Good evening ladies and gents! I hope today finds you all in good health and better spirits. It's been an unseasonably warm weekend and I've been making every effort to enjoy the fine weather while it lasts.
I know that November isn't exactly right around the corner, but I wanted to give everyone plenty of warning in advance this year: The Gourmet Food and Wine Expo is coming! This is an annual event that I haven't missed the past four or five years running, but always seem to remember at the last possible moment. This time I wanted to get a post out early in the hopes that some of you will be able to join me for this year's event. Some of you may recall that I've mentioned the Expo before, here's last year's post-show post:
http://colinswanderings.blogspot.com/2010/11/food-wine-and-travel.html
For those readers who don't feel like re-reading my old posts, I'll attempt to summarize the show. Food. Wine. Lots.
All jesting aside, it's a great way to get out and try some new wines. I've frequently been introduced to something amazing at the show; it was at a similar show that I discovered Mediera, which remains a personal favourite in the fortified wine category, I tried a tequila there once that totally changed my perception of the beverage, I got my first taste of what amazing whites are being produced in New Zealand, and last year I found out that The Republic of Georgia makes incredible reds. The show really hits the three I's: interesting, informative, and intoxicating.
I got a discount code via e-mail this weekend, and while I'm not sure if there's a limit on how many tickets I can apply that to I'm certainly willing to put in an order for all my friends and family in the hopes of getting us all in there on the cheap.
This year's show runs from November 17-20 and I expect that I'll be heading in there on Saturday the 19th. We've discovered through trial and error that the best experience can be had by attending the show as early in the day as possible, before the crowds set in. On Saturday the doors open at noon (presumably to conform to appropriate social conventions around what time of day to drink) and I will be making every effort to be among the first people through the doors.
Here's the link to the official website:
http://www.foodandwineexpo.ca/sitepages/
I'm recommending that anyone who has the opportunity to be in Toronto during that weekend send me an email so that I can get some tickets. Gray, Susan, and I had a blast there last year, but this year I'd love to make it a group event. Give me a shout if you're interested!
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Sunday, 18 September 2011
Back on Track with Travelling
Hello ladies and gents! Sorry for another prolonged quiet period there. Euphy and I had both been pretty sick for awhile with a nasty cold that just wouldn't let up. Work hasn't exactly been a sunny vacation spot either. I'm happy to say though that the rough transition period at work is coming to an end and we're starting to get in to a more normal routine. I didn't work at all this weekend!
I'm also happy to announce that your travelling blogger is finally going to be getting his butt in gear and doing some travelling! Go figure!
The first trip on this brave new agenda is a weekend in Killarney. The whole family is heading up for the Thanksgiving long weekend. It will be Mom, Dad, Graydyn, Susan, Euphemia and I for four days at the Killarney Mountain Lodge and I couldn't be more excited! I'm pretty sure I speak for everyone when I say that too... the levels of excitement from everyone have been palpable. It will be Euphy and Susan's first trip up there, so there's the Adventure Excitement on that front, and of course the rest of us are very familiar with just how awesome it is up there, so we're all exited just to get up there and have a great weekend. I'm hoping for some good weather so that we can get out there and enjoy some hiking. I don't think I've ever been to Killarney quite that late in the year, so I'm not sure what to expect in terms of Fall colours, but I certainly have my hopes up that we'll be treated to a really great show. With that much time to work with we should be able to fit in one of the more substantial hikes like Silverpeak or The Crack.
I'd also love to do a nice bit of kayaking while we're there. It's been awhile since I've done any kayaking without some included camping... and all the gear that accompanies such an adventure. It'll be fun to get out in some unladen kayaks and splash around. Euphy's never been in a kayak before, but I'm confident that she'll get out there and love it given the opportunity.
