sume (Maya's bf), Maya, Mizuki, Wakako, Jose, Me 

Mizu and Wakako, Mizu's friend from Japan. 

My rib dinner. There's another rack underneath the big rack of similar size. All this for 11.50 Euros. So good =) 

A Week in Review

Hey People

I haven't updated in awhile because it really hasn't been that much of an interesting week. I spent the week working on my lecture on Tuesday. I hope I do a good job since I didn't know any of the material before this lecture.

The highlight of the week (well, highlight may not be the best week) features Jose. Originally, Jose was suppose to leave on Wednesday morning for a business trip to Spain. I felt sorry for him since he had to leave very early in the morning as his boss was going to drive everyone to Germany and take the flight to Spain from there. On Thursday, we got a phone call from Peter telling us that Jose never made it to Spain and is in a German hospital. Apparently he develop kidney stones which forced the plane to be delayed as the Ambulance came and got him off the plane. Peter and Etienne went to get him on Thursday morning and he was back by the evening. He is still in some pain, but much better then before. He told us he woke up Wednesday morning with some back pain and it got progressively worse until he almost past out in the plane. Anyways, I hope he gets better soon.

This evening, one of Mizu's friends from Japan came over to visit Mizuki and we all went out to eat. We went to the same place as before since me and Jose were raving about last week on how good the meal and the service was. I ordered the Spare ribs this time thinking they were the little riblets I was use to back home. When my order arrived, I realised that pork spare ribs actually meant pork ribs, and a whole lot of them. I received 2.5 racks of ribs. I think most restaurants I know, you only get 1 or 1.5 at the most, so this was the most I have ever seen. The best part, it was only 11.50 Euros! I was so impressed that I took a picture of it before I dug in. I couldn't finish it so I now have something for lunch tomorrow. Another dinner that I was really impressed with.

I'll spend this weekend working on my lecture. Getting worried about it since it's getting close. However it means that I'm working harder on it. I'll give another update soon


LEs

A Tour of the AIESEC House

Hey

Eric found an old video tour of the AIESEC house. It was taken last year when AIESEC got it and nobody has moved in yet. It is a pretty good tour except it missing the kitchen, bathroom, shower, and basement, but all of those aren't to significant. Also bare in mind it was summer when it was taken, so replace the sunshine and green lawns with rain and -5 winds. Lastly, because nobody had moved in yet, the rooms are quite barren.


http://www.piece-of-poop.net/uploaded/aiesechouse.wmv

I'll add the descriptions to the tour since it only has sight and music but no commentary

It starts out from the outside and the view in front of the house. The person coming out of the white van is Isabel, the LCP of AIESEC TWENTE (the AIESEC chapter I'm in right now). We proceed around the back entrance and into the living room. Although the camera goes right into the living rook through the big door, that one is usually locked and we used the one on the right that goes into the kitchen (not shown). Also, there no table at the time, but if you went through those door, you'll hit the area that the dinner table is in right away. From the living room turning right, you'll see the front door, and the small solid brown door to the left is the only toilet. Right before the stairs is the storage room. Going up to the second floor. Ok, the first room on the second floor (the one in the left) is my first room. As you can tell, it's quite small. Shangxia, this will be one of your rooms and I suggest you use this one as the sleeping one. The next room is Jose room. It's a nice big room. It is also where my desk (which will soon be Shangxia) is. Also, Jose room is one of the rare ones with an actual closet so we all hang our most valuable clothing there. For the rest of our clothes we keep in suitcases. The next room is Eric's. Eric also has a very nice room with his very own closet. Lastly, little room #2. Shangxia, I suggest that you use this room as your storage room. Can you believe at one time, this was somebody's only room??
Upstairs we go to the third floor. The first room on the third floor is Mizu's room. It's really cozy and I really like it, but Mizu has ownership on it till October. Lastly, my new room. On the way back down to the 2nd floor, you can actually see the shower door (the closed door in between Jose room and Eric's room). The shower is a walk in shower which is kinda neat.
And that is a tour of the house =)


LEs

One of my nice surprises coming home from work today (besides finding an extra lifesavers hidden in my pocket) was that AIESEC put up funny signs on all our doors. From now on, my room is going to be know as the "Lunatic" Room. Very fitting =)
 

A Weekend of Good Food

Hello

I'm very glad that I'm going to go running 3 times a week with Jose after all this good food I have been having. I'm in no danger of starving to death as few first feared, rather, Heart Disease is becoming more of a winner

