Nelson Kwok

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 22 - The End of November

2010-11-30T21:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't manage to get to the end of the month with all 30 posts. I do have a bunch of drafts that I didn't get done. I think I must have some form of Attention Deficit Disorder. I can't sit around and pound out a blog like I used to.

I suppose all the distractions around me have been thinking about other things. For instance, check out this distraction:

Pretty easy to get sidetracked huh?

Oh, and another one of Superkiddo! Look, bionic arm! (I told you he is super.)

I haven't checked the statistics, but this attempt at blogging regularly has probably eclipsed my writing output for the last, oh, 3 years or so. Like I said, I have a bunch of topics to banter about, not to mention a couple of half complete posts to finish. I'll be around as long as the time is afforded to me. To those who read this, thanks for sticking around!

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 21 - Weekend Summary

2010-11-28T23:23:00.001-08:00

Lots accomplished this weekend. For the most part, the renovations are complete. There are a few things left to do, but it's not absolutely urgent and can wait for a few days. That said, I can settle into more a routine. I'm hoping to catch up on some television shows, eat more food, exercise, and rest.

Friday night, Jana and I had Heather and Colene take care of Superkiddo while we went to my work Christmas dinner. Much hilarity ensued and I will summarize here. (updated later as I need more posts this month!)

Saturday was a frenzy of completing and finishing up of the basement suit. Like I said, it looks pretty good and everything seems to be puttering along just fine.

Sunday was a dim sum, nap, Linden's girlfriend visited, dinner and television kind of night. (Another re-cap to come! More NaBloPoMo!)

December is right around the corner. With the snow fall we had a week ago or so, we best prepare for long and cold winter! More on this later.

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 20 - Future Shop Fail

2010-11-21T23:03:00.001-08:00

So about that Dyson, I didn't get it. Why? Because it was all sold out before I got to it. Which brings me to the Future Shop Website. It sucks. I haven't been able to purchase one thing from it.

A couple years ago, there was a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer that was on sale. I think it was an Online Boxing Day Sale. It didn't actually go online until some silly time in the morning. I think it was 8am, EST. So I got up at 4am PST, logged in at 4:30am, then waited. Right at 5am, I tried to purchase the mixer.

All I saw was the stupid processing bar go from left to right. I waited, and waited. But the ubiquitous progress never did go pass halfway. I had a dinner I promised to go to. When I got home, the screen said that I didn't purchase it in time. That I should try again. When I tried to go back into the shopping cart, the mixer was all sold out.

A few other times, I attempted to purchase other items that were on sale. But each and every time, I was thwarted like I was an evil pirate trying to raid the colonel's treasure. It just never happens. I just think the website sucks lemons.

I definitely won't try to purchase online from Future Shop again. Well, that is until some crazy deal comes out again. Then I might just have to beat my head on my desk in frustration as I attempt to do the impossible.

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 18 - Quick weekend re-cap

2010-11-21T22:52:00.000-08:00

In photos....

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 17 - Another deal? Yes please!

2010-11-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

With the Christmas season coming up, it appears deals are coming out left right and centre. Just the other day, Jana asked me to make up another calendar with updated pictures of Linden. Me being the the most frugal guy in existence (read: cheap), conveniently made these calendars last year with a 2 for 1 deal at Superstore's Photolab.

Serendipitously, the next day I receive an email saying there is a 2 for 1 sale on calendars yet again! Good from November 19th to December 16th. It was very simple to do. I just uploaded 12 pictures to their website, decided which pictures were to go for which month, then clicked complete. In 2-3 days, I went to pick-up my calendars!

Yee-haw! Go get them calendars!

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 16 - To Dyson, or not to Dyson

2010-11-20T12:08:00.000-08:00

According to this, Future Shop is having an online sale this Saturday from 5pm to 7am, and Sunday from 2pm to 7pm (all times are Pacific Standard Time). In this sale is the highly coveted Dyson DC14AF All Floors Upright Vacuum. Not only is there $200 off the original price of $499, you can choose from a free Dyson Toy Vacuum (Apparently it actually vacuums - which it should since it's worth $99) or the Dyson Allergy and Asthma care kit.

I'm thinking of getting this gadget for Jana. It seems my wife loves the Dyson as much as she loves Prince William. I don't get my wife's tastes. I suppose they're both a yellowish blonde. Price William is a sucker. And the vacuum sucks. They are both tools. Although, one sucks up hair and the other will lose hair. I'll never understand my wife and her vices.

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 19 - Eva Longoria Kwok

2010-11-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

In other celebrity news, Eva Longoria has filed for divorce from Tony Parker. Although I'd be the third husband, three times a charm right? She's about 4 months older than me. But I can overlook that. Eva Longoria Kwok kinda has a nice sound to it, no?

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 15 - Hearts broken around the world

2010-11-19T22:37:00.001-08:00

It's true. Just the other day, I heard the sound of hundreds of thousands of hearts breaks with a collective sigh of frustration. Kate Middleton has said yes to Prince William. I couldn't believe my ears! I didn't realise so many ladies were pineing for the guy. Look at him. He'll look exactly like his dad. He may look good now, but just wait 20 years!

Can we all say comb-over?
What will your kids look like with him?
They'll have comb-overs too!

I can hear my wife talking in her sleep. This is the conversation we had last night.

Her: What does Kate have that I don't have?
Me: Prince William, that's what. (Good thing she's sleeping when this is happening.)
Her: What's wrong with blondes? We are more fun!
Me: I don't know honey, he's just not that into you.
Her: Don't think I don't hear you honey. I'd leave him for you in a second.
Me: Are you talking to me or are you talking to Prince William?
Her: zZZzz...Zzzz
Me: What!

NaBloPloMo - 2010 post 14, Christmas Wish List

2010-11-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

I'm not one that does up wish lists. And I truly prefer to give rather than to receive. So it makes me a little uneasy when Jana asks me for a Christmas Wish List. Not only do I get uncomfortable when asked to open presents in front of people, this is the precursor embarrassment that comes before receiving the gift at all!