On that note I'm proud to say that Euphemia was brave enough to hop on the back of my bike this afternoon for a trial run! She was understandably reluctant to let me buy her the necessary (and pricey) safety equipment for motorcycling when she wasn't even sure if she'd enjoy it. We made due this afternoon by having her wear my entirely too large jacket and gloves and just confined ourselves to the (relative) safety of a parking lot. It wasn't a perfect taste of the world of motorcycling but it was a good opportunity for me to get my first experience of having a passenger, and it let Euphy get a basic idea of how it feels to be on the back of a bike. She really seemed to enjoy it, and we're planning on hitting the motorcycle show this December to try to score some off-season deals on a bit of gear for her so that we can start doing some more substantial rides next season.
The last, but definitely not least, bit of travel news for today is that we booked a trip to Cuba! WOOHOO! It's something we've been talking about for awhile now. Euphemia's never been to the Caribbean before and I really wanted to take her somewhere exciting for her birthday on December 12th. We decided to head down from Saturday the 10th to Saturday the 17th so that we'd be somewhere sunny and warm on her birthday. We were strongly considering Negril in Jamaica since I'd had such a great time down there for my cousin's wedding back in '09, but the Paradisus Rio de Oro in Holguin, Cuba came highly recommended from my parents as well as my friends Chris and Beth who got married there a few years back. I was inclined towards Jamaica because I really want Euphy's first Caribbean vacation to be a great experience, and I was confident that we'd have a good time there. In the end the Paradisus won out largely because we got a great deal on it, and it was important to Euphy that I have a bit of an adventure too instead of going somewhere I'd been before. Holguin was a good compromise there; I've had great feedback from a couple trusted sources, so I can be confident of a great trip, but it's still new to me, so there's the important element of adventure. We just booked the trip today, and I'm buzzing with excitement! It's a good thing I've got the trip to Killarney to hold me off or I'd be running circles in my living room right now!
Well, that's all for now folks. I'll check in next week, most likely with one of more generic travel-related posts. We're just getting started with getting a general timeline laid out for next year's proposed trip to China, so there's not much to comment on in that space yet, but I'll keep you all posted as we start to get things worked out there. Until next week, have fun!
I'm also happy to announce that your travelling blogger is finally going to be getting his butt in gear and doing some travelling! Go figure!
The first trip on this brave new agenda is a weekend in Killarney. The whole family is heading up for the Thanksgiving long weekend. It will be Mom, Dad, Graydyn, Susan, Euphemia and I for four days at the Killarney Mountain Lodge and I couldn't be more excited! I'm pretty sure I speak for everyone when I say that too... the levels of excitement from everyone have been palpable. It will be Euphy and Susan's first trip up there, so there's the Adventure Excitement on that front, and of course the rest of us are very familiar with just how awesome it is up there, so we're all exited just to get up there and have a great weekend. I'm hoping for some good weather so that we can get out there and enjoy some hiking. I don't think I've ever been to Killarney quite that late in the year, so I'm not sure what to expect in terms of Fall colours, but I certainly have my hopes up that we'll be treated to a really great show. With that much time to work with we should be able to fit in one of the more substantial hikes like Silverpeak or The Crack.
I'd also love to do a nice bit of kayaking while we're there. It's been awhile since I've done any kayaking without some included camping... and all the gear that accompanies such an adventure. It'll be fun to get out in some unladen kayaks and splash around. Euphy's never been in a kayak before, but I'm confident that she'll get out there and love it given the opportunity.
On that note I'm proud to say that Euphemia was brave enough to hop on the back of my bike this afternoon for a trial run! She was understandably reluctant to let me buy her the necessary (and pricey) safety equipment for motorcycling when she wasn't even sure if she'd enjoy it. We made due this afternoon by having her wear my entirely too large jacket and gloves and just confined ourselves to the (relative) safety of a parking lot. It wasn't a perfect taste of the world of motorcycling but it was a good opportunity for me to get my first experience of having a passenger, and it let Euphy get a basic idea of how it feels to be on the back of a bike. She really seemed to enjoy it, and we're planning on hitting the motorcycle show this December to try to score some off-season deals on a bit of gear for her so that we can start doing some more substantial rides next season.