On Saturday, after I moved into Solimon's room, I found out that it was only going to Jose and I for dinner, since Mizu went to Amsterdam for the weekend and Eric had a prior engagement. Originally, I was going to cook for 4 that night. After much deliberations, it was decided that it wasn't worth cooking for two, and we went out to eat for the first time without a translator.
We biked around the city core reading menus and picking out what we wanted to eat. Finally, we decided on this pub looking place since the menu didn't look too bad and the prices were under 15 Euros. The waiter was really nice, and recognized that we were foreigners and he translated the entire menu for us. Jose and I decided that the month was almost done, and that it wasn't often that we went out to eat, we should enjoy ourselves. With that being said, I ordered the specials of the month for my entree and starter. The appetizer was (imitation) lobster cocktail (4.25 E). It was good, and came with a crayfish (micro lobster) which I haven't had before but Jose taught me how to eat it. My main was a sirloin in a stroganoff sauce (14.50 E). It was so good. It was about 2.5 inches thick and about 8 ounces. The meat was tender and cooked medium rare/rare just the way I liked it. I had to admit, it was the same quality of meat that I would find back home, but it is cheaper here. I was very impressed =)
Jose had saute mushrooms as a starter, and a mix grill kebob with sirloin, 2 types of pork, and chicken. Rather then cubes of meat like we would have at home, his came out on 1 skewer with 4 "pork chop"size pieces of meat. It was a lot and very filling for him. Along with the two beers each, the total came to 45 E which was very reasonable for the amount and quality of the food. I figure the bill would be 60 something for the same meal. I defied Dutch Custom and reverted back to my Canadian upbringing and left a tip since the waiter was so helpful.

Tonight, it was my turn to cook again tonight, although I made what I was gonna is I cooked on Saturday. More Chinese food =)
I made a very nice fried rice with sausage, egg, and veggies. The second dish was beef and zucchini in a blackbean garlic sauce (from a jar that my mom usually buys and has at home). It turned out ok. The zucchini was a little overdone and it was a little over spiced, but everyone loved it, including Jose so I was glad. Same goes for the fried rice but everybody loves fried rice. I'm glad that I mastered the art of cooking rice without a rice cooker ever since Shi took it when he left. It's been two nights in a row now that I been successful =)
I'm glad that my roomies like my cooking, especially since I kinda think it up as I go along. Usually I just wander through the Asian food store, and look for sauce, and seeing what I could do with it. Hopefully when the new Chinese Trainee comes on the 4th, there will be even more Chinese cooking over here

Lastly, I spent the first night in my new room. My new bed is so much more comfortable, but I liked my old blanket and pillow better so I took those. It was much more quieter and with the window open, everything was perfect. The next step is to get an extension cord and powerbar, so I can power stuff at the desk and arrange a bedside lamp next to my bed.

In Summary, it was a good weekend for food.

LEs

My New Room 4. New chair and the only place I can hang up stuff is on the door. I'll have to put in some new nails in the walls or hang posters. I could also use a new Canadian Flag to hang up too =) 

My New Room 3. My room also contains the hotwater heater (white cabinet) so I now control the hot water to my house (Bawhahahaha!). Also, I finally have my very own hotwater tap on my sink. Still no Closets however, but I'm use to living out of my suitcases but I might try to buy those portable closets to hang up my more valuable clothing. 

My New Room 2 My very own desk. The room is way bigger which is a plus, but it doesn't have a very accessible electrical outlet system. I'm going to be buying an extension cord and power bar so I can actually power stuff on my desk. 

My New Room 1 The bed is still the same time but I'm sleeping under a corner this time. I better be careful not to wake up to fast =) 

Me in the Snow 

The AIESEC house from the outside 

Interesting Thing: This is a picture of a men's urinal. there is alittle fly in it, and it's actually painted on, not real. IT's designed so that if people aim at the fly, it's the best angle to avoid splash back. Pretty neat thing that it not found in Calgary or any other place that I have seen in N. America. I've also seen it in Copenhagen, so I don't think it is only a Dutch thing. 

Solimon and his girl say their good byes =( 

At the Airport for lunch. Grilled Panni Sandwiches =) 

A Very Sad Day =(

Yesterday was a very sad day =(
First, it was the day that Solimon left the country. A group of us went to see him off at the airport. Unlike Calgary, the journey to the airport is a 2 hour train ride one way. So I pretty much spent the day on the train back and forth. That's okay though, it was good to see him off.

