Author: Erwin

First of all, I’m aware that commenting is non-functional right now. As always, the problem is out of my control and again, thanks for your patience.

Today is the first day that UBC Housing residences are accepting residents for the new school year. After the usual quiet and peaceful summer on campus, all of UBC is a huge hub of activity. The campus is crawling with parents, n00bs, and their belongings. When I stepped out of my apartment today to run some errands, the parking lot next door was filled. Virtually every vehicle in the lot had a “Opening Day” parking pass which allows parents to park for free this weekend while they move in their younglings. There are also UBC Housing staff to direct vehicles to the right lots.

As I left the lot, I began seeing many, many groups of students decked out in blue and white t-shirts. They seem to be part of some orientation activity. I counted no less than ten of these groups all over UBC. When I got to the bank in the Village I saw two parents and their first-year meeting a banking associate to open a bank account. I overheard them discussing things like chequing fees and online banking. I have yet to go into the CIBC in September and not see something like this.

You know back in my undergrad days, I had nothing like this. Free parking for parents for move in? You’ve got to be kidding me. My parents had to illegally park the car when we moved my stuff. In fact, I think my Dad found great pride in trying to park as close to a fire hydrant as possible. And UBC Housing staff outside on the street to direct traffic and answer questions? In my day, there was one guy inside who handed out keys and he liked to send out a mailer (props to anyone who got that). There also no orientation back then. I had to ask some guy named “Booger” where I could pick up my meal card.

Well, that’s it for now.

I have a friend from undergrad named Dave. He went through UBC Med and is now a doctor, living in Ontario with his lovely wife (also a doctor). This morning, I check my e-mail and there’s a message from Dave.

He’s back in town for a couple of weeks and wants to know if I have time to get together for a drink or something. He also informs me that he’s sending the message from his father’s computer. Dave’s dad is also a doctor. While going through his Dad’s bookmarks on the browser, he finds my blog.

That’s a total surprise. I had no clue Dr. Shu was reading my blog. I’m guessing he must have Googled his name and found a few pages from Dave’s wedding that mentioned him. It’s possible that’s how he stumbled upon my blog. I wonder if he just bookmarked it and never read it again. I hope he reads it on a regular basis. I’m quite fond of my regular visitors.

Now, I’m not saying this because he might read it, but Dr. Shu is one of the coolest parents you’ll ever meet. When we used to have these big parties at his parents’ house, Dr. Shu would have a throng of 20somethings in rapt attention as he was telling a humourous anecdote. I’ve never seen that before in any other parent I know. A cool dude indeed.

Sir, if you’re reading this, thanks for stopping by and visiting.

So a few weeks ago I was over at SJC for dinner. After the meal, I was upstairs and passed by a second floor kitchen. There’s usually a lot of free stuff on the kitchen table. This time was no different. Among the many items on the table were at least six bowls of instant udon noodles.

I’m particularly a big fan of instant noodles but I’m quite fond of the udon. I took one bowl for myself and another for Eddy. He’s gonna be eating a lot of ramen by himself in his new place off-campus. While in Eddy’s room I noticed the best before date on the noodles was July 2005. You know, there’s a difference between “best before” and “expired by”. “Best before” means you’re just getting a crappier food experience but that won’t mean it’ll kill ya.

To see just how good this bowl of instant udon could be, I decided to give it a try a few days ago.

Here’s the bowl in question:

Inside the bowl we see four packets: the noodles, a packet of red pepper flakes, a bag containing what looks like soy sauce, and a silver packet with freeze-dried vegetable matter.

The first step was to open up the bag of noodles and place it in the styrofoam bowl. The noodles were greasy inside but looked suprsingly fresh.

The next step was to pour some boiling water in, up to the line in the bowl. The picture below doesn’t really show the water very well.

Two minutes with the cover on was the prescribed next step. I watched some TV while I waited. I think it was a Seinfeld episode. After the two minutes, I was supposed to drain all the water using these super-neat drainage holes in the bowl cover. Also notice the grime on my stovetop.