I do have a solution though. I have found a cool, practical and relatively inexpensive gift that me, and many other camera aficionados would love. Behold:

Buy the The Camera Lens Mug at the Photojojo Store!

Is this not the coolest thing ever?! A camera lens looking, heat retaining, stainless steel lined beverage holder! It even comes with a lens cap looking lid!

So my solution to my wife's request for a list, I will post here and passively-aggressively appeal for a new drinking device. Honey! Don't say I never told you so!

NaBloPloMo - 2010 post 13 - My weekday routine

2010-11-17T08:15:00.000-08:00

Ever since Linden was born, Jana and I have been trying to get used to having a schedule. Prior to this, we were very "laissez faire." We just needed to make sure we get up on time for work, and go to bed in time to get enough sleep prior to work. Otherwise, responsibilities were basically nil.

Now with Superkiddo in the picture (hehe), obviously things have changed. Routine has been altered further considering Supermom has returned to work. Now we have to get Superkiddo ready for daycare prior to us getting ready for our day. How does this break down? Let me show you.

6:15am - alarm goes off, including several smacks of the snooze button
6:33am - wake Superkiddo up (if he isn't awake already)
6:35am - cereal for both of us
6:45am - milk for Superkiddo
6:55am - brush teeth and shower for me, Superkiddo plays in his bedroom which is adjoined to the bathroom
7:10am - diaper change for Superkiddo
7:30am - I get dressed
7:45am - out the door to daycare (across the street)
7:55am - drive to work

Afternoon

5:15pm - arrive home
5:30pm - pick-up Superkiddo from daycare
6:00pm - dinner for Superfamily
7:00pm - play / cuddle time
8:00pm - bath for Superkiddo
8:30pm - bedtime routine (brush teeth, read book, cuddle, bedtime)
9:00pm - Me and Jana time
10:30pm - Bedtime for us

What it used to be,

7:00am - wake up, breakfast, brush teeth, shower and dress
7:30am - leave for work

Afternoon

6:00pm - return from work
6:30pm - dinner time
7:00pm - relax time in front of tv, or perhaps going out
11:30pm - bedtime

See the difference?

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 12 - Michael Vick

2010-11-16T22:07:00.000-08:00

Just in case you don't know who Michael Vick is, he an NFL quarterback that has taken the most of his second chance by playing lights out this season. In fact, he broke NFL single game records this last weekend playing against his former mentor in Donovan McNabb.

He was convicted of a heinous crime. But he served his time and is attempting to atone for his mistakes. Do you cheer him on? Or do you think he's still scum?

Personally, I would never root for the guy after what he did to man's best friend. The dog fighting and subsequent killing of the dogs afterwards will always leave a bad taste in my mouth. However, I believe in second chances. I hope he used his time in jail to really think about the atrocious things he did and continues to improve himself as a person. After all, we're all human right?

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 11

2010-11-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

Geez - I'm only about a third of the way through my postings and I'm stuck for topics. I bet I would win the award for the most failed daily / weekly / monthly / yearly challenges! That said, I'm going to open myself up for debate.

Wait for it...

I think Gordon Campbell did what he had to do to get the province's budget somewhat in line. (Yes you can start the flame wars now.)

I think the province should be run like a business. What comes in, must go out. And vice versa: What taxes come in, should also go out. How does the province pay for healthcare, roadways, environmental initiatives, programs, schools, etc? Well that all comes from our very own pockets. You and me, we pay for all those things.

Do we have a choice to what programs / functions we contribute to? Well, to a certain extent, yes. We elected him into government twice. Will I always agree with what he did? No. But I believe that he puts the province's well being before he puts forth any motion to spend.

I believe he was trying to look at the forest from the trees. Yes he could have saved the money from the Olympics and put it into heath care and reduce wait times. Yes he could have injected more money into the school system. But he didn't.

Why? Well, I'm hoping that he believes that the economic benefits that come from the Olympics will help spur our economy and keep the financial picture better during this recession. If you think it's bad here, you should check out back East and south of the border. Yikes!

Now I realise he didn't forecast this downturn. Imagine if the world economy was booming and the Olympics were on, I bet few would complain about how we spent the millions putting probably the best show Vancouver will ever seen in the next century.

Was he a good Premier of British Columbia? To me, he was okay. Was there worse? See Glen Clark. But ask yourself this question, will there ever be a good premier?

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 10

2010-11-14T21:40:00.000-08:00

I'm behind (yet again). Today happens to be Jana's cousin's birthday. Happy birthday Stacy!

This past summer, Jana, Linden and I drove up to Osoyoos to attend her wedding. Here are a few of our pictures of our little excursion!

Click to see the set

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 9 - Can anybody guess my age?

2010-11-11T22:53:00.000-08:00

Since we've moved, I've been sorting my old stuff. Trying to figure out what to throw away and what to keep. I came across this old photo. Can anyone guess how old I was?

I know. This is a rather a narcissistic post. And yes, it's a quick post to get myself somewhat caught up to my NaBloPoMo aspirations. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it!

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 8 - Got Milk?

2010-11-11T22:39:00.001-08:00

In my last post, I noted kiddo wasn't feeling well. He was just getting better from the last go around of the cold. Now his eyes are all droopy and sleepy looking. He just looks miserable. It really hasn't affected his humour though. Just look at him, he did a Got Milk commercial all by himself. I suppose Jana was helping while holding the cup. But still.

I swear, sometimes I think we had Linden so I could always have a subject to photograph. Good thing he is cute. Otherwise my audience might be fewer than it already is!

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 7 - Remembrance Day

2010-11-11T21:54:00.000-08:00

Yikes,
I'm really behind in my posting. I've missed the last two days because kiddo has been sick. He's already a handful when he's healthy. When his nose is spewing out more runny mess than my leaky gutters on a wet rainy day, Houston we have a problem.