Secondly, I got home in time at 7pm to watch the live news conference (via internet) where the NHL season was officially cancelled. Not taking anything away from Solimon leaving (b/c it won't hit me till the weekend), but even though it was pretty obvious that there wasn't going to be a season, I think most people were still sad when the announcement was made. After watching countless hours of analysis on TSN and other news sites, I blame both sides and like 1 commentator said, "There is no moral high ground when you both jump off a cliff."

The owners, this was there mess to fix. This was a system that they created, and they had 10 years of bad choices such as 9 expansion teams in 9 years, The idea that you can sign 30 high end players to buy your way to a successful team, bad leases on stadiums, inflating demands well above the level of supply. Once, they realised that they were in bad economic shape, they turn around and blame the players and try to implement essentially an idiot proof system. Also, I think what the NHL wants has merit, but in the long run. Bettman said they weren't looking for a quick fix, but their proposals have been exactly that. It is quite a drastic step to demand 42 million cap, since there are several teams that are going to have a hard time coming down from it. If they truly wanted the players to accept it, maybe have 42 million as the end goal, but start out on a scale like 50million the first year, and gradually reduce down to the 42 million mark after 5-8 years.

The players are going to get screwed anyways no matter what the outcome of the new deal is. In some ways, I feel the most for the players. They did offer some significant compromises in a bid to end the lockout. However, the players did have it good in during the last couple years. Their salaries increased exponentially, million dollars contracts are more a norm now then before. Arbitration bias and the threat of withholding their services were all tools in the player's arsenal to get more money. So, it is obvious that the owners proposal will take that all the way. Like I said, they will be screwed over, but is what the owners asking really that bad?, at the costs of canceling the season? Caps already exist in several major professional sports and only 10 players are paid over 7 million a year. Even if the average salary drops from 2.7 mill to something like 1 million, a fourth liner can still be making 400,000, which is really comfortable. Not to mention that travel costs and equipment are paid for, it is still a really good salary. Besides. Linkage works both ways and if popularity of the sport increases, then they get paid more. Recent signs like the success of Nashville ( a city not really known for hockey) or the incredible playoff run by the flames, the Olympics, and other tournaments have all increased the profile of hockey. By rejecting offer after offer, the players are not going to get a better deal. Especially if linkage is back on the owners demands, players are going to make even less now, thanks to the loss of revenue from this year. So, it wasn't in the players best interest to make less and less, when they could have took a 42 million dollar cap and played this season.

On both sides finally, I just blame the whole negotiations process. It can be argued that both sides didn't start negotiations until this weekend, and it was already too late. Both sides spent the last 4 months giving presentations to one another and calling each other names. Also, find a way so both sides can agree on the financial numbers and get rid of that area of mistrust.

In conclusion, although I expected that the season would be cancelled, it doesn't make it any better when it was. Both sides are treading into a uncertain world and I think neither side is going to get a better deal. Recent polls have suggested that many people have become apathetic to hockey, and won't miss it as much as the players and owners may think. For me, I don't really miss it really bad but I still wish I could have watched hilights every night, and keep track how the Flames are doing. When I go to www.calgaryflames.com, and watch the playoff summaries of the flame's run, I still get goosebumps. I think of what could have been this year, and how the new addition of players will affect the team. Could Calgary have taken the cup in 4 straight from the leafs this year? These questions will never be known. Right now, both sides have better sit down, and use this time to craft a deal both sides can live with so there will be hockey again next year

That's all for now

LEs

On closer inspection, you can see it is actually 1 KILO calorie. They put the k really small so you can't tell at first glance. Now we know =) 

Deceptive advertising: We drink crystal light at home since it's cheap and it taste quite good. Especially for only 1 calorie. Perhaps too good?? 