The last, but definitely not least, bit of travel news for today is that we booked a trip to Cuba! WOOHOO! It's something we've been talking about for awhile now. Euphemia's never been to the Caribbean before and I really wanted to take her somewhere exciting for her birthday on December 12th. We decided to head down from Saturday the 10th to Saturday the 17th so that we'd be somewhere sunny and warm on her birthday. We were strongly considering Negril in Jamaica since I'd had such a great time down there for my cousin's wedding back in '09, but the Paradisus Rio de Oro in Holguin, Cuba came highly recommended from my parents as well as my friends Chris and Beth who got married there a few years back. I was inclined towards Jamaica because I really want Euphy's first Caribbean vacation to be a great experience, and I was confident that we'd have a good time there. In the end the Paradisus won out largely because we got a great deal on it, and it was important to Euphy that I have a bit of an adventure too instead of going somewhere I'd been before. Holguin was a good compromise there; I've had great feedback from a couple trusted sources, so I can be confident of a great trip, but it's still new to me, so there's the important element of adventure. We just booked the trip today, and I'm buzzing with excitement! It's a good thing I've got the trip to Killarney to hold me off or I'd be running circles in my living room right now!
Well, that's all for now folks. I'll check in next week, most likely with one of more generic travel-related posts. We're just getting started with getting a general timeline laid out for next year's proposed trip to China, so there's not much to comment on in that space yet, but I'll keep you all posted as we start to get things worked out there. Until next week, have fun!
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Need to Travel... NOW
Good afternoon everyone! Just trying desperately to get into the groove of writing on Sunday afternoons as opposed to my old Tuesday morning schedule. Clearly I have difficulties breaking out of ruts when I get in them, but I'm also facing the extraordinary difficulty of not having any concrete travel plans in my future. This is not something that I've often dealt with! I'll be the first to admit that it's really taking the wind out of my sails right now, and I think I need to get myself organized and start putting the wheels in motion on some serious travel plans. Any suggestions? I'm certainly still committed to making a trip to China happen next year, but it's still too early to get anything definitive on paper, and I think I need to get a little something going before that to keep myself from going completely around the bend.
In other news I'm FINALLY wrapped up on the process of making my new bike officially mine. It's insured and I've been to the ministry to get the ownership in my own name. Just yesterday I went out with wrenches triumphantly in hand and put my own license plate on my lovely new ZZR600! It was a process that took considerably longer than it needed to, but it's all done now and I'm ready to ride. Sadly I've been entirely too busy with work this weekend to get out and actually ride! With any luck I'll be settling into the new position shortly and able to get some weekend time to myself within a couple weeks.
Sorry for the brief check-in, but like I said, things have been pretty busy lately. Hopefully things will normalize soon. Until then, be well my friends.
In other news I'm FINALLY wrapped up on the process of making my new bike officially mine. It's insured and I've been to the ministry to get the ownership in my own name. Just yesterday I went out with wrenches triumphantly in hand and put my own license plate on my lovely new ZZR600! It was a process that took considerably longer than it needed to, but it's all done now and I'm ready to ride. Sadly I've been entirely too busy with work this weekend to get out and actually ride! With any luck I'll be settling into the new position shortly and able to get some weekend time to myself within a couple weeks.
Sorry for the brief check-in, but like I said, things have been pretty busy lately. Hopefully things will normalize soon. Until then, be well my friends.
Monday, 1 August 2011
New Wheels... Two of Them!
Yes that's right ladies and gentlemen, there's a new pair of wheels sitting in my parking garage now!
That fine machine in the foreground in a 2004 Kawasaki ZZR600, previously owned by the shadowy figure in the background, but now in the possession of the handsome devil seen straddling it. This past week I was able to sell my old CBR125, and though I was sad to see it go, I'm happy to be able to bring my new ride home. This photo was taken a few weeks ago when I first took the bike for a test drive, and since then I've unfortunately been on it one other time... and that was yesterday. I'm hoping to remedy that neglect in the very near future. Moving from 125cc to 600cc wasn't nearly as daunting as I'd originally feared, and the only aspect of the bike that I'm struggling with is managing the weight (a good 150-200 lbs heavier than my previous bike) when I'm stationary or maneuvering at very low speeds. Once I've given it some gas and got things moving it might as well weight 2 lbs for all I can tell.