So it's Remembrance Day where we're all supposed to give kudos for the people who risked and / or sacrificed their lives to let us live in the world that we do today. Whenever this day rolls around, I think of The Battle of Vimy Ridge.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge really struck a note of pride when I studied this topic back in high school. Both the French and the British had attempted to seize the ridge. Both were turned back due to the devastating toll they took. The French had over one hundred thousand casualties! The Canadian Corps were only fifteen thousand strong. Yet they managed to take the ridge with complex training, careful planning, and repetitive rehearsal.

Prior to this battle, Canada was seemingly always seen as Britain's annex. However with this accomplishment, many historians say this was a defining moment for Canada. Once just a little brother in the shadow of Britian. Now a country that stands on its own.

To all who serve or have served for us to live in security and prosperity, thank you. We appreciate your sacrifice to make this world a better and more peaceful place. Lest we forget.

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 6 - Nathan Creek Organic Farm

2010-11-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was our final share of vegetables from Nathan Creek Organic Farm. We really enjoyed the experience. We received exposure to many vegetables we never even heard of before. I think next year we'll probably get a half share unless someone wants to split with us. We ended up giving away a lot of our vegetables as we just couldn't eat that much. We also tend to go away in the summer months so we would get my parents to pick up and use the vegetables at their convenience.

For those who are not familiar with the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, click here. It's a pretty neat idea as long as everyone participates. Perhaps next year you will too!

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 5

2010-11-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

Movember - I don't have it anymore. In all my genius and glory, I'm a sucker for routine. What am I talking about? Well, if you're reading this, you've probably also looked over my Movember post and you know I'm trying to grow a lamentable excuse for a mustache. This is to bring more awareness to prostate cancer.

Last night Jana and I had my parent's over for dinner. We bought all the ingredients and did all the food preparations. I had time before my parents were to arrive so I figured I'd jump into the shower. So far, everything was going just fine.

Now, If I have to shave, I always do so before a shower. I initially thought to take care of the lower lip and whatever pathetic hairs were on my chin. Except I was an idiot and lathered up my ridiculous excuse for a 'stash, lower lip and chin. My razor was halfway over the left side of my upper lip when realised with horror, I was losing my Movember :(. I ended up just shaving whatever meager facial hair I had, and was sad for the rest of the evening.

The only good thing that came from my attempts to join the ranks of Movemberists, is that a few people asked, and I told them whole heartedly about the reason why I was doing such an ugly thing. If one person benefited from this ordeal, it was worth it.

Next year Movember - I will get you!

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 4

2010-11-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

You may not think this is totally awesome. But as a parent, it totally is!

In other news, we had visitors today. Meet Logan Brown!

NaBloPoMo - 2010, post 3

2010-11-05T23:46:00.000-07:00

Today's NaBloPoMo consists of pictures of Linden. Don't like? Deal!

Movember

2010-11-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

This is my lame and feeble attempt to participate in Movember. I actually started about 2 weeks early. I know I'm supposed to start on the first of November. But I needed a head start.

For those not in the know, Movember a movement to promote awareness of prostate cancer. Did you know prostate cancer will afflict 1 in 6 men? That means - out of the 200 or so men in my facebook friends list, 33 of them will have prostate cancer? Prostate cancer is also the most common cancer to affect men.

This cancer is showing up in men over 40. (I'm only 5 years away!) Guys, if you're over 40, talk to your doctor about an annual testing!

NaBloPoMo - 2010

2010-11-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

I'm late. I'm not very good at this blogging thing. But I saw a bunch of people jump in. So I decided to be the follower I am and go along. To make up for my late start, I will attempt to write a couple more entries along the period of a month. So the total amount of entries should equate to the number of days in November (by the end of the month of course).

So what's new? Well, Linden is getting to be a big, big boy. So big, I should post a picture of him.

He's a little over 15 months now. Where has time gone? Crazy huh? Well, I'll never make this 30 post quota if I keep writing away now. Type more later!!

If you got stung by a jelly fish, would you let someone pee on you to neutralize the sting? And would you do the same for someone else?

2010-03-12T17:27:00.001-08:00

Absolutely - I don't have an issue peeing on someone if it means saving their life/limbs/whatever. I hope they would do the same for me.

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-11T18:26:00.001-08:00

What is the best meal you cook, and will you post the recipe? (either here or LJ?) :D

I think one of the best meals I can cook is restaurant recipe I found online. Olive Garden has quite a few of their recipes on their website. I've had great success with the Tuscan Garlic Chicken. Here is the link: http://bit.ly/AzHQl

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-10T17:35:00.001-08:00

If you were made to choose between keeping the ability to see or the ability to hear, which would you choose and why?

I would definitely choose my vision. I would have cochlear implants and that would have to do. While the cochlear implants are no where near replacing hearing, it is better than nothing. If I couldn't see anything, I think life would be much more difficult. With my vision, I could at try to maintain a conversation by learning how to read lips. I would miss music. But I surmise I would be more functional.

How many kids are you and Jana going to have?

We're trying for two. We'll see what happens after Linden's brother / sister is born. If we can afford to have another, I don't think it is out of the question. Personally, I'd like to have a coed volleyball team! (5 more children plus Linden to make a full team!) Needless to say, Jana is not so thrilled with my idea.

How has living through a family tragedy shaped the kind of husband and father you want to be?

I thought long and hard about this one. With the loss of a significant portion of my immediate family, I was quite lonely as a child. I missed the big family feel like playland, camping trips, and the such. How has it shaped me as a father and husband? Well, I would never want my wife or my children to ever experience what that was like for me to live through the tragedy. I plan on being around for a long, long time to support, nurture, and provide for Jana and Linden + siblings. Their safety,well being, and happiness is unequivocally the most important task in my life. There will be family outings and much joy to go around. Hopefully it is contagious!