Happy Valentines Day

I forgot to mention in my last post, but:
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Hope everyone has a good day, and I hope all my friends who have someone special in their lives are able to do something special and tell that special someone how much you care. For me, I miss not being with Connie on this day but we'll see each other soon

for Connie
"Happy Valentines Day Honey! I wish I could be there with you and do something special with you today. I'm happy that you sent me a package, and I hope mine arrives soon. Have a very good day today =)
I miss you"

LEs

The last group photo of the AIESEC house. (Eric, Solimon, Me, Jose, and Mizuki) 

Not only will I miss Sol for his good times and good food, but he's also the house's barber. Solimon gave us all haircuts before he left. Including mine as shown here 

They say "it's not the size that matters, but how you use it", but Etienne does have the advantage in lenght in this duel 

Most of the people at Sol's dinner 

Solimon's Farewell Dinner party

Solimon moved out of the AIESEC house officially today =(
Last night, we invited the entire LC over for dinner and had another farewell dinner party for Sol. The place was packed, and Solimon made his famous Chicken Coconut Curry and Pasta with Meat and Oka bean sauce.
We hung out late into the evening telling stories and such. Sol also gave us each a personalised letter with pictures to each of us roomies. Hopefully I'll be able to make it to the airport on Wednesday when he really leaves the country (he's spending the last 2 days in another city with his girl). If not, "Sol, if your reading this, take care, I'll miss you mate. We had good times, and I hope to see you again."

This morning, I had another big meeting at Utretch but it ended early so I was able to get home by 3. I was going to go to Dutch class this evening but I didn't since I wasn't actually registered in it and it was already the 2nd class since Peter only found out about it recently. So with dinner running late and since I was just checking it out tonight, I decided not to go. I'll wait until the next one starts, in that way I can start from class #1. In the meantime, Eric's says he going to teach me the basics since he use to teach that class.

Lastly, tonight is the usual Monday night gathering, so I'll be headed out to the club later tonight. Just another regular day at work tomorrow. At least I have Sol's bike now, even though it's a bit tall for me. However, it is a men's mountain bike so I can go faster then before. I won't move into his room until the weekend when I have more time
anyways, I write more later

LEs

Connie's Valentines package for me =) Thank you Honey for sending stuff to me. I got another picture frame with our picture, deck of cards since I forgot mine, 2 packs of lifesavers, a card (+letter), and 2 Beanie Babies. The big one is Valentine bear (Connie has the matching female pair, Valentina), and the small one is the Canadian Beanie Baby. 

"Tong Yuen" (I am aware what it might look like) They tasted okay though, so that was good for my first time 

Lettuce Wrap =) 

Ma Po Tofu 

Chinese New Year

Yesterday was Chinese New Year so I cooked a special Chinese meal for my housemates. I made lettuce wraps (with Chicken) and Ma Po Tofu (Chinese comfort food) along with the usual rice for dinner. The menu was made possible by the fact that I managed to befriend the owners of the local Asian food store so I was able to get cooking advice and such. For dessert, I made "Tong Yuen" (glutinous dessert rice balls with sesame and sugar inside them) served with a ginger sweet soup base. That turned out pretty good too, especially since I made the balls the night before. It is actually my year (the year of the rooster) but since I'm over here, it is unlikely I'll be getting lucky money.

LEs

Mr. Leslie Choy, Guest Lecturer??

Well, I finally have some idea what is going on with my job. I'm going to overseeing the training and implementing of this new assessment tool at the 3 locations for the pilot. I'll be working with this other lady on this project and I'll know further details of specifics soon.
However, I have also been contacted by a student group at the University of Twente asking if I wanted to be a guest lecture in an upcoming workshop. The student group is a biomedical engineering group that will be going to Canada later in the year as part of a work study. They have been talking Carint (my company) about developing a pilot on telemedicine and my boss mentioned that I was from Canada, and I might be an interesting person to contact. So, I got this e-mail out of the blue asking if I want to give a small lecture about the similarities and differences of the Canadian and Dutch Health Care system with a focus on telemedicine and telehealth. Canada has had a lot of experience with telemedicine (which is the field of applying telecommunications for medical purposes ie computerising MRI pictures so it can be sent anywhere in Canada). However, it is only slowly catching on here in the Netherlands.
I'm quite flattered that they want me to do this and I never lectured before so it will be a good experience. The audience is a group of 30 bio-med engineering students and some profs that are going to Canada. I think I will do it, and I have received a lot of support for it. So now, I finally have a lot to do at work.
The lecture is scheduled for March 1st, right after a presentation by a former Canadian doctor they also got to come. Go Canada =)

Anyways, wish me luck

LEs

The Kendo outfit we got for Solimon =) The small Japanese lettering is actually Solimon's name translated into Japanese Characters 

AIESEC calendar for Sol from AIESEC