February 27, 2006
Moving Again...
Ugh... I've accepted a new job and looks like I am moving this summer...
Michelle left this morning for Calgary & Fernie... had a lot of fun and also realized how much I miss hanging out with Kristi. Maybe I'll tell her on Wednesday when we do something...
I swear I can't do this anymore... past few years have had a few people moving/visiting Vancouver and then leaving again. Not use to the sudden void left by friends...
February 20, 2006
2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics
Watching the Torino Winter Olympics has really got everyone in the city excited about the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Just walking around downtown you can sense pervasive atmosphere of excitement... especially when you see the tourists wearing "2010 Vancouver" line of clothing and hear the different languages spoken on the street. After all, that is the one big component that makes the Olympics special... the world gathering in one place. The city has even put up new Olympic banners on the streets.
Anyways, as per tradition the closing ceremonies of the Torino games will dedicate the last 8 minutes to Vancouver. This will include aerial photographs and images of the mountains in the North Shore... which is where I live in North Vancouver and where parts of the games will take place. You will also see our quadriplegic mayor "waving" the flag. And lastly find out what the Vancouver logo means!
I am taking names for those who would like to stay at my house during the Olympics. If you book early I'll even give you a discount. Unless you're a Potter of course, then my house is your house! I guess that includes the Kelleys, Mullens and Aguirres too (geez, what did I just got myself into). Only catch is you cannot cheer for the Americans... especially during the gold medal hockey game!
February 15, 2006
Busy Valentine's Day
Hmm, it seems strangers are leaving comments in my entries from way back. I can't believe I use to update this thing in Chinese...
Speaking of Chinese, I translated yesterday on Valentines Day. Luckily the company had their own person that did the translation and that made my job easier. I just sat there and made sure they had a good understanding of what was said. I intervened twice because it wasn't translated correctly and the third time, it was clear there was confusion and Glen said 'Jump in Jay...' I also translated a few other times when it was casual talk...
After the meeting they invited us to lunch at the Chinese Seafood Imperial... And of course in Chinese culture, you always have alcohol when dining with friends or for business. Glen, being the one with the highest seniority and reports directly to the assistant deputy minister, declined because we are on duty... but that didn't work. The president of the company insisted 3 times. I should mention that in Chinese culture, it is the ultimate disrespect to turn down someone's offering. As for me, I watched this with much amusement... clash of culture if you will. In the end Glen lost and I had my beer...
It's been a good learning experience. This is exactly why I did my Chinese Certificate. Unfortunately I am still not fluent and only UBC offers the degree, so I might do two degrees now. We'll see after I graduate from SFU. One thing is for sure... if you want to take over the world in the 21st century, not only do you need English, but also Chinese.
So I stayed in the office later than usual to get some work done. Got home around 7pm and to my surprise ended up going to the pub with Kristi at 8:30. Surprising in the sense that she didn't spend Valentine's day with her dipshit boyfriend and that we haven't out alone for a while now... there's a little bit of history.
A week from today Michelle will be arriving from Europe. I say Europe because she's now in Italy instead of Denmark... I'm not sure where she is flying in from. I can't keep up with her traveling.
February 08, 2006
Now a Government Translator
After months and months of being frustrated over my lack of opportunities in attending closed door meetings with Asian mining & energy companies, I finally got my chance! Today Glen from a different Division within the Ministry asked me to help him out next week in a meeting with this big Chinese oil and gas company.
Since last year there's been a steady flow of foreign companies from China, Japan, Korea and India interested in BC's resources such as mining, oil and gas. And in all these meetings, I've been shut out... because it's "high profile" so they say. When you hear in the media about these emerging Asian countries and its bourgeoning economies, it is happening right in front of me! Talk about a perfect opportunity to bridge my geography major with my Asian Studies minor.
Of course there's a catch, I have to more or less translate. This is all confidential and I can't spurge on the details... essentially the issue is that Chinese are interested in an area northeast of BC and there's land-use rights with First Nations. The Chinese have poor English so negotiations have been a bit difficult... and Glen wants me to bridge this gap. Essentially, we want to know if they are still interested... hopefully yes because this project will generate a lot of revenue for the province.
In other meetings my supervisors have attended, the Chinese and Japanese always invite them out for lunch... especially the Japanese. So I've decided my measure of success at the meeting will not be by what's achieved and decided at the table... but whether I get invited to have lunch with them. If I get to dine at some fancy, high-class sushi or Chinese restaurant (located just below my office), then mission accomplished. :)