12 Nov 2016
Chopping garlic is such an annoyance. Let's see if mincing lots of garlic at one go and storing them in the fridge works.
Apparently a little oil should be added so I'll do that.
Got some fresh chilli and limes today so I will try to make sambal in the next few days if I'm in the mood. The belacan has been here for a while so it's time to make use of it.
19 Nov 2016
The sambal didn't turn out so well. It really does stink when toasted so I'll have to do it when no one is around.
The belacan in my first batch was probably not toasted enough so the mix ended up looking bright red. The freshness of the chilli also made it watery.
At least the mortar and pestle from Korea finally proved practical. It had a lot of grooves at the bottom but I wasn't sure if the whole thing was just a decorative item until it was finally put into use.
Next time the belacan will be toasted longer and maybe even get slightly burnt.
22 Nov 2016
Why is the view count so high for so long? It has been consistently about double the rate I was used to before this blog slowed down, with my latest 30 posts or so having at least 90 views each.
Totally no idea why because the top referring sites at the moment is this very blog and google. Basically this is saying that someone knew to google something that leads to my blog and has been clicking on my blog posts to read them one at a time.
No other clues because even the spam bots have died out here in Blogger so the comment section is always dead.
Bought the Friends of the Garden annual pass to Gardens by the Bay (GBB) because I've been there at least thrice already in the last year. With the flowers always changing, especially the cacti flowers (there are two towers of agave flowers blooming at the moment, which someone told us are very rare here and is the first time a regular such as himself has ever seen here in GBB), I think I may visit the conservatories more in the future.
The Flower Dome actually feels suitable for chilling out, seriously, so I may do that with the pass. Maybe order a pot of tea at Pollen and just spend hours there.
It costs me $20 to enter both conservatories with a single ticket, or $12 for just one, plus $8 (with no chance of any discount) per entry to the OCBC Skyway, so to pay $61 (10% off single conservatory ticket bought on the day of application) for unlimited entries to all 3 for a year is pretty good deal to me.
This brings to mind a friend of mine who bought the $2000 annual pass to the Marina Bay Sands. She gambles a little but shops there a lot, especially for the aromatherapy stuff to deal with the cigarette smoke in her home, and for that she's received 7 nights in total at the hotel this year, 3 of which was for her birthday month in December. Moreover, they usually give her one of the better rooms with a choice of either City View or Garden View (ie sea view), not the lowest tier just because it's a freebie.
Those 7 nights have totally covered her $2000 membership right there. Well, technically it's just almost but close enough.
I would sign up and try but the problem is that there's rarely any reason for me to go there and it's a bad idea to go out of my way just to spend $2000.
However, they're now offering another way to get it - spend $500 in a day then another $500 within the next 3 months. The first $500 will get me 3 months of upgrade to that tier from the free tier, then the following $500 gets me the other 9 months. It's still not very tempting though since it's limited to once per lifetime and the listed perks in the website are bland. Neither do I get the entry to the casino.
How this works is that you pay the $2000 levy for an annual pass to the casino, and this counts as a $2000 spend which gets you qualified to the first paid tier of the MBS loyalty programme. The shortcut does not involve the levy at all.
So the first batch of Tiko 3D printers has left port. Mine will be in the 9th batch and that's definitely arriving in 2017.
Lots of interesting deals on GMG for Black Friday but nothing particularly tempting.
In all seriousness, coffee prices are rising due to demand and a series of setbacks for coffee farmers recently. It just feels bad that people are wasting this increasingly precious commodity through.... pumpkin spiced latte? Among other things, of course. Let's be honest - most coffee drinkers out there just want a coffee-flavoured diluted milk.
Then again, I used to be like that before tasting espresso in Italy, so who am I to judge? As long as someone likes it, it is not a bad dish/beverage, right?
Tuesday 22 November 2016
Thursday 10 November 2016
Rant 1234 / Major Plans For Major Events
22 Oct 2016
It's been 1111 posts since Rant 123, 1000 posts since 234, and 11111 posts before 12345.
Wonder if I'll ever get there. The blog will probably be 40+ years old before this reaches five digits, if Blogspot or some sort of successor stays around for that long.