I had an excellent ride yesterday; Jay drove me out to Mike's place and then joined our biking caravan in his Mini. Mike has a spectacular Yamaha YYZ1300, but was kind enough to not leave me completely in the dust, which was always an option given that he easily had 50 more horsepower to play with. We meandered our way through the country side, finding our way West of Airport Road, but considerably farther North. There aren't many roads in Southwestern Ontario to offer any sort of joy to a motoring enthusiast, but we managed to find a few that had some entertaining curves, and Jay, having been betrayed by his GPS, was even able to discover a rather thrilling stretch of road with some significant uphill and downhill bends. It gave me a great chance to see what I was capable of on the new bike, and get a feeling for where my comfort level is in a corner. All told it was great being out with my friends on a beautiful day enjoying some good driving.
A feature of the bike that can be seen in the photo above (but that I haven't yet put to use) is the hard case that's resting on the back. That's actually one of a pair, and when they're both in play that can be secured to the sides of the bike. They're pretty substantial; just as a test this evening I found that I can easily stuff all my gear, helmet, jacket, pants, boot, and gloves, in both cases with room to spare. They'll be great when I want to go for overnight trips.
At this point I haven't convinced Euphemia to take a ride with me. She seems quite keen to try it out, but is concerned about the up-front costs involved. There's a lot of money to be spent on safety equipment, and she's pretty concerned about investing that kind of cash on something that she may find not to her taste. An understandable worry to be sure.
I've made one other upgrade to my motorcycling repetoir this weekend, and that's a new helmet. My use of the word "upgrade" is no understatement either; I've acquired a Shoei RF-1100, which is an excellent piece of equipment. The weight reduction from my old helment is really noticeable, and I found when riding that there was a lot less fatigue on a number of levels: the fit is better and didn't pinch my ears, the lower weight meant less neck strain, and the aerodynamics are significantly better, so I didn't feel as buffeted by the wind at high speeds, and it didn't feel like my head was about to be torn off when I turned my head to look over my shoulder. Another fantastic thing about this helmet is that it's got a much wider than normal visor, so even the previously mentioned turning of the head didn't need to be as extreme. If I looked as far as possible to one side I could just barely see the edge of the helmet, it really does a fantastic job of maintaining visibility. Speaking of visibility, I went with a solid white helmet, so I should stand out... also it matches my jacket.
Well, that's all the motorcycling news for now. I've got the attached luggage for my bike, and a big enough engine to make highway driving a smooth and comfortable experience, now I just need to get out there and go for a trip. Not sure what my first real voyage will be, but I'm looking forward to it all the same. I hope you're all doing well this week, and I'll talk to you all next week... maybe even on time for once.
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Slacking? Who has been slacking?
Okay, I know, I know. This hasn't exactly marked a high-point in my blogging career! I apologize for the total lack of communication, but I hope I can earn some bonus points for posting on a Sunday afternoon for the first time since I announced that I'd be posting on Sunday afternoons. Now it's time for some catch-up...
First things first: the trip to Brucedale! That was a fantastic bit of nice, easy camping. Obviously a conservation area just off Highway 21 isn't going to hold a candle to the isolation and beauty of Killarney but there's something to be said for being able to store sensitive equipment in the truck when it's looking like rain. Also, showers. There's a LOT to be said for showers.
We really lucked out with the weather and it stayed clear for us for most of the trip. We got a few rumblings of thunder early in the morning on Saturday while we were still safe it our tents, and it rained for about 10 minutes on Saturday afternoon, but aside from that we had great weather. Actually, that led to us spending the majority of the trip on the beach. Anyone who looks at Brucedale on a map and thinks "Wow! That's right on the water, we can hang out on the beach!" may be making a slight calculation error. It's right on the water, yes, but do not count on a beach. That said, it's a pretty short drive up to Port Elgin, which has a lovely stretch of beach to sun yourself on.
Short of any sand-based lounging we just engaged in the usual camping activities of sitting around a campfire, roasting wienies, and regaling each other with tales of our past victories in battle. Well, two out of three ain't bad...