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-10T17:33:00.001-08:00

What is the most erotic dream you have ever had that you remember.

Honestly, I seldom remember dreams. I'm a heavy sleeper. I wake up and do not remember a thing. Jana has told me she has posed a couple questions to me while I am in la-la land. I manage to respond with quite a reasonable answer (so she tells me). The odd time I am awoken whilst dreaming, I do remember some information. Some tidbits centre around rubber trees, pine needles, and the grass (the lawn kind). Otherwise I don't have anything significant to tell you. Sorry!

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-09T17:06:00.001-08:00

Do you think you look good in a Bikini or a one piece bathing suit?

I'd imagine I would feel more comfortable in a one piece bathing suit. However, much hilarity would ensue if I decided to put on a bikini!

Would I look good in either? I seriously doubt it.

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-09T16:59:00.001-08:00

If you were a girl, what cup size would you be?

This is a good question. If I were a girl, I think I would like proportionate amounts. You know, I wouldn't want to be too big, yet I wouldn't want to be too small. After much deliberation, I decided I would be a Starbucks Grande Cup. I think the Grande just fits my hands perfectly. It's not notoriously heavy like the Venti. But it's not teensy tiny like the short or the tall. The Grande cup seems to also fit most car cup holders also. You wouldn't want one of those dash mounted cup holders to have a short or tall cup because they might fall out because they're too loose. You wouldn't want them too big since once quick brake and the Starbucks beverage of your choice would become plastered all over your windshield. Nope, Grande would certainly be my choice.

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-09T16:57:00.001-08:00

If you given the chance to be in a Broadway musical which one would it be and what part would you play?

If you given the chance to be in a Broadway musical which one would it be and what part would you play?

I've been thinking about the musicals I have had the pleasure to see. There are so many options out there. I'm limited to just a few. I'm going to use the process of elimination:

Phantom of the Opera - I certainly do not want to be a misunderstood, masked man that stalks the girl in an opera house. No thank you.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - Do I really want to be God's disciple with a colourful coat and worshipping children around me? Doesn't that scream pedophile?

Miss Saigon - I'm not really interested in being an married army sergeant that knocks up a pretty Asian woman somewhere on the other side of the world while serving my country. (Although it apparently wasn't all
that uncommon at the time!)

Cats - Meow? Prancing around with a fur costume? No-siree!

Mama Mia - Would I be one of the men that potentially knocked up the mom? Or could I be the future husband of the main character?

Les Miserable's - I could be a police officer that has a vendetta against Robin Hood of the industrial revolution. Or else I could be Jean Valjean!

I think that's who I would be. Jean Valjean - a thief that stole bread during harsh economic times. He turned out to be an eventual hero for his adopted daughter! Can I have more flair for the dramatic? This would be perfect for me! ;)

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-08T17:28:00.001-08:00

If you could have one 'do-over' moment in your life, what would it be?

I was driving my friend's car around. Oh wait, let me get this straight first. We were *best* friends. I drove his car. He peddled my bike. I played his video games. He took my hockey trading cards. His family treated me like I was another son. When I say his family, I mean everyone! Uncles, aunts, cousins etc! We were brothers. Although if you looked at us, we were very different in upbringing not to mention our skin colour.

So I was driving his car around. He was away or something, I can't really remember. His driving was, how you say, obnoxious at times. One move he used to do is just honk his horn recklessly and do a left turn in the middle of the intersection when it suited him. The oncoming car would always slow down or stop. I'm sure he was keeping an eye on the traffic to make sure the other cars were going to stop. However this illusion escaped me at the time. I decided to do the same thing and turn left at an intersection while honking the horn on his car. This time the opposite car didn't stop.

I've regretted that moment pretty much all of my life. No harm was done, except for our friendship. We tried to continue on. I helped with his new car as much as I could. I apologized profusely many times over. But his extreme love for improvements to his car, and my stubborness eventually worked against us. We ran into each other once or twice when I used to hang out in Surrey. Last time I saw him, he told me me he wouldn't be able to move on until his car was finished. I told him to look me up when that happens. I haven't heard from him since.

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-07T14:38:00.001-08:00

If you were Amish and you participated in Rumspringa would you return to the church or leave the Amish sect for good?

I think if I belonged to a religious entity, I would be devoted church goer. I would go back to the church and fulfill my duties. I imagine I would enjoy looking up to a higher being that would explain the reasoning behind tragedies and catastrophes. I don't think I would walk away from that.

However, being who I really am - I think I would party it up, leave the church and become an Asian GQ model! :)

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-07T14:30:00.001-08:00

What has surprised you the most about parenthood? What did you not expect at all?

I don't want to toot my own horn but I was surprised how natural fatherhood came to me. I can't help but feel I was born to be a dad. Holding Linden makes every negative part of a bad day just melt away. I enjoy providing for him whether it is jostling and cuddling with him when he's upset, changing his diaper when it smells, or feeding him upon demand.

I didn't expect sleep deprivation to be so hard on me! I've read all about how babies require food every 1 to 2 hours for the first month or so. But to actually experience it! Yikes, it was tough! We had to wake up a grumpy baby to fill up his pea sized tummy. It was certainly all worth it. But holey toledo Batman, I don't even want to imagine what Jana was going through.

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-07T14:12:00.001-08:00

Do you ever regret not becoming a male model? I mean, seriously...I can totally see you, up on a billboard, shirtless, looking off to the side, jeans slung low on the hips....so...do you?

I was thinking about this the other day when I drove by a billboard depicting exactly what you were talking about. I could be the first and only Asian male model on GQ Magazine! I'm not sure how I would deal with all the attention. But I'm sure I could handle the stress with all the recognition and flowers that would be lavished on me. All the teeny boppers and groupies that would follow me! Wow just imagine the life!

Instead, I married a hot blue eyed blonde and had one of the cutest babies in the world. I think I did good. :)

Even if it was my second choice in life! /sarcasm

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-07T14:03:00.001-08:00

What are you OCD about?