After all these months, I've finally checked out the iPad's app store again. It's never a good idea anymore because the iPad 3 cannot even handle the latest OS 9 (not even 10) and lags in whatever app I open. Still usable but frustrating.
Anyway, Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is on the app store for the iPad! For $15, I almost bought it, but then remembered that it will lag and I'm planning to get a new laptop anyway. The iPad is no longer good for any significant amounts of work and the 16GB is insufficient when more than half of it is already occupied by its OS and other necessary files. According to the Storage Usage list, 7.2GB is has been taken while only 5.1GB is available. Not sure where the other 3.7GB went, though my guess goes to data corruption. As for the apps used, only an estimated 4GB is needed, with 450MB of photos and videos being the largest group, so the other 3GB must have been taken by the OS.
Even the lock screen lags when it rotates!
So no more of the annoying lag, I plan to give this iPad to my staff when we upgrade our system next year by bringing our inventory list online.
Since my old Acer laptop is almost a brick with its battery in its motherboard in its pseudo-useless state for years, it's pretty much just a USB charging point for my other devices. Hence the need for a new laptop, one with decent hardware (1GB RAM, i5 processor, 500GB hard disk, most likely will also use a SD card) and warranty. The warranty is the main issue as it's hard to find to a good one, so the focus so far has been on Dell with its reputation for at least decent warranties here. Depending on the specs of the laptop, I will be looking at at least 3 years of on-site warranty plus accidental damage cover. From my past experience and the advice of others, laptops tend to start acting up after 2 years, so 3 years of warranty is my bare minimum level, and if I buy a S$1.5k-1.7k model, I may even invest on a 5-year warranty. The increases in price themselves rise dramatically after the 3rd year but my gut feeling says the money will be worth it at least by the 4th year, especially the on-site one. The last time I had to bring a laptop to a repair centre, not only did I have to bring it in during working hours but also had to queue for a pretty long time. And that was when my day was already like shit because the laptop died and there was a huge possibility of losing all the data inside (which happened).
So if it costs another hundred bucks or two to make shit feel less shitty, fine! Take my money!
Another reason I was looking at Dell was because they have 2% cashback on Shopback, and 2% even on a $1k spend is $20.
The good thing about this whole thing is that the laptop will not require the current gimmicky features like the laptop-with-keyboard style of the ASUS Transformer and the Microsoft Surface. I mean they're cool but not necessary, therefore just a waste of my money. By omitting these options, a few hundred dollars can be saved.
Current plan is to keep an eye out for deals and the real ones should appear by Dec. Right now there are some but they don't seem very good.
26 Oct 2016
Dislocated my right shoulder during the Burnout phase of The Challenge in P90X3 yesterday. Somehow pushed myself up so hard I also pushed my arm out of its socket. Don't even know how that happens but it did.
Now I've really got to stop for a few days, probably a whole week. Because my motivation level isn't low enough already, right?
So things will change dramatically next year. She'll be gone for half a year and then graduates once she returns. Beyond that, the plan is for her to continue in what is known as "professional bridging", the level between an intern and a full-time employee, for another half a year before returning to go to Russia and Europe in spring for her grad trip. Optimistically, she will also get a job in probably Toronto and I will move in with her to try to get the PR status together.
Now the thing is what I'm going to do with my business. Someone will need to handle the day to day management and my current staff will not do.
The other thing is that employment in Canada will be tough for me. Vanessa will have it far easier than me due to her field being in relatively high demand than mine. Moreover, from everything I've read, everyone who moves there will have to restart from the bottom because foreign degrees aren't accepted there. In other words, her degree from the Culinary Institute of America may count for little (unlikely but possible) while her experience will be the only real advantage she has while looking for a job in Canada, whereas I have nothing in the first place anyway - my current ongoing experience as a business owner doesn't apply to just about any job out there even in Singapore.
In all likelihood, I'll have to find a part-time job to begin with and for some reason, I'm slightly inclined towards security jobs, although this is still a very early thought. I have some experience in it that I can't prove, ie no experience, and I probably look the part already. With Canada being as safe as it is, a job as a security guard should have minimal risks in terms of injury. However, it's a little confusing how a foreigner could get a security license as the websites tend to list having citizenship, PR status or a valid work visa as a requirement for the application. If you don't have a license, how do you get a work visa? If you don't have a work visa, how do you apply for a license?