Since then I've been keeping fairly busy with work. There's been a lot of excitement around the office lately. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to go into any details, but I can say that the company I work for has been bought by Zynga. I'm sure that any of you who use Facebook will be familiar with the name, and if you're not I strongly suggest you take a look at their website. For the official press-release on our acquisition please have a look here:
http://zyngablog.typepad.com/zyngacom/2011/07/zynga-acquires-toronto-based-five-mobile-team-creates-toronto-mobile-studio-.html
Like I said, I can't discuss the details of the move except to say that I'm incredibly excited about it and that I think on a personal level that this is going to be amazing for my career. I'm really happy to be a part of the Zynga family!
In martial arts news Kai-sensei has come from Japan to visit us. Unfortunately we haven't had much time to study with him. Brahmjot has formed his own dojo called Tendokan which I am a member of, and during Kai-sensei's visit he has officially closed Seibukan Canada. It's been a pretty tough time for those of us who started studying under the Seibukan name, but I have been assured that this move was entirely necessary, and not taken lightly.
So, that's where I'm at right now. A lot has been shaken up in both my work and personal life, but the future looks rosy! I'm pretty tired at the moment, but feeling pretty good about what's to come. In the short term I don't have much planned, but I'm in the very early stages of trying to put together a trip for Euphemia and I to go visit her family in China. I'm really hopeful that I can arrange to get 3 weeks off work to turn this into an epic trip on par with the great voyage to Japan that originally spawned this blog. Right now we're aiming for Spring 2012, so it's still in the very early planning stages, but just like any of my trips I'll keep you all posted as things start to take shape.
My apologies again for making it so long between posts. I hope that I can get back in to the rhythm of writing regularly again from this point forward.
First things first: the trip to Brucedale! That was a fantastic bit of nice, easy camping. Obviously a conservation area just off Highway 21 isn't going to hold a candle to the isolation and beauty of Killarney but there's something to be said for being able to store sensitive equipment in the truck when it's looking like rain. Also, showers. There's a LOT to be said for showers.
We really lucked out with the weather and it stayed clear for us for most of the trip. We got a few rumblings of thunder early in the morning on Saturday while we were still safe it our tents, and it rained for about 10 minutes on Saturday afternoon, but aside from that we had great weather. Actually, that led to us spending the majority of the trip on the beach. Anyone who looks at Brucedale on a map and thinks "Wow! That's right on the water, we can hang out on the beach!" may be making a slight calculation error. It's right on the water, yes, but do not count on a beach. That said, it's a pretty short drive up to Port Elgin, which has a lovely stretch of beach to sun yourself on.
Short of any sand-based lounging we just engaged in the usual camping activities of sitting around a campfire, roasting wienies, and regaling each other with tales of our past victories in battle. Well, two out of three ain't bad...
Since then I've been keeping fairly busy with work. There's been a lot of excitement around the office lately. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to go into any details, but I can say that the company I work for has been bought by Zynga. I'm sure that any of you who use Facebook will be familiar with the name, and if you're not I strongly suggest you take a look at their website. For the official press-release on our acquisition please have a look here:
http://zyngablog.typepad.com/zyngacom/2011/07/zynga-acquires-toronto-based-five-mobile-team-creates-toronto-mobile-studio-.html
Like I said, I can't discuss the details of the move except to say that I'm incredibly excited about it and that I think on a personal level that this is going to be amazing for my career. I'm really happy to be a part of the Zynga family!
In martial arts news Kai-sensei has come from Japan to visit us. Unfortunately we haven't had much time to study with him. Brahmjot has formed his own dojo called Tendokan which I am a member of, and during Kai-sensei's visit he has officially closed Seibukan Canada. It's been a pretty tough time for those of us who started studying under the Seibukan name, but I have been assured that this move was entirely necessary, and not taken lightly.