I think I'm OCD about stacks. Stacks you ask? When I stack my loose change at home, or else my papers on my desk, I want them straight and organized. I hate it when they're slanted, or crooked. To me, it makes the pile look messy and unkempt. That means my quarters stay with quarters in neat and tidy rows. Loonies in a row, together and neat. I'm sure you get it.

Same with my paperwork in the office. Files should be organized and in chronological order. Or else if not that, they should certainly be in alphabetical order. I'm quite particular about that.

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-05T15:18:00.001-08:00

If you had to choose: never golf again or never have another child, which would it be?

Here is the most resounding and unequivocal response I could give: I would chose to never golf again. Linden is one of the best things to happen to me. I love the way he looks around with wonderment in his big brown eyes. Everything is new and exciting to him. I can't imagine not cuddling with him before bed. And to give up potentially having another child? I think my answer is obvious!

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-04T16:47:00.001-08:00

Now that you are married, Do you miss Blo-Jobs or can you get by without them.

"Blo" from what I understand is the street term for cocaine. Since I haven't tried "blo" before, I can't say that I miss it.

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-04T14:35:00.001-08:00

If you end up buying Col and Heather bubble tea. Does that mean that you will but Ritchie and Chris bubble tea too?

Yes, I will buy Ritchie, Cheryl and Christ a bubble tea also. Or maybe, you guys can all come over and we'll learn how to make one with my trusty blender / magic bullet!

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-04T14:34:00.001-08:00

Are you deliberatly not answering questions so that you guarantee that Heather will have to buy you bubble tea?

No, that's not the case. As I am at work, I cannot spend a lot of time typing up answers. Most of the questions require some thoughtful analysis and careful wording. Rest assured, I will answer any and all questions. Fair is fair! Right Heather?

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-04T11:55:00.001-08:00

If you lose this bet with Heather, will you buy Colene a bubble tea too? :)

Well, I suppose if Colene would help Heather win this bet - no, I'm not going to buy Colene a bubble tea.

But considering I believe Colene to be truthful and fair - yes, I will buy both Heather *and* Colene a bubble tea.

Truth be told, a couple drinks here or there for the friendship of these two great girls is certainly well worth its weight in gold; Even considering my Chinese super duper frugal nature. Not that they could be bought or anything like that.

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-03T14:05:00.001-08:00

What's your one regret?

My one regret is not treating my dad better. When we used to live together I was a bitter and angry teenager. Of course I was trying to get my own way with everything and my dad wasn't bending. We're alike and both really stubborn. Fortunately I finally grew up enough to see how much of a jerk I was. My father was just trying his best with the little he was given. How can I fault someone for his effort? There's no book for teenage angst! (If there is, I will need it in about 13 years.) I'd like to say that we're trying making up for lost time now. I hope he feels the same way too.

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-03T13:55:00.001-08:00

Am I a fool?

That's a good question. Are you?

Perhaps you added the "L" to the end of fool by accident. Maybe you were saying "foo?" If that's the case, if you've pissed off Mr. T, I'd say you are a "foo." If not, I don't think you are!

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-03T13:53:00.001-08:00

What is your greatest pet peeve?

I think my biggest pet peeve is someone that is trying to be purposely inconsiderate. I try my best not to step on other people's toes. But when someone tries to go out of their way to be a jerk, that just doesn't jive by me. I think it is such a waste of time and energy to be angry and stupid to others. Can't we all just get along?

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-03T13:44:00.001-08:00

If you had a baby girl, what name would you have chosen for her?

Jasmine - as in the flower. I like the shortened version, "Jazz" or "Jazzy." I also like how the way the Zee rolls off my tongue. We have other ideas now. Trust me when I say it is very unlikely for us to relinquish the potential names as we were beat up for our previous boy choices prior to Linden's birth. (Beat up figuratively of course!)

Are you scared to ask me a question? Or are you afraid of the answer!

formspring.me

2010-02-03T11:19:00.001-08:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/nelsonkwok

Press here to pause

2009-09-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

People have been asking about the 365 day challenge. Alas, I have broken down. Or more or less, the house is breaking down. There's a leak on the deck I need to patch up. There's also the issue of an exploding water tank! My poor basement was flooded :(. Good thing for insurance! However it is still a hassle to deal with everything.

So instead of the picture challenge, I bring you a video of Linden with an apparent affinity for Taz.

365 Day Challenge - Days 9 and 10

2009-09-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

Formidable! This is Katie. We're going to miss her. She is heading to France to teach English. She'll be back for Christmas though. Have fun!

Here's my first capture of a sort-of smile from Linden! He's starting to really show some expressions. There's the poopie face, angry look, hungry pout, etc...

They say to enjoy this time of his life as it is gone in a flash. I'm doing my best to capture as much as possible!

365 Day Challenge - Day 8

2009-09-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

I promised I would try to upload a picture each day. I missed yesterday. I was just too tired after work. I let the wife have some sleep and took the baby to see Heather, Colene, and Karen.

Anyhow, I digress. Can anyone guess what this picture is of? It's a special covering for the courtyard of the Woodwards site. There are gutters and what appear to be sprinkler pipes all running parallel to the support beams. This picture does no justice at all to the size and height. It makes me wish I still had my fish-eye lens.

365 Day Challenge - Day 7

2009-09-09T01:14:00.000-07:00

I managed to con my wife into letting me experiment a bit with headshots and the ring flash. This is the best one I could come up with. Jana has no make-up on. All she has is her clothes, fantastic smile, and big bright blue eyes.

Can you see the catch lights?

365 Day Challenge - Day 6

2009-09-08T00:20:00.000-07:00

Baby and I were walking up to Safeway for some groceries. On the way back, we encountered a torrential downpour of rain. Fortunately I had my umbrella! If you look closely, the river that was coursing through the parking lot was nearly as high as the curb. What a crazy walk!

