Death Sticks

I had a weird dream last night. I dreamnt I was smoking a cigarette outside on a street somewhere. I was trying to look cool and find different ways of flicking off the ashes. I think my dream had a lot to do with my life at BCIT. It seems almost 1 out 3 people on campus smoke. It was quite a change from SFU where the demographic of smokers is less. I wonder if it correlates with education or family situations. There is definitely more swearing with the group of people I'm with. Probably, because I'm not involved with a Christian club anymore. I'm seeing a different side to life than what I've been used to at SFU in my Christian bubble. I actually feel in a sense, a realness being away from that bubble and a connection to the world through the people I hang out with at BCIT and even at work. It's bridging the two worlds that is the difficult part, how to be a strong Christian in a world that entices you to become a part of that system. I doesn't help when there's a lot of hot girls at school who are likely agnostic. We all make choices. I only hope that I continue to learn from Christ to become a better man and share what I know to others.

Peace.

My First Hip Hop Show

Last night, I went to my first hip hop show. I was working on some homework in the afternoon and my buddy, Dean, called me up to come out to the Commodore with his friend, FC (she's pretty cute and that's just an observation so don't read into any further). I tossed the books and decided to head downtown with them. We had a hell of a time trying to find her house and took the scenic route of New Westminster when we should have been heading towards Burnaby. It was hilarious. When we got downtown, we parked, and headed to McDonald's because FC was hungry. We chilled at McD's and later got a phone call from another friend of Dean's who was already at the show telling us Zion I was on. We were shocked and had to book it to the Commodore. Unfortunately, we missed them and another artist we wanted to see, Pigeon John, who came on before them. We ran about an hour late and were surprised they started the show on time because they usually don't. The lineup last night was Lyrics Born and K'Naan with guests Zion I, Pigeon John, and DJ Mike Relm.

Dean and I were digruntled, but after watching DJ Relm spin a good set with movie clips (scratching music and movie clips together, who would have thunk it?), we got into the hip hop mood. K'Naan came out after DJ Relm and they were awesome. They had more of a world beat to them as they played the African drums while K'Naan rapped about his thoughts about philosophy, life, home, and society. Then, Lyrics Born pumped up the crowd with his rap tunes while his band dished out some bad ass funky beats. The place was bumpin'. Some people were break dancing, others smoking weed, drinking booze, and taking too many illegal substances.

Overall, it was a great show minus the two artists Dean and I really wanted to see, Zion I and Pigeon John. We were so choked that we missed them. I definitely want to come back for another show. I got into a groove there and danced a bit. It was a great feeling. The next show I see with Dean will hopefully be with Zion I. They are my favourite hip hop group. I've been exposed to more underground hip hop over the past year. There are so many unrecognized artists out there who have incredible talent that actually have a message. There is a lot of crap hop in the scene (50 Cent, etc.) who rap about doing ho's and being rich that give hip hop a bad name. It's unfortunate.

Peace.

Game Plan

It's been a couple of weeks so far at BCIT and I've been getting used to studying, reading, and napping. I heard BCIT is unlike most post secondary institutions and I find that to be quite true. For one, I'm taking eight courses which is double what I took in university in one semester. They seem to like to cram everything in and it actually doesn't help much in the learning process. You basically memorize facts and formulas, and hope to do well on assignments and exams. I'm a bit of a slow learner, and I need time to grasp the material and understand it. BCIT feels like I'm being rushed. Another thing is the emphasis on group work which I disliked in university. BCIT emphasizes a lot on group work and there are quite a few assignments that involve it. What annoys me is the scheduling and the fact that everyone on the team is on a different wavelength or thought pattern. I just find it easier to do assignments on my own, but business I guess is about teams and working with others. I find it different in the real world because it's like if I'm in an organization, I'm more serious about the work; in school, not so much.

I've been thinking about switching to Financial Management after this semester. I find Operations Management too broad and I want to narrow in on one area that I can do well in. Thinking about a career has been a difficult process for me. On the one hand, I really want a career and on the other hand, I really don't want to do something I hate. I'm thinking about becoming an accountant, but maybe more like a business consultant. I have asked myself why I want to do that and I don't know if it's cause there is demand for it or that I'm actually interested in it. My real passion is Geography, but not much is out there in terms of careers.

My Plan A is to get hired by the government, related to the field of my degree. Plan B is what I'm doing now and that is going to school to find a job. I hope I find something that I'm passionate about. I hope it will lead me to work on making a difference somehow on people's lives.

I picked up a new CD by Sigur Ros called Takk...I love their music. It keeps me calm, cool, and reflective. They help me to cope with stress, and man, do I need it.

Peace.

Fire!

A fire began at around 4 pm last night in Burns Bog and has grown to 170 hectares in size. About 30 Delta firefighters are battling the blaze as well as 6 air tankers and 3 helicopters. The fire is difficult to put out and can take up to 2 weeks to fully extinguish the flames. The reason is that the bog is made up of a thick layer of highly flammable peat. I remember a fire like this one in 1996 about the same size. I saw the flames leaping onto trees as I came home from BCIT over the Alex Fraser Bridge today. It was an incredible sight to see.

These photos were taken from my front balcony. The fire is across the main highway about a 5 minute drive from my house.

A massive cloud of smoke rises above the bog and blows towards the North Shore and even towards Nanaimo. We're lucky it's not blowing towards our house, otherwise, we'd be in the thick of it and it would be snowing ash. People have been complaining of smoke inhalation in Vancouver and have been flooding emergency calls. Geez...I think the officals are aware of the situation.

A water bomber flies over Burns Bog to help extinguish the flames. I've been hearing them all day.