Unless I start with jobs that don't require even that in the first place, few as they are, but it looks like a driving license is still needed for those.
Another option is to be a tour guide, since I have the advantage of speaking English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
Funny thing is that a carpenter's helper will get a better pay than either of these jobs at 18CAD/hr compared to their 10-15CAD/hr at the starting level. Another is how work environments are described as "dangerous" only for jobs like mason's helpers but never for security jobs. Because in Canada, it's more dangerous to work in construction sites, right?
There are probably other options I haven't seen yet from the 10+ pages I have browsed through, but the conclusion here is that pride is the first thing that needs to go unless I somehow get my hands on fucktons of money before going there.
28 Oct 2016
Finally, after quite a bit of searching through the possible ways of obtaining Canadian PR, some good news!
So earlier, I noticed that there is a separate category just for farmers, athletes and artisans. That didn't seem like anything I do, so this was completely ignored.
Except this was only because I had been seeing myself as more of a businessman than a designer, both of which are part of my job. If I put more emphasis on the latter role, a fashion designer is one of the occupations under the "artisan" group, allowing me to apply for PR as a self-employed person, which is no different from who I am now.
If possible, I may just stay here and handle my business remotely, returning only during certain periods because the residency obligation is at least 2 years out of the last 5, though not necessarily continuously.
Practically speaking, I only need to be back for the two winters each year. Day-to-day stuff can easily be managed by either an additional employee, remotely online or by my brother. Everything else can be done by express mail and online. If somehow I cannot retain ownership of the business, he can take over in name. Between the both of us, it cannot be too hard to work something out. He doesn't give a damn about the business but owning it doesn't hurt.
In terms of eligibility, there are five categories and I have to score as much as I can out of 100 total. If they consider my JC diploma as a 2-year diploma, then 20 points, otherwise 5. For experience, 35 points right away. Age, 10 points. In language proficiency, I'm definitely at the "High proficiency" level for Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing in English and with some brushing up, I should be able to get "Basic proficiency" in Speaking, Reading and Writing in French. That will get me either 19 if I can that 3 points in French, or 16 just for English alone. The last category, adaptability, is simple - 5 points for having Canadian relatives.
My total score will add up to either 89 optimistically, or at least 71.
As for Vanessa, she won't be try hot kitchens if she can help it but probably a baker or pastry chef. Being a pastry chef will be an interesting choice because the majority of the jobs are in Quebec which requires further research due to its separate requirements. Both of us will have to take French classes because even though we can already comprend un peu le francais, having been to Montreal for a short trip earlier, I know for sure a better command of French will definitely help.
First step for her will be to find a job there.
29 Oct 2016
Shoulder is still not done healing yet. Raising it all the way up still gives me a little pain, so it doesn't look like a good idea to try jumping jacks and push ups yet.
But the day I dislocated it, a facial therapist commented that my shoulders were "really hard" after the shoulder massages. Not sure if "really" here was used like "very" or it proved someone else right. Either way, that was my first time receiving such a compliment. P90X3 works!
Not so much for losing weight though. Mine's been staying between 93-95kg constantly, unlike my P90X days when it went below 93kg. I think the shorter sessions help build muscles but not so much on losing fats, so my fats loss weigh roughly the same as my muscle mass gain.
Though she doesn't like to talk about immigrating to Canada now due to the stress the entire plan gives her (she has to graduate and get a job for at least a year there as some kind of chef for this to work), I can't help but keep thinking about it, kinda like the Changbaishan trip earlier and the Russian train trip before that.
Since I don't have to follow as a spouse anymore (one of the slowest ways to obtain PR there), I can go at any time.
Meaning I can start when she's doing her externship in the US.
That is another option.
Now the next step is to ponder on the rules and how to make it work.
The steps, after some reading, look simple.
To start, take the IELTS with the British Council that's held every week, and the TEF with the FIAF that's held bi-monthly. The TEF is the harder one for sure not only because it only happens on one Friday every two months but I'll also need to brush up my French just to get a decently basic score.
Next, find and follow the steps at the official Canadian immigration website, which includes filling the forms, digging out all the necessary documents, talking to their officers to explain anything that isn't clear, getting that medical exam for me and my brother even though he's not going, and obtaining police certificates to prove our clean records if required.
