Shop Log: Let's Not Talk About Food Now

Shop's Log.  Halifax NS.  April 21st, Easter Monday, 15:23.  Weather: Sunny, 10℃.

In the course of my conversation with a customer, I found out that he originally had come from Hong Kong.  I lived in Hong Kong for 3 years and have fond memories of the place...notably all the eating establishments.  

Hong Kong is a place for a gourmand.  Cram in multitudes of restaurants into a highly competitive market and you end up with very good food indeed.  So, naturally I spoke about food...Chinese food in particular.  I said I missed the restaurants in Hong Kong and my mind began reminiscing...from yam-cha to congee, from Fook Lam Moon to that little hole-in-the-wall in Central that served super delicious beef brisket curry. 

So, I assumed that he must be missing really good Chinese food too.  Compared to Hong Kong, there's not too many choices in Halifax.  I asked him what he thought and it surprised me that his reply was politely evasive. He said that Halifax has its good points too...closeness to nature, abundance of space, etc. He mentioned he liked playing tennis...and our conversation then moved on to other topics.

As he was about to leave, we exchanged business cards.  His card said "Manager", So-and-So Chinese Restaurant...right here in Halifax.  Somebody take my foot out of my mouth now, please!

Transformation Complete

So there it is...my very own Canadian passport.

I waited two hours at the Passport Canada office just to hand in my application.  Many people were complaining.  I didn't. Not even after I had to make a mad dash to my car to add more coins to the parking meter.  Call me crazy but I would've waited longer for this privilege.  Sitting in the waiting area, I was an "insider" now.  No foreigner could get to see the inside of a Passport Canada office.  Heady feeling! :-)

I'd like to thank my friends who readily became my guarantor and references. I don't take the gesture for granted.  I am glad I have earned your trust.

Call Me "Citizen"!

The day finally arrived.  It took two and a half years but it is finally done. From March 24th, 2014, I am officially a Canadian citizen. Not in heart and spirit alone...it's the real McCoy.

I have been muting my feelings towards citizenship for fear of jinxing the application.  Now that everything is done and dusted, a heavy weight seemed to have been lifted off my shoulders.  It was not a comfortable feeling having one's future in the hands of somebody else.  It took a whole year for for Citizenship and Immigration Canada to respond to my application asking for more documentation.  Then another 15 months for me to be informed to prepare for the citizenship exam.  All that time I had been wondering: Did they find something wrong?  I knew I had nothing to hide but who knows...some bureaucratic technicality was always possible.  I dreaded getting a brown envelope (most Canadian government correspondence come in brown envelopes!) with a letter saying something like... Dear Sir, Your application was rejected because our background check shows that you are in arrears for an overdue library book.

Anyway, all's well that ends well.  I passed the exam and received the invitation to the Citizenship Ceremony.  During registration, the immigration officer collected my Permanent Resident Card.  You won't be needing this anymore.  I still felt an automatic jolt of anxiety.  All these years, I had kept that little card as if it were the Crown Jewels and now it was being taken away. I was not used to being somewhere without being required a visa!

I thought this ceremony would just be a boring formality.  Just give me the certificate, will you?  But, as I raised my right hand and enunciated the Oath of Citizenship...and later on, as I sang "O Canada", I felt something.... or some things.

First, a sense of immense gratitude.  I had chosen to live in Canada.  This day, Canada chose to accept me as one of its own.  No more trying to prove that I belonged here.

Second, an internal transformation.  Outwardly, nothing's going to change in my daily routine; but inside of me, there was a subtle change in attitude.  I used to be a guest in this country.  A guest may be welcome but his stay is at the pleasure of the host. This day, the host just told me, "You are a guest no longer. You are one of us now."  Wow, what a feeling!

Third, a renewed resolve. This is my backyard now and I aim to take very good care of it.

So, I can't wait for the next elections or a call to jury duty (but ah... I won't say that one out loud too much... he! he!).  Bring them on.  Call me "citizen"!  

Finally!

Sunday Chickenburger

The highlight of our weekend was a trip to one of our favourite eateries in Halifax...Chickenburger!

Don't fret. No food porn this time.

Just a little bit of the decor.  Jukebox and retro neon!

This is what you see when you look up. :-)

And did you ever notice the picture window?

Could have been a Japanese garden out there....if you try hard enough to erase the Bedford Highway! :-)

Hockey Sticks

Canada won gold in both women's and men's hockey in the Sochi Olympics.  The whole country cheered.  I was right there in spirit.  In Canada, hockey is everywhere.  Now I love the game too...er, let me re-phrase... Now I love to watch the game too. :-)

https://twitter.com/Molson_Canadian/status/436882819264937984

So...!  I thought I should put out a hockey-related post.  Spotlight on this lost-and-found box.

Look closely... It's made of old hockey sticks!  Don't you just love it?

This box can be found at the Centennial Arena...Home of the Halifax Hawks Minor Hockey Association.

This is the kind of place where it all starts.  From Peewee to NHL to Olympic gold!

Still Winter Here

It has been many snowstorms and blizzards since my last post.   

So I shall regale you with images of winter in Halifax. ;-)

This bus is in camouflage. :-)

My wife and I got caught in a nasty blizzard last month.  It was not a fun drive home.  No traction, poor visibility...every small incline felt like Mt. Everest.

Thank goodness for four-wheel drives and winter tires!  When we finally reached home, I felt deserving of a I-survived-the-blizzard t-shirt.  Maybe I should get some printed for next time...

No rushing home in the winter.  Gotta allow some time for the windows to clear up.  Below is the view from inside the car as I waited for the heating/defrosting to kick in.  I am not really sure how it happens but the windshield was actually frozen from the inside.  My ice scraper was next to useless for "inside jobs".

Let me end with a warm note.  My daughter's birthday cake...er, pie. :-) I am blessed with a daughter who prefers the simple to the glitzy.  It was a very happy time for the whole family. :-)

May spring be on our doorstep soon...