So, that's where I'm at right now. A lot has been shaken up in both my work and personal life, but the future looks rosy! I'm pretty tired at the moment, but feeling pretty good about what's to come. In the short term I don't have much planned, but I'm in the very early stages of trying to put together a trip for Euphemia and I to go visit her family in China. I'm really hopeful that I can arrange to get 3 weeks off work to turn this into an epic trip on par with the great voyage to Japan that originally spawned this blog. Right now we're aiming for Spring 2012, so it's still in the very early planning stages, but just like any of my trips I'll keep you all posted as things start to take shape.
My apologies again for making it so long between posts. I hope that I can get back in to the rhythm of writing regularly again from this point forward.
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Camping Prep
Good evening all, and Happy Father's Day to all those of you for whom that is applicable. I know I was going to try to write on Sunday afternoons, but I suppose it's better late than never.
We're less than two weeks out from our Canada Day camping trip and things are starting to come together. I'm taking a much more hands-on role in the preparation this time... can't count on Dad to just provide me with a list of everything I need. Of course, he's helped out with that; I just called him today and he reminded me of a few things that I would have forgotten about. It's funny how easy it is to forget something as simple as a camp chair, and it's also funny how big an impact that could have on your comfort at camp. In the end though this is a pretty stress-free camping prep since we're not going into the deep woods. Knowing that we'll have a vehicle handy for quick supply runs is pretty comforting.
It looks like we'll be getting an addition to our camping crew as well. Euphemia's friend Bing has expressed an interest in joining us, and since we've got a reservation for six people and only three of us scheduled to go it was no problem. Now we are four. The closer it gets to Canada Day the more excited I'm getting! This should be an easy, relaxing camp and I'm really looking forward to it.
In totally unrelated news I've purchased a new motorcycle! I went out today to visit my friend Mike and took his Kawasaki ZZR600 for a test drive. That was, without question, the most fun I've ever had on a motorcycle! I've really enjoyed my little CBR125, but the bigger bike was a whole different world. There was way more power on tap than I needed, but it was very comforting to know that the power was there when I needed it. We toured around for a couple hours and at the end of our run I made the purchase. Mike's going to hang on to the bike for me while I sell my current one and then I'll try to get some pictures up.
Well, that's all for now folks. I've got one more post to go up before the camp, so I'll provide details then. See you all next Sunday.
We're less than two weeks out from our Canada Day camping trip and things are starting to come together. I'm taking a much more hands-on role in the preparation this time... can't count on Dad to just provide me with a list of everything I need. Of course, he's helped out with that; I just called him today and he reminded me of a few things that I would have forgotten about. It's funny how easy it is to forget something as simple as a camp chair, and it's also funny how big an impact that could have on your comfort at camp. In the end though this is a pretty stress-free camping prep since we're not going into the deep woods. Knowing that we'll have a vehicle handy for quick supply runs is pretty comforting.
It looks like we'll be getting an addition to our camping crew as well. Euphemia's friend Bing has expressed an interest in joining us, and since we've got a reservation for six people and only three of us scheduled to go it was no problem. Now we are four. The closer it gets to Canada Day the more excited I'm getting! This should be an easy, relaxing camp and I'm really looking forward to it.
In totally unrelated news I've purchased a new motorcycle! I went out today to visit my friend Mike and took his Kawasaki ZZR600 for a test drive. That was, without question, the most fun I've ever had on a motorcycle! I've really enjoyed my little CBR125, but the bigger bike was a whole different world. There was way more power on tap than I needed, but it was very comforting to know that the power was there when I needed it. We toured around for a couple hours and at the end of our run I made the purchase. Mike's going to hang on to the bike for me while I sell my current one and then I'll try to get some pictures up.
Well, that's all for now folks. I've got one more post to go up before the camp, so I'll provide details then. See you all next Sunday.
Monday, 13 June 2011
Introducing Euphemia Zhang
Good evening ladies and gents! Big news for this particular post. I've been spreading the word through my various forms of social media for the last week, and I thought I might as well make things official on my blog for those of you who don't follow my merry adventures on Facebook.