Beyond that, all I'll be able to do is wait. If I succeed, the permanent residence status is, of course, permanent unless I commit a crime or stay outside the country for too long. In the meantime, it is a good idea to search for a place of residence.
Once I get the COPR, I'll fly there and start a sole proprietorship to become a self-employed fashion designer, the role that forms half of my current job. The bonus here is that there are no requirements on me and my business once I get the PR status, so if it doesn't work out I'll try for the crappier jobs. Anything to be a productive member of society to stay there.
01 Nov 2016
Shoulder still not healed yet but I have to start exercising already. My idea here is to skip all exercises that strain the shoulders but continue with the P90X3.
Got to talk to my aunt in Toronto about my plans. Maybe she can give me a better idea of what to expect.
The weird thing here is that usually, from what I've seen since young, people go to a country or get a job there before applying for visa and then PR. In my situation, it looks like I should apply for PR before I fly there.
...
Read further and got a better understanding of the residency obligations of Canadian PR.
I must stay in Canada for 730 days in the 5 years preceding my application. Not completely accurate, technically speaking, but this interpretation is accurate enough in my case.
The actual rule is that I must be able to prove that I have stayed for at least 730 days within the 5 years of the date I became a PR.
This stretches the current plan for 2 more years then.
08 Nov 2016
FUCK YEAH!
Oh wait... it's probably not going to live up to our expectations anyway.
10 Nov 2016
Absolutely no idea why my page view count has been rising in the last few days, up to over 300 a day today.
Another change to the Changbaishan trip. Various search results and replies from fellow travellers have finally convinced me that the souther slope is closed and the 1442 steps to the peak on the western slope will be too icy and slippery to be worth the view, so this segment of the trip has been changed to the northern slope where things are more developed and easier to handle.
It's also supposed to have the worst view but the buses go up to just a 10-minute walk from the viewing point.
And this change followed the other piece of information recently discovered through forum conversations and further digging on the specific topic - temperatures on the mountain can go as low as -40 degrees, the point where both the C and the F scales are the same.
This is the cold seen on videos where someone throws boiling water into the air and ice crystals hit the ground.
Therefore, I'm supplying the heat packs and these will be the good ones from the department stores, not the really really trashy Daiso ones. Vanessa will also need a ski mask and probably goggles because all of us must cover as much skin as possible to protect ourselves from the -20 to -30 degree wind that I'm expecting from the mountaintop.
Fortunately, the trains haven't been paid for and the hotel at Changbai was fully refundable, so no money has been lost yet. The downside is that the hotel costs more now since we're going to the most tourist-oriented town.
...
Downgraded the HSR fare to second class seats. That helps to offset the price difference from the higher hotel rate by about half. I'll cover the other half for both of them myself. It's not a major difference but the point here is that I now have things to save up for, like her grad trip and a future in Canada.
Weight loss is currently an issue. The P90X3 works but not in terms of weight loss. In fact, I've gradually gained weight too - 96kg!
Thing is, it's is a fact that I'm getting stronger, so the conclusion is that this workout helps with muscle gain but not fat loss. Since it's simple logic that weight loss is having a greater output than input, it is now necessary for me to skip one meal a day using my meal replacement shake. Have been neglecting it for too long.
Arms ached yesterday from The Challenge session of P90X3, partly from the almost healed shoulder but also from the wide-arm pushups because at some points, I was aching on both sides at the back of my lower neck and shoulder blade area.
And as usual, my triceps are still aching. Those are some of my least used muscles so they grow the most every time there is an exercise session like this that focuses on the upper limbs.
It's been 1111 posts since Rant 123, 1000 posts since 234, and 11111 posts before 12345.
Wonder if I'll ever get there. The blog will probably be 40+ years old before this reaches five digits, if Blogspot or some sort of successor stays around for that long.
After all these months, I've finally checked out the iPad's app store again. It's never a good idea anymore because the iPad 3 cannot even handle the latest OS 9 (not even 10) and lags in whatever app I open. Still usable but frustrating.
