In0chi's Weblog

Work

in0chi — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:12:35 +0000

T.G.I.F! Work has finally taken off…it’s busy and stressful on a day to day basis and looking forward to my three day weekend. I almost don’t feel bad for my class as tomorrow they will be left without any sort of supervision and most of all support. I guess i’m really counting down my days here in the DR. It’s been a lot of work and sadly there is still much to be done before anything remotely looks or feels close to anything my company has been doing for the past few years. That’s the reality of it all, with a budget and lack of proper resources and support, the transition has been on a whole poorly exectuted. I’ve always wondered why local based company would decide to outsource their company. Why would they even think of consider doing such a thing? To me it’s just bad business, it removes the whole local aspect of the company elsewhere and frustrates customers. Frustrating as the third party company here in the DR cannot even relate or even come close to sharing any views or concerns with the local company, and to me that matters. Whatever happens after all this I hope that things go well after my leave. I know it will be rocky for awhile and I commend my class.

Thanksgiving draws near….

in0chi — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:21:11 +0000

With Canadian Thanksgiving just around the corner, I can help but feel more and more home-sick. Not to mention that my wife’s birthday also falls this year on Thanksgiving and that we are miles away from our beloved Canada. I have no clue where to begin to even find a Turkey in Dominican Republic. Not to mention where in the world would I find a place that can cook it to the traditional specifications. I think this year I am at a loss; mind you there seems to be an abundance of other fowl dishes available here in the Dominican Republic, and I can probably find a restaurant that will serve up just that roasted fowl of some sort with mashed potatoesm gravy and maybe if i’m lucky some greens of some sort.–Ok maybe now I’m pushing it. Maybe I’ll have to settle for something else this Thanksgiving, maybe I’ll have to go to North Dakota when I touch down in North America to celebrate the US Thanksgiving…maybe i’m going crazy thinking about food and being home. All I know is being at home for Thanksgiving would be paradise.

O Canada!

in0chi — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:41:25 +0000

It’s amazing how many things we take for granted. Today marks the 16th day of my stay here in the Dominican Republic and I can help but feel a tad bit home-sick. I often wonder whether my feelings of uneasiness here in the DR is due the feeling of being an “outsider” but I’ve come to realize that I just simply miss Canada. I miss the non humid air; the soft grass, the sounds of cars going to and fro in a sound that strangely signals to my ear as order, I miss the certain level of quietness that Canada has to offer; I miss the very fact that there are garbage cans that people use, I miss the varying cuisines, I miss everything about it. Despite the notion that I am a young Canadian of asian descent, I truly feel that all my years and experiences in Canada, has made me a true Canadian in heart. All I know now is, i’ve begun counting the days, till I journey home. God Bless you Canada!

Hotel food

in0chi — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:27:16 +0000

It’s been days since i’ve had a home kicked meal. Don’t get me wrong, what we eat in our work cafeteria, a mix of Dominican style food comes very close to home but just doesn’t make the cut. And the Hotel food has gone beyond distasteful. So neither one, just doesn’t hit the spot so I tried the next best thing which is chinese food. Frankie’s talk of chinese food got me going, so I spent a nice 10 minutes ordering two combos, steamed rice, Cantonese chow mein and egg rolls. I was proud of myself, I managed to do it all by myself with the help of anybody! Mind you the food was not at all impressive. I could cook better chinese food, so sadly for tomorrow i’m either back to square one or stuck eating left over chinese. Damn!

Lazy Sunday in the Caribbean

in0chi — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:00:53 +0000

Another beautiful day, but today we had decided that we we’re just going to kick back and relax. Sunday is what the Dominicans deem as family day. No one wants to work, but instead just hang out and enjoy life with the family. We did just that, minus the kids ofcourse, as they are miles away. We stayed in for the majority of the day, and lazily we slept in, ate a lot of food, had drinks, took naps and enjoyed teh little bit of the Caribbean, sun as by early evening, it poured. So with my grande Presidente in hand, I gave cheers to the rain and slept off into the twilight.

Santo Domingo A beautiful day in paradise…

in0chi — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 23:45:24 +0000

Saturday October 2, 2010 – A beautiful day in paradise—despite the rain from last night, which I admit put a huge damper on our second attempt in Boca Chica, today we were blessed. We slept in and had a very late breakfast, by the time noon came upon us, it was a hot 90 degrees! It was humid and more so when we had reached the Cueva de los tres ojos(Three Eyes Caves), we had payed the 900 Dominican Pesos for the english guided tour, which was a total waste, as the guide spoke poor english and described in very little detail anything about the cave and its history. I had gathered more information from Franklin my front desk guest services specialist. Half way through the tour we ditched, and explored on our own. One thing I do admit is the caves are worth seeing. Pay the 50 dominican pesos to venture on your own, and pay the boat man 20 dominican pesos to cross the pool. What you’ll find on the other side is pure paradise and you’ll almost feel as if Tarzan might just be swinging by! The bonus on this little trip was on our way back up, we chanced upon a nice sized iguana scurrying up the stairs before us.