I would have taken the picture with my dslr. But I didn't bring it. I figured it was too much to handle - the baby, umbrella, groceries, and camera? It's too bad. I would have really liked having something with a little higher quality take this shot.

365 Day Challenge - Day 5

2009-09-07T02:10:00.000-07:00

Self portrait - these are hard to do! Focus on this, stand in front of that. Make sure I'm in the right position in the frame. I'm too stubborn to ask the wife to take the picture. No, that means it wouldn't be a _self_ portrait,. I had to do it myself. I'm just lucky I managed to stand on one of the thirds.

I recently acquired the Alienbee ABR800 ring flash. The experienced can tell by the halo shadow around my image. The background is just the wall. There looks to be a spot of dust on the left near my head. Hopefully it isn't on the sensor. Vignetting is 100% natural. No Photoshop here!

I'm not a big fan of "fixing up" photos. I believe in taking it right the first time. I guess I would rather be out shooting rather than in front of a computer manipulating pictures. That's not to say I won't use Photoshop. It's just I try to avoid it.

365 Day Challenge - Day 4

2009-09-06T01:01:00.000-07:00

Now for those who are following me and the 365 Day Challenge (as the solitary cricket chirps), let's do without the baby for one picture, hmmm?

Sometimes it is just luck that one is in the right place at the right time. I happened to be at dinner with my Aunt and Uncle's place when I saw a rainbow outside. I quickly grabbed my camera and ran onto the deck to take a picture. A couple seconds later, another rainbow appeared. That must be good luck...no?

365 Day Challenge - Day 3

2009-09-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Whoops! My challenge is a day late. Jana went out last night and left me all by myself with Linden. That boy can keep me on my toes! I will have to take a picture this evening for Day 4 (today).

Phat Farm socks from Ray and Quinnie. Thanks guys!

365 Day Challenge - Day 2

2009-09-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

Today was a very busy day at work. My foot has been peddle to the metal from 7am to 6pm. Of course coming home means holding my baby and various knick knack chores around the house.

You'll see pictures of Jana and Linden when I don't have much time. It might be more often than not!

365 Day Challenge - Day 1

2009-09-02T23:10:00.000-07:00

I follow photography guru Scott Bourne on Twitter. He mentioned Tasra Dawson and his challenge to her. Basically he said she would improve her photography skills by 300%, if she did three things daily.

1. Take at least one picture per day.
2. Read at least one page of her camera manual per day.
3. Check out other professional pictures, you guessed it, once per day.

Tasra invites all to check out her images on her website. Also, she invites us to follow her and get better with her. I decided to go along for the ride.

There are variations of this challenge with groups in flickr. There is one group that suggests that people take 365 self portraits of themselves. Perhaps you want to take pictures of your crafts. You can check a bunch of them out here. I decided to join this challenge because I didn't want to be shoehorned into one specific theme.

Now I am not promising I will go along with her in consecutive days. I am a new father. It is unlikely I will be able to access the computer every day. However I will try my best. At the very least, I can always try something from my phone.

That said, here is my very first picture in my challenge. I did take it yesterday. But I think it is just too cute not to start with.

My son with his new hairdo: Beckham style faux-hawk

One month already!

2009-08-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

It was exactly one month ago today, my little baby boy was born. Linden has been an absolute delight. I honestly think it is the world telling us to have another baby. Linden cries when he is hungry, needs a diaper change, or is uncomfortable. Otherwise, he sleeps, eats, and... (you know). When he is awake, he is mostly quiet with big and inquisitive eyes. I can't imagine having a more well behaved baby (yeah I might be biased).

People are asking how the labour went and what not. Heather even sarcastically mentioned I probably wouldn't ever get around to blogging about it. This is where I stick my tongue out to her!

I remember Jana feeling her first contraction. It was Thursday morning as I was getting ready for work. I decided to hang home to make sure my wife was comfortable and ensure she had what she needed to eat and anything else I could help with. By noon, her contractions were mild, lasting for 30 seconds or so, and from 10 to 20 minutes apart. As the day progressed, I could tell Jana was becoming more and more uncomfortable. By late night, I thought Jana had enough. We were going to the hospital.

We were all packed so we just got in the car and headed over the BC Womens' Hospital. Once we sat down in the assessment room, the nurse told us what no pregnant person wants to hear, Jana was only 3 centimetres dialated. Considering dialation usually takes about a centimetre per hour, we opted to go home and hang out for a while instead of staying at the hospital.

By 6 am, Jana appeared to be convulsing during the 1 minute or so contractions. This was happening every 3-5 minutes! Earlier we had discussed attempting to deliver naturally. By this point, I told Jana she was going on the epidural. She was in such pain! I just couldn't bear to see her like this.

Again, we drove to the hospital. This time she was 7 centimetres dialated. We were admitted and promptly shown into our birthing room. The nurses and anesthesiologist came in and adminstered the epidural. In about 15 minutes time, Jana and I were fast asleep.

Around quarter to nine, since Jana's water had not broken yet, the doctor came in and used a tool to puncture the sack. Slowly by surely, after about 45 minutes of pushing, little Linden Michael Boyd Kwok took his first breath. It was Friday, July 24th, 2009 - 10:28 am. You couldn't find a happier man anywhere.

Linden Michael Boyd Kwok

2009-08-11T23:27:00.000-07:00

Linden decided to come a little early than expected. In fact, he started to shimmy his way through 8 days before he was due. 24 days later, he is in my arms and sleeping away. I'll admit, this is my favourite place for him to be.

My idea for having a baby pool to benefit BC Children's Hospital came much too late. Next time (I hope), I'll try to post a bit more in advance :).

BC Children's Hospital, baby pool 50 / 50

2009-07-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
As you may or may not know, my wife is pregnant and expecting very soon. Recently a colleague has come around expressing interest in donating to Children's Hospital.