Anyway, Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is on the app store for the iPad! For $15, I almost bought it, but then remembered that it will lag and I'm planning to get a new laptop anyway. The iPad is no longer good for any significant amounts of work and the 16GB is insufficient when more than half of it is already occupied by its OS and other necessary files. According to the Storage Usage list, 7.2GB is has been taken while only 5.1GB is available. Not sure where the other 3.7GB went, though my guess goes to data corruption. As for the apps used, only an estimated 4GB is needed, with 450MB of photos and videos being the largest group, so the other 3GB must have been taken by the OS.
Even the lock screen lags when it rotates!
So no more of the annoying lag, I plan to give this iPad to my staff when we upgrade our system next year by bringing our inventory list online.
Since my old Acer laptop is almost a brick with its battery in its motherboard in its pseudo-useless state for years, it's pretty much just a USB charging point for my other devices. Hence the need for a new laptop, one with decent hardware (1GB RAM, i5 processor, 500GB hard disk, most likely will also use a SD card) and warranty. The warranty is the main issue as it's hard to find to a good one, so the focus so far has been on Dell with its reputation for at least decent warranties here. Depending on the specs of the laptop, I will be looking at at least 3 years of on-site warranty plus accidental damage cover. From my past experience and the advice of others, laptops tend to start acting up after 2 years, so 3 years of warranty is my bare minimum level, and if I buy a S$1.5k-1.7k model, I may even invest on a 5-year warranty. The increases in price themselves rise dramatically after the 3rd year but my gut feeling says the money will be worth it at least by the 4th year, especially the on-site one. The last time I had to bring a laptop to a repair centre, not only did I have to bring it in during working hours but also had to queue for a pretty long time. And that was when my day was already like shit because the laptop died and there was a huge possibility of losing all the data inside (which happened).
So if it costs another hundred bucks or two to make shit feel less shitty, fine! Take my money!
Another reason I was looking at Dell was because they have 2% cashback on Shopback, and 2% even on a $1k spend is $20.
The good thing about this whole thing is that the laptop will not require the current gimmicky features like the laptop-with-keyboard style of the ASUS Transformer and the Microsoft Surface. I mean they're cool but not necessary, therefore just a waste of my money. By omitting these options, a few hundred dollars can be saved.
Current plan is to keep an eye out for deals and the real ones should appear by Dec. Right now there are some but they don't seem very good.
26 Oct 2016
Dislocated my right shoulder during the Burnout phase of The Challenge in P90X3 yesterday. Somehow pushed myself up so hard I also pushed my arm out of its socket. Don't even know how that happens but it did.
Now I've really got to stop for a few days, probably a whole week. Because my motivation level isn't low enough already, right?
So things will change dramatically next year. She'll be gone for half a year and then graduates once she returns. Beyond that, the plan is for her to continue in what is known as "professional bridging", the level between an intern and a full-time employee, for another half a year before returning to go to Russia and Europe in spring for her grad trip. Optimistically, she will also get a job in probably Toronto and I will move in with her to try to get the PR status together.
Now the thing is what I'm going to do with my business. Someone will need to handle the day to day management and my current staff will not do.
The other thing is that employment in Canada will be tough for me. Vanessa will have it far easier than me due to her field being in relatively high demand than mine. Moreover, from everything I've read, everyone who moves there will have to restart from the bottom because foreign degrees aren't accepted there. In other words, her degree from the Culinary Institute of America may count for little (unlikely but possible) while her experience will be the only real advantage she has while looking for a job in Canada, whereas I have nothing in the first place anyway - my current ongoing experience as a business owner doesn't apply to just about any job out there even in Singapore.
In all likelihood, I'll have to find a part-time job to begin with and for some reason, I'm slightly inclined towards security jobs, although this is still a very early thought. I have some experience in it that I can't prove, ie no experience, and I probably look the part already. With Canada being as safe as it is, a job as a security guard should have minimal risks in terms of injury. However, it's a little confusing how a foreigner could get a security license as the websites tend to list having citizenship, PR status or a valid work visa as a requirement for the application. If you don't have a license, how do you get a work visa? If you don't have a work visa, how do you apply for a license?
Unless I start with jobs that don't require even that in the first place, few as they are, but it looks like a driving license is still needed for those.
Another option is to be a tour guide, since I have the advantage of speaking English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
Funny thing is that a carpenter's helper will get a better pay than either of these jobs at 18CAD/hr compared to their 10-15CAD/hr at the starting level. Another is how work environments are described as "dangerous" only for jobs like mason's helpers but never for security jobs. Because in Canada, it's more dangerous to work in construction sites, right?