From the caves we ventured on a city tour to the Zona Colonial (Colonial Zone), unfortunately the monastery for whatever reason was not open to the public. We did however browse through the shops; there is a strip that is littered with all sorts of trinkets, and a lot of paintings can be found from one end to the other. We were told from our tour guide that the Colonial Zone is also worth being visited at night as it boasts a different and picturesque feeling.

From the Colonial Zone we swung past China town, and it’s welcoming gates is rather a spectacular sight, we drove past China town and were pointed to what our guide called the ghetto, and I have to admit, it sure looked like a ghetto.

As we left the Colonial Zone area, we made our way towards the Presidential Palace, a magnificent and unusual coloured looking building where the Dominican President currently works. Yes he only works there, and lives in a nice apartment in and around city center. It was here that we were left at by our guide. City Center, from the drive in, it looked and felt as if we were in a new world, but as we stepped onto the crumbling streets we were reminded that we in fact still in Santo Domingo.

Nevertheless the walk up and down the street was rather nice, we had a chance to explore two malls while walking, Acropolis and Blue Mall. Blue Mall being a more upper class mall as it housed Louis Vuitton, Nautica and even a two story Zara. Our journey was not complete without running across the street to the two storey La Sirena and finally our last stop further down the street to the newly opened Krispy Kreme shop.

What more could you as for? After a long day, we ordered in two grande Presidente Light and some KFC, kicked back at the pool and enjoyed a cloudless and warm evening.

Dominican Republic

in0chi — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:43:18 +0000

October 1, 2010 - 12 days I’ve been on the Caribbean Island of the Dominican Republic. There have been a good share of rainy days as we’re now full tilt into the rainy season. Despite the rain, it’s been hot and muggy so the weather has more than enjoyable. The unfortunate reality, is that my trip to Santo Domingo is strictly for business. Work occupies the majority of my time here and by the time I wander back to the hotel, it’s dusk and the majority of sights are either closed or closing. Not to mention that I am usually too tired, and too hungry to venture anywhere past a 15 minute walk from my hotel, Renaissance Jaragua.

I look forward to this weekend, as it is essentially the only down time I have here. I’m excited and maybe this weekend I will be able to see a few more sights, as I have barely seen anything worth bragging about. I’m leaving in 14 days and I actually have a long weekend coming as the company I’m working for is acknowledging Canadian Thanksgiving. Punta Cana sounds inviting as there is a lot of sights to see on the way there, but with the cost of the roundtrip in mind, I’m very hesitant. Maybe La Romana, maybe La Isla Saona, whatever my decision I am in high hopes that my trip here to the Dominican will be worth the while. Just like my driver Frankie likes to say, “Welcome to MY Country! It’s a beautiful Country!”

GO LAKERS! 2010 NBA CHAMPS

in0chi — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:59:53 +0000

Los Angeles-And the crowd goes wild at the Staples Center; the Los Angeles Lakers out played the Boston Celtics to claim the 2010 NBA Championships. This is the franchise’s 16th Championship, 1 title away from the record holding wins that the Celtics have. It was an 83-79 win over the Celtics, and no matter what anyone says, the Lakers played a better game, as they came back from a 13 point deficit to win the title. With Kobe Bryant dubbed as LA’s best player of all time, there was no mistake last night who dominated; the Celtics just didn’t seem to have it in them. They played a sloppy offence and didn’t even bother making any efforts with the boards which eventually got the team scrambling and desperate in the remaining few minutes of the 4^th quarter. It just wasn’t enough; better luck next year?! One thing to look forward to: July 1^st as the NBA draft will make headlines as there are a ton of star athletes as free agents, which will sure make next year an interesting one!

Toy Story 3: Pixar you’ve done it again!

in0chi — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:59:29 +0000

With less that 24 hours after watching Pixar’s Toy Story 3, I had to write about it, and with only a handful of interesting movies out thus far in mind, Toy Story 3 raises the bar and is undoubtedly a pure masterpiece. Pixar has done it again, and with the return of their ensemble cast, along with a line up of new but well known characters, Toy Story 3 goes over and beyond anything we have seen to date in an animation film. With a mere two days before it opens up worldwide, I will not spoil any fun in telling what Toy Story 3 is all about, but what I will say is that the film continues their tradition of being very comedic, bitter-sweet, and more so very nostalgic, as any fan who has watched Toy Story and Toy Story 2 will be in awe of Pixar’s 3rd installment. My advice is, watch it the first time around without the 3D, and immerse yourself in how beautifully breathtaking the the storyline contained in Toy Story 3 has to offer. The 3D version of the film is just pure eye-candy, and is well worth your second view of Pixar’s soon to be monster hit Toy Story 3.

The Karate Kid

in0chi — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:25:34 +0000

Zwart’s new take on The Karate Kid is immensely entertaining, and will offer a new generation of inspiring martial arts fans something to talk about. Jaden Smith has definitely stepped above and beyond his role in The Karate Kid and may have even set himself up to be a future icon. With a lot of excitement, a decent storyline, and some comedy in the mix, The Karate Kid is worth the two and a half hours. One definite advice before seeing this movie is, to “leave your ego at the door” as the new remake has to be taken in as something different, something new, something for a new generation of viewers.