Thus, I've decided to put on a baby pool. 50% will go to the winner. The other half I will donate to BC Children's Hospital. See details below:

* Guesses are 5 dollars each.

* 3 guesses for 12 dollars.

* There are three categories for the guesses: weight (pounds and ounces), time, and date of birth

* The person who guesses closest in 2 of the 3 categories will win half of the monies collected. The other half I will give to Children's Hospital.

* Jana is due August 2nd (Sunday).

* It doesn't matter if you're over or under the time / date. Whoever is closest.

* In the event of a tie, the winners will split the 50% of all monies collected evenly.

* No money in my hand, no guesses. (You don't want me chasing you around, do you?)

Any questions? If not, come see me, give me money and let me know time, date, and weight of my up coming baby boy!

Contact information:
nellyy@gmail.com
604-785-9000

Two reasons why my wife is half Chinese (apparently).

2009-03-22T01:53:00.000-07:00

She eats Chinese coconut buns.

And she plays badminton.

PS: For those that are not in the know: If you click on the last picture, you might see a note that will reveal a surprise!

It's March and the snow is coming

2009-03-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

It's amazing when we're nearly into spring and there is a snowfall warning in effect. I was ready to switch the car's tires when my co-workers said there would be snow this weekend. I didn't believe them. Whoops!

Let me introduce...

2009-03-05T22:53:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Kwok! :) :) :)

Since the last time I posted...

2009-03-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

I got hitched!!

I'm going to try and update a little more often. I know I always promise. But maybe this time I will live up to it! I'm just going to keep the blurbs short of words and heavy on the pictures. It's easier that way :).

First start of the year!

2008-04-06T12:18:00.001-07:00

Don't mind the mess or me bending over and my ass.

My eye!

2008-03-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

It's been, oh, a week since I nearly poked my eye out. I have had a few people commenting at work about my cool aqua blue sutures. I must admit, they were fun to play with! I could move the tiny knot from side to side. My stitches are likely the first and last time I'll ever experience a movable foreign object underneath my skin. To me, it's sort of akin to a piercing. Look ma! I pierced my eyebrow - in four places even!

I digress. I should really get on with how I nearly lost my valuable right eye. That's what you're here for right? My brakes were making a bit of noise. I figured I should change the rear brake shoes since it's been... well, I'm not even sure if I've ever changed the rear brakes in the van before (mistake number 1).

Everything was going well. I had changed the driver's side brake shoes without too much trouble. I was working on the passenger side trying to pull off the retaining spring. I was tugging on the spring with a pair of long nosed pliers (mistake number 2). I was yanking at the spring pretty hard, when the grip slipped and the pliers found its way through my safety glasses, my prescription glasses, then into my forehead.

That hurt. I could feel that there was a bump forming. After cursing and swearing once or twice, I continued working on my brakes. I didn't know if I had cut myself or not. Initially there wasn't any blood coming out. I had no clue that the cut would eventually gush blood until about 5 minutes later.

I managed to curtail the bleeding enough to finish my brakes. I drove around and made sure the van stopped properly. I went inside and washed up to prepare myself for a visit to the hospital. The cut was deep enough for me to see my hair follicles. I had always been interested in biology, however this was a lesson better suited for a textbook.

At the hospital, it took about 30 minutes to get "fast-tracked." I spent another 2.5 hours waiting for a bed. The nurse gave me a tetanus booster. About 1.5 hours later, the doctor come around to me. The freezing, cleaning, and sewing took about 10 minutes more.

Lessons learned during this ordeal:

1. Always wear safety glasses (thank goodness I did)
2. Don't pull the spring. Push the spring away from you.
3. Scars are sexy! ( Thanks Heather! Love you lots!)

Don't let it happen to you. (Except the sexy part)

How's that saying go?

2008-03-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

It's raining, it's pouring
the old man is snoring

Funny how true all of that is right now. Unfortunately the old man is in the next room over. I thought it was my computer power supply. I turned it off. Nope - the groaning was still there. *sigh*

more lovely people

2008-02-26T23:18:00.000-08:00

To follow up from my last post about interesting emails to my suite for rent,

joe blow to hous-xxxxxxxxx

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

hi there my name is xxxx and i was hoping that i could rent your three bed basement and i would have two others living with

"joe blow" Really? Would you use that email address to apply for a job? Interviewing with me is like applying for a job. Consider yourself a guest to stay at my place. It certainly isn't a right. Capice?

The many colors of Craigslist

2008-02-09T14:27:00.001-08:00

So I'm looking for tenants. I decided to take some pictures of the suite and post them along with the ad in craigslist. In the last two days, I think I received about 25 referrals. These are my favourites so far.

hello,

Please call me at 778-xxx-xxxx

Sure! I'm going to call you right away! You leave me nothing but your phone number. You don't leave me a name. Your email doesn't give anything away. (It's something like, be true to your yourself @ hotmail.com). Should I call and say, "Hi Be True? I'm Nelson, you emailed about my suite for rent?" Yeah, I don't think so.

im interested in ur basement

gimme a call 604xxxxxxx or 778xxxxxxx

This one is completely devoid of punctuation. Now I'm not very good with my commas and semi-colons. But I'm pretty good at using dashes or periods to separate phone numbers. I'm also a bit of a stickler for using the complete word rather than the abbreviation. "ur" is not a word. I believe he is he trying to say "your." Will I call him? Unlikely.

hi,
in response to your ad, we are very much interested to see the place.

please contact us anytime.
thanks and looking forward to hear from you soon!

Mrs so and so (604) xxx xxxx
Mr so and so (778) xxx xxxx

This is what I like to see. It's not perfect, but it is close. I liked how they showed some courtesy. The phone number wasn't a big scrawl of numbers. I can't see any of those dreaded internet lingo / abbreviations. And apparently they're looking forward to hearing from me! I'm much more inclined to call these people.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2008-02-07T20:26:00.000-08:00

As a celebration, I made some Chinese Barbecue Pork! Yum!