With the water drained, it was time to put in the freeze-dried vegetables. I think I see some radishes, green onions, and some weird crispy stuff.

Now it was time for the bag of black goodness which I believe was the soup base. It’s hard to see it in the bowl in this picture.

With everything added, the instructions called for another round of boiling water. I covered the bowl and waited one minute. This is what greeted me:

The soup base had settled on the bottom, leaving most of the heartiness there. It needed some stirring up, like a hornets’ nest. Here’s what it looked like after some round-and-round:

I cautiously dug in for some noodles after this last picture. It was actually really good. For a bowl of instant udon beyond its best before date, it was fantastic. I would even go as far as to say that I’d have a hard time telling the difference between this and a restaurant bowl of udon. Well, keeping in mind this had no meat in it, which I wished I had after making it.

Despite the happy conclusion I only ate half the bowl just to be safe. I am happy to report no diarrhea afterwards! What an excellent way to certify a meal!

An evening at Koerner’s Pub prevents me from making an extensive post tonight. Have a safe and pleasant trip home Tommy.

By virtue of a late-night gaming session that ended around 4am, I awoke around 12pm today. As I got up, my neck and back were sore. I was kinda bleary-eyed as well. I was thinking this day might not go so well.

I was already late for my first item for the day, baseball at a neighbourhood park. Chris (not Conklin) from SJC has been organizing these Sunday afternoon baseball games. Apparently they are a lot of fun and there’s always a good turnout. I promised Chris I’d show up this weekend.

Game time was 1pm but by the time I had finished brushing my teeth, it was already 12:15pm and I still wanted to shower, eat, and check my e-mail. I had to decline a ride with J-Rod and his Chrysler LeBaron. After getting the pre-game festivities out of the way, I left my apartment around 1:20pm and headed to the bus loop.

The field that Chris found is a gem of a park that somehow eluded my knowledge despite being a hop, skip, and a jump from W. 1oth Ave. West Point Grey park is located near Trimble and 8th, and features two diamonds, a play area for kids, and a lawn bowling/croquet pitch. Both diamonds feature as a backdrop the blue waters of English Bay. I tell ya, the view makes it hard to pick up the ball coming off the bat.

Though I had arrived about an hour and a half after start time, I found out we were only at the bottom of the first inning. I quickly was placed on a team. Pretty soon, I was up at bat facing my very first hardball pitch. Even with a batting helmet on, I was thinking how much it might hurt if I got beaned in the head. The pitcher took it easy on me I believe, but the ball moves quite a bit faster than those lobs in softball. In the end, I got called on strikes which was a sucky way to start off.

The next inning, some people left which meant I had to switch teams. I play shortstop for my new team. I touched the ball once in the field, awkwardly stopping a grounder to my feet. By the time I got the ball, there was no play to make.

I had two more at bats. The second one, I managed to reach at a pitch which resulted in a single through the infielders, narrowly missing the pitcher’s outstreached glove. While on base, I took a huge lead, which nearly lead to a successful pickoff attempt. I stayed a bit closer to the bag after that. I got stranded on first unfortunately.

My second at bat was one for the ages. I was attempting to stare down the impressive pitching of Joel himself. I detected a bit of a control problem from him earlier, so I decided I was going to let him earn his strikes. Using my eagle eyes that have been honed by looking at a computer monitor for years, I let the count go to 3-0. The next pitch was a strike which I probably should have swung at, but oh well. The pitch after that was high but like a moron I swung at it which left the count full. I should have been a little more nervous but I watched the next pitch go outside. I walked. I again was left stranded.

I couldn’t stay for the whole game since I had to meet with my parents in the afternoon. They brought me some dim sum and my mail.

There was an awesome dinner at SJC tonight: Teriyaki glazed salmon fillet and rice, miso soup, edamame beans, and spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette sprinkled with sunflower seeds. For dessert, it was fruit plate with blueberries, kiwi fruit, and pineapple. I’m not sure why I told everyone that.

There’s unopened bag of potato chips in my kitchen that needs opening.

