Dry Hump That Vote Americans!

If our politicians were a little bit better at voter foreplay, we might have been able to seal the deal and elect a majority goverment. Instead, Canada blew a wad on a pointless election with one of the lowest voter turn outs ever. But then again, there’s nothing attractive about a dude that wears a sweater or a squirrelly French guy.

On the other hand Obama and McCain have been doing everything possible to get into bed with Americans including a head to head dance off with a little Palin in between. Here’s some extra encouragement to get you turned on and out there on November 4th…

If I smoked, and if I was American, I think I’d need a cigarette after this election.

Rain Drops Turn Streets Into Wet Weather Carnage

I wasn’t out in Richmond today so I can’t comment on how much worse the carnage was out there in Fake License Land. I don’t know if you guys heard, but over 200 licenses were faked between 2001 and 2008 by a driving school out in Richmond. This school passed mainly Chinese Women (through bribes to an ICBC Road Tester) who could not possibly pass the road test, but had the bucks to spend $6000 on a piece of plastic. These are only the ones that they know about. This would explain a lot about why my people are embarrassments to me out there on the road. I literally fear for my life when I go out there in any weather.

Closer to home, it started raining lightly this morning as I was on my way out to drop Scooter off at the clinic for his 1000 KM check up. Scooter was a little nervous today but I assure you that he’ll be fine after the scooter doctors are done giving him his physical. I should be able to pick him up in a day or so. While there, he’ll also be getting a variator weight transplant to give him some more zip and have his restriction removed so that he’ll get some more top end speed so that stupid drivers don’t keep trying to pass us on the right on a single lane road.

After dropping off Scooter, I headed out to Delta to meet up with Tejpal Singh of 1234Pens for a real Dot Com Tandori at one of the finest East Indian Restaurants in the lower mainland. Stay tuned for the post later today. Although my trip out was pretty uneventful, the trip back proved quite a bit more hazardous…

Somewhere in New Westminster…

Right at the corner of 10th and McBride, on my way back from Delta, I saw two cars turned around in the wrong direction…

I can’t really tell what happened, but at least four cars were involved. Funny enough, all of the cars were white. Even more funny was that none of my people were involved in this incident. I was only able to snap a shot of the Dodge Pickup and the Honda Civic. Perhaps they consumed products laced with Melamine and lost concentration?

Somewhere in Coquitlam…

Once I got out of that little mess, I ended up seeing another accident in the middle of North Road near the Korean Mall. Although it wasn’t actually my people, some would say close enough. There were four cars stuck in the middle of the intersection with a little damage on each one. This area is notorious for indecisive drivers that can’t make up their mind which direction they are going. Also possible that Melamine was at fault as there is a large Korean SuperMarket in that plaza.

Further up North Road near the end that turns into St. Johns, I spotted this…

It looks like the driver of the Blue Dodge Pickup (another Dodge Pickup?) tried to change lanes into the SUV that is now pinned underneath a tree. However, it is possible that the SUV (looks like a Toyota 4-Runner) was trying to pass on the right when the Dodge clipped it and sent it into the ditch and then up the embankent into the tree. The lady in the cab of the Dodge Pickup was still in the car and crying. It didn’t look like there was any way the driver of the 4-Runner could get out. Scary stuff for sure.

With the change in the weather, make sure you pretend everyone is a moron and drive accordingly. Use your turn singles, cruise in the right, pass on the left (and make sure you get back in the right after you’re done instead of milling around idiots) and quit using that brake pedal like the kick drum in RockBand, screwing everyone behind you up. Stupid people, do us all a favour and stay home or take the bus. Stay safe everyone.

Back To School Madness for Stephen Fung!

The thing that deteriorates the most as you age is your brain and it should be everyone’s goal to continue to learn throughout one’s life. As long as I have the opportunity, I will never stop learning. That’s why I love new gadgets and learning about new products. It’s what keeps me going and keeps me engaged because, as some of you know, I have a pretty short attention span. Here’s what I’ve gotten myself into this Fall…

More Mandarin For Me!

Last year I started taking Mandarin Lessons at Langara College on Saturdays. Although I still suck pretty bad, I know that you can’t learn a new language overnight, or once a week, intermittently, over the course of the year. Hopefully, I’ll fail less next year in Taiwan by continuing my commitment to learn this language. It sucks when you’re more understandable in English than you are in the local language. So far, after my first class back, I feel totally overwhelmed. I really hope I can get back into it quickly.

Speaking of FAIL, after my class on Saturday, I met up with Ed Lau and Leo Chiang for some impromptu “Dot Com Tandori Action” at All India Sweets and Restaurant. It wasn’t an official meet up per se, but I did send out a Tweet if anyone wanted to stop by. This week’s DOT COM FAIL is brought to you by Ed…

Ed likes to season his food. So much so that he decides that the lid of the pepper shaker must come off and he must get all the pepper that is available to him. It’s kind of like how our people like to steal napkins, load up on condiments, and take them home for later use. However, Ed’s interpretation is definitely FAIL. I’m not too surprised though. With a College blocks away, I’d check every shaker before shaking in this hood. PWNED!

School Wouldn’t Be School Without a Hook Up

Unfortunately, I won’t be hooking up at school. My life would be at risk. But it doesn’t mean I can’t live vicariously through someone else…

My little scooter friend decided that while I was back in the classroom, he would get busy with a sexy little number in the parking lot. Oh scooter! You’re such a player! Hopefully, I don’t see little mini-pocket bikes running around somewhere that I don’t know about. I’m sure he’s responsible enough to use plenty of lube and keep the rubber side down.

Taking Much Gooder Pictures

Last year, I took a course that really helped me open up the possibilities when it comes to my photography. Whether it’s just pictures for reviews or for fun, the ten week course put on my Vancouver Photo Workshops really gave me a better understanding on how to get consistently better pictures by avoiding the flash or using lots of flashes. I even got to shoot models. Most importantly, I got to try a bunch of different styles of photography that I would never venture into under normal circumstances. Heck, I even took some shots at a wedding.

This Fall, I’ll be filling in the gaps. I’ll be returning to Vancouver Photo Workshops to do an intensive weekend Photoshop Session for Photographers and a Product Photography Course. Although these are probably things I can read about and learn on my own, it’s no substitute for a hands on experience in an environment where you can ask questions and learn from others. The class starts in October so I’ll report back when things get rolling.

I Thought I’d Never Do It…

Although I had always sworn off getting myself on a motorcycle for fear that I would kill myself on one, I guess the scooter was only the first step. I’m hooked, and there’s nothing I can do about it now. On Monday, I got my motorcycle learners license, and then this morning, I took my very first motorcycle riding lesson.

My first ever motorcycle ride was on a Suzuki Marauder 250. My course will be lead by Dave Clayton at 2wheel 2ition Motorcyle School. I figured a good education on two wheels would be a good investment and would help ensure that I pick up the good habits I need to be safe on the road. Although I’ve had lots of saddle time on my scooter, as I found out today, a motorcycle is a whole different animal.

I guess my fear of learning to ride a motorcycle stems from the fact that I know myself too well. It’s not that I ever doubted my ability to be able to ride one, but what I was most concerned with was the mindset of a younger Stephen Fung. A younger version of me wouldn’t have even considered getting professional instruction or taking my time, stepping up from a scooter and learning proper road sense. Not to mention the impulsiveness and daredevil attitude as a young gun scared even myself at time. Now that I’m older and wiser, I think that I’m finally ready to do something that I’ve always wanted to do.

There’s definitely going to be a lot of learning in the next while and I’ll definitely pass on the good stuff. Stay tuned