Long time readers will recall that I've had reason to lament a lack of travelling companions in the past. My trip to Iceland in particular comes to mind as a fantastic trip that would have been elevated even further if I'd not been flying solo. This is not in anyway belittling the massive contributions made by Graydyn, Jay, and my parents in providing company on my travels, but still, I've found myself looking for a more constant form of travelling companion. I dedicated several lengthy years of research in trying to determine a viable and effective solution to my obvious problem. After countless months of browsing all the scientific literature I could come across I discovered a solution often employed by the Adult Human Male: if you stop playing video games and leave the house every now and then, maybe you'll find a girlfriend. I'm happy to announce that I've found a beautiful young lady who has expressed a keen interest in seeing this vast world of ours by my side, and I present to you, my loyal readers, Miss Euphemia Zhang!
Took that picture myself with my new phone! The lovely backdrop is the Rouge River Valley, which will be the subject of a post in the very near future.
Admittedly I think most of you know that Euphemia and I have been going out, but I know she's going to be coming up in this blog in the very near future, as she's already agreed to accompany me on my next camping trip (more on that very soon) and I felt that a formal introduction was important to maintaining a steady narrative in this blog. Also it gave me a terrific opportunity for that lengthy, self-deprecating introduction to this week's post.
Okay, I'll attempt to stop being a clown now and get into the details. Euphemia was born in Zhuhai, in the province of Guangdong, China, where she lived until moving to Canada at the age of 15. She's fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, and just recently graduated in Honours Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo. Those factors combine to make her much, much smarter than the humble author of this blog.
I'm going to refrain from getting into any more of my girlfriend's life story, but I just wanted to provide a brief introduction. She's likely to be a major contributing character in the story of my travels, and I wanted to make sure everyone knows who I'm talking about before I start dropping her name throughout the course of my blogging adventures.
I'm wrapping things up for the day here. Tune in later in the week when I plan on popping in a special report that I've been wanting to write about, and then keep updating every week as we're starting to get the details of a camping trip hammered out (as those of you who follow Jay's blog will already know) and I'm sure to be reporting on the preparations for that as we approach the July 1st departure date. Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll talk to you all again soon.
Long time readers will recall that I've had reason to lament a lack of travelling companions in the past. My trip to Iceland in particular comes to mind as a fantastic trip that would have been elevated even further if I'd not been flying solo. This is not in anyway belittling the massive contributions made by Graydyn, Jay, and my parents in providing company on my travels, but still, I've found myself looking for a more constant form of travelling companion. I dedicated several lengthy years of research in trying to determine a viable and effective solution to my obvious problem. After countless months of browsing all the scientific literature I could come across I discovered a solution often employed by the Adult Human Male: if you stop playing video games and leave the house every now and then, maybe you'll find a girlfriend. I'm happy to announce that I've found a beautiful young lady who has expressed a keen interest in seeing this vast world of ours by my side, and I present to you, my loyal readers, Miss Euphemia Zhang!
Took that picture myself with my new phone! The lovely backdrop is the Rouge River Valley, which will be the subject of a post in the very near future.
Admittedly I think most of you know that Euphemia and I have been going out, but I know she's going to be coming up in this blog in the very near future, as she's already agreed to accompany me on my next camping trip (more on that very soon) and I felt that a formal introduction was important to maintaining a steady narrative in this blog. Also it gave me a terrific opportunity for that lengthy, self-deprecating introduction to this week's post.
Okay, I'll attempt to stop being a clown now and get into the details. Euphemia was born in Zhuhai, in the province of Guangdong, China, where she lived until moving to Canada at the age of 15. She's fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, and just recently graduated in Honours Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo. Those factors combine to make her much, much smarter than the humble author of this blog.
I'm going to refrain from getting into any more of my girlfriend's life story, but I just wanted to provide a brief introduction. She's likely to be a major contributing character in the story of my travels, and I wanted to make sure everyone knows who I'm talking about before I start dropping her name throughout the course of my blogging adventures.
I'm wrapping things up for the day here. Tune in later in the week when I plan on popping in a special report that I've been wanting to write about, and then keep updating every week as we're starting to get the details of a camping trip hammered out (as those of you who follow Jay's blog will already know) and I'm sure to be reporting on the preparations for that as we approach the July 1st departure date. Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll talk to you all again soon.
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