My friend Joel bought a used car today at an auction out in Coquitlam. It was Jon Voight’s old car. Based on that pop culture reference, you should be able to give me the make and model of J-Rod’s new ride. First one to give the right answer gets a shiny gold star!

So today, Dave and I decide to go to Connie’s for lunch. Dave sits next to me and for a guy that’s in the video game industry, it’s strange in that he rarely plays any games himself. Anyways, it’s just the two of us since after some unfortunate incidents, Connie’s reputation for providing a decent lunch has taken some hits. Undeterred, Dave and I make the hike up 4th Ave. for our meal.

Our lunch is actually quite good. I decide to go for the cashew chicken with rice. Along with won ton soup, it’s a great deal for $5.95. Along with the quick service, it’s more than an acceptable outing. When it’s time to pay, Dave decides to pickup the tab using his debit card. I overhear Connie herself ask Dave how much she should put on the total. Dave mentions something about taking care of the tip himself, so she puts only the cost of the meal on his debit card. Somehow, Dave thinks he’ll have a chance to add a tip on the keypad. Somehow, it doesn’t give him that option.

He returns to the table and asks me if I have any change. I have none and Dave proceeds to tell me what happened. “You idiot!” I say. Dave then says there’s nothing we can do and we’ll have to depart without leaving a tip. Since I’m really tired, I don’t argue with him but I’m still annoyed we’ve stiffed Connie a tip because of his misunderstanding.

On the street, I’m dismayed to think I’ve been labelled a poor customer. Dave says we’ll have to tip extra big the next time we’re there. I reply that we’ll have to mention that right away next time or else they’ll spit in our food. Dave said he felt really bad, but I bet I felt worse.

I’m going to get a glass of water now.

Two of my favourite movies are coming out with new editions on DVD in November. First up is Office Space – Special Edition with Flair!. This flick hold a special place in my heart since it came out when I had the worst job in the world with Cypress Solutions. Ooops, I hope that doesn’t get Googled. The movie defined the struggle I had with that awful job.

Next is Airplane! Don’t Call Me Shirley Edition. This is a classic comedy with bits that somehow withstand the test of time. I already own a no-frills version of the movie on DVD, so I’m not sure if I’ll pick it up? A Christmas gift perhaps? Hmmm…

Did you know they did a Comedy Central Roast with Pamela Anderson? Yeah, apparently it aired this weekend. If you’ve got Quicktime, click here to find out what her plastic surgeon had to say about her. I’d say it’s pretty safe for work unless you mind some fondling of a medical nature.

So around 8:30pm I’m sitting in the lead programmer’s cubicle. I ask him if I’m needed for anything else before I go home. We’ve all put in a long day to get everything ready for Monday. Monday is the day we’re scheduled to hand over some deliverables to our client. Is it ok for me to say our client is Nokia? Hmm… I’m not sure about that. Anyways, the deliverables consist of a checklist of new features we have to get implemented for our game.

Around 5pm, I’m thinking we’re looking pretty good and I may actually go home on time. Well, that was before we realize the latest build of the game is now completely unstable. Even though I’m finished everything I’m responsible for on Monday, I feel like I have to stick around to see why the game is now crashing all over the place. The problem is narrowed down to a few modules none of which I’m written. I continue to stay because I know some of my code needs to be hooked up with my lead’s stuff. Because of the instability though, I’m left waiting to for this happen.

Dinner is ordered from some sushi place. I get a bento box and some gyoza. It’s not bad but it’s the fifth straight dinner I’ve eaten courtesy of the company. Over dinner my leads tells me there’s really no need for me to stay since other people are on the instability problem.

So, back to the cubicle:

ME: “I’m not sure what’s more sad, the fact I’m here on a Friday night or that I’m going home to read my Star Wars book“

LEAD: “Geez“

CO-WORKER1: “If you think that’s sad, you don’t want to hear what I’m going to do when I get home“

ME: “Masturbate?“

CO-WORKER1: “Oh, I don’t have to go home to do that“

LEAD: “Tee-hee“

ME: “Tee-hee“

CO-WORKER1: “Tee-hee“

I am really tired now but at least I don’t have to come in on the weekend.