I think this is as fast as I get.

2008-01-10T00:31:00.000-08:00

83 words

Touch typing free

shop shop shopaholic

2008-01-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

This is likely the most difficult time of the year for me. As you probably know, I'm always surfing the net for deals. What used to be a Boxing Day Sale, is now called a Boxing Week Sale. What used to be one day of the potential of impulsive buying, has become one week of denying electronics store exist / pure avoidance / ignorance is bliss denial.

At least when Boxing Day was just 24 hours long, I was smart enough to avoid big crowds and the crazy early morning line-ups to grab the loss leader. (Which most of the time I didn't get.) With the addition of the internet and the week long "apparent under-cost" sales, I can't seem to avoid it!

Yesterday, I finally secumbed to the allure of the boxing week deals. I went by an electronics store located at Metrotown to find the parking lot completely full. I persisted to find a sweet spot to park and ventured into the madhouse called Future Shop. I browsed through some okay deals and thought to myself:

"This is insanity. Do I really need this MP3 video player?"

There's only one answer to that question - an absolute resounding, "No." I've managed to stave on Boxing Day Sales for another year. I think I will use the money I saved for a trip instead.

2007-12-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

I'm at the office until about noon today. The sun is shining and I can't wait to get some last minute grocery shopping in. I'm looking forward to making dinner tomorrow night.

Last night while eating with some friends, all I could do was daydream about you by my side. Don't get me wrong, dinner was great. But it just seems to me that it would be infinitely better if I had you by my side.

What irony

2007-11-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

So, everyone knows I'm in my 30s right? Well, I've noticed in my later 20s, early 30s - my body hasn't been responding to stress very well. When I sprain an ankle, or somehow hurt myself, it is taking longer for me to heal. Sometimes I'll wake up with a funny kink in my neck. I'm just not invincible like I used to be.

Can anyone guess what body part I've hurt now? I don't think you'll believe it. I think I've sprained the right side of my jaw. More specifically, I've hurt the pivot point somehow. It's pretty painful to chew candy (thus the irony with me having leftover Halloween candy and all). I can't even yawn without the joint bothering me.

It must be bad karma. I should have given some candy to my colleagues.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I went to London Drugs to window shop. I ended up coming out with about 10 bucks in discounted Halloween candy. My intentions were to bring it to work and have a bowl or two to give out. Well, I forget the aforementioned sweets at home. Now they're staring at me. Oh snap...can't let them go to waste!!

Exotic dancer / hobo?

2007-10-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

My car died. Actually, my car sprung a massive oil leak. I can't drive her around without feeling absolutely terrible about the environment and all the nasty dark lubricant that is spewing out between the block and the transmission. I decided to insure my dependable van.

Dependable? Hah. The water pump has a little hole with some wax in it. The wax is the wear point. Eventually enough water swishes by it to erode the wax and eventually water will come out of the hole. I could just plug this hole back up. But really the wax wearing away is just an indicator that pump needs to be replaced.

I decided to Google to see if there was a how-to. On the very first search, I see something to the effect of, "Changing the water pump on a 98 Chevy Astro: a pictorial." I thought to myself, perfect! I have a 98 Astro and there are pictures. What else would I need? I click, and find out it's a link to the blog: www.hobostripper.com.

Well, she didn't actually change the pump herself. Actually she traded services for the work to be done. What kind of services you ask? Her and her friend gave a mechanic a couple steamy lap dance numbers and he changed her water pump for her. I decide to read further into her blog. The author has a psychology degree, she lives in Alaska, she's an exotic dancer, herbalist, and she lives out of a 1998 Chevy Astrovan with a dog named Bro.

Interesting name. Fun writing. Subscribed!

Dreams

2007-10-23T00:05:00.000-07:00

I've been having some intense dreams as of late. Last night's dream consist of work. Not everyday work like I deal with now. But some kind of work that seems to combine my previous vocations.

I remember some kind of commercial heating products being shipped from Russia. 4 boats of heating product was sitting in the harbour off of Vancouver. I recall talking to one of the crewmen. He had a really thick Russian accent that I could barely understand. He was telling me how we were the only distributor/sales people for his stuff and how we should be able to make a reasonable buck selling it.

Suddenly, I was sitting in this non-perishable foods warehouse. My colleagues were in a meeting. I was sitting there surfing or something when one of my coworkers came up to me. He started talking about driving systems and how they've come a long way. He told me this new in-car computer actually avoids other computers.

Strangely enough, I was watching a demo and walking down one of the food aisles at the same time. I was mimicking the demo car while strolling down a lane of canned drinks. The car would creep up the sides of the meridian in order to avoid other drifting drivers and the such. I'd be doing the same in the food aisle by walking up the pallets of canned vegetables!

The meeting of my coworkers was finally over. I wanted to talk about this new driving computer invention. But all they wanted to talk about was having a can of Coke. We then proceeded to go to my desk and play big 2! Funny thing was my colleagues were both from recent and old. Some were from nearly 10 years ago, and some from the present time.

I then woke up to my alarm. I'm not sure what it all means. But I am just as confused as I was before.

Welcome to my new home.

2007-10-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Hello again,

Welcome to my new little corner of the internet. I decided I wasn't really utilizing the webspace I was paying for. (read: cheap.) So I've come here to claim some free space and spam you all with advertising. Yay!

One thing you may have noticed, I've changed the colors to reflect my favourite hockey team. If you don't know. Don't say anything. It's all good though. Even though they haven't been playing to my standards, I still love them. They're like your offspring. You may get frustrated and upset with the little tykes. But at the end of the day, you dig a hole and...errr, oh I mean you still love them.

Likely you'll see that even with a new space, I haven't changed a bit. My writing still sucks, but that's not why you come here right? Nooo....you're looking for some juicy dating story, or some gadget that I've just purchased, or maybe a picture or two. I will try to oblige the best I can in the near future.