There are probably other options I haven't seen yet from the 10+ pages I have browsed through, but the conclusion here is that pride is the first thing that needs to go unless I somehow get my hands on fucktons of money before going there.
28 Oct 2016
Finally, after quite a bit of searching through the possible ways of obtaining Canadian PR, some good news!
So earlier, I noticed that there is a separate category just for farmers, athletes and artisans. That didn't seem like anything I do, so this was completely ignored.
Except this was only because I had been seeing myself as more of a businessman than a designer, both of which are part of my job. If I put more emphasis on the latter role, a fashion designer is one of the occupations under the "artisan" group, allowing me to apply for PR as a self-employed person, which is no different from who I am now.
If possible, I may just stay here and handle my business remotely, returning only during certain periods because the residency obligation is at least 2 years out of the last 5, though not necessarily continuously.
Practically speaking, I only need to be back for the two winters each year. Day-to-day stuff can easily be managed by either an additional employee, remotely online or by my brother. Everything else can be done by express mail and online. If somehow I cannot retain ownership of the business, he can take over in name. Between the both of us, it cannot be too hard to work something out. He doesn't give a damn about the business but owning it doesn't hurt.
In terms of eligibility, there are five categories and I have to score as much as I can out of 100 total. If they consider my JC diploma as a 2-year diploma, then 20 points, otherwise 5. For experience, 35 points right away. Age, 10 points. In language proficiency, I'm definitely at the "High proficiency" level for Speaking, Reading, Listening and Writing in English and with some brushing up, I should be able to get "Basic proficiency" in Speaking, Reading and Writing in French. That will get me either 19 if I can that 3 points in French, or 16 just for English alone. The last category, adaptability, is simple - 5 points for having Canadian relatives.
My total score will add up to either 89 optimistically, or at least 71.
As for Vanessa, she won't be try hot kitchens if she can help it but probably a baker or pastry chef. Being a pastry chef will be an interesting choice because the majority of the jobs are in Quebec which requires further research due to its separate requirements. Both of us will have to take French classes because even though we can already comprend un peu le francais, having been to Montreal for a short trip earlier, I know for sure a better command of French will definitely help.
First step for her will be to find a job there.
29 Oct 2016
Shoulder is still not done healing yet. Raising it all the way up still gives me a little pain, so it doesn't look like a good idea to try jumping jacks and push ups yet.
But the day I dislocated it, a facial therapist commented that my shoulders were "really hard" after the shoulder massages. Not sure if "really" here was used like "very" or it proved someone else right. Either way, that was my first time receiving such a compliment. P90X3 works!
Not so much for losing weight though. Mine's been staying between 93-95kg constantly, unlike my P90X days when it went below 93kg. I think the shorter sessions help build muscles but not so much on losing fats, so my fats loss weigh roughly the same as my muscle mass gain.
Though she doesn't like to talk about immigrating to Canada now due to the stress the entire plan gives her (she has to graduate and get a job for at least a year there as some kind of chef for this to work), I can't help but keep thinking about it, kinda like the Changbaishan trip earlier and the Russian train trip before that.
Since I don't have to follow as a spouse anymore (one of the slowest ways to obtain PR there), I can go at any time.
Meaning I can start when she's doing her externship in the US.
That is another option.
Now the next step is to ponder on the rules and how to make it work.
The steps, after some reading, look simple.
To start, take the IELTS with the British Council that's held every week, and the TEF with the FIAF that's held bi-monthly. The TEF is the harder one for sure not only because it only happens on one Friday every two months but I'll also need to brush up my French just to get a decently basic score.
Next, find and follow the steps at the official Canadian immigration website, which includes filling the forms, digging out all the necessary documents, talking to their officers to explain anything that isn't clear, getting that medical exam for me and my brother even though he's not going, and obtaining police certificates to prove our clean records if required.
Beyond that, all I'll be able to do is wait. If I succeed, the permanent residence status is, of course, permanent unless I commit a crime or stay outside the country for too long. In the meantime, it is a good idea to search for a place of residence.
Once I get the COPR, I'll fly there and start a sole proprietorship to become a self-employed fashion designer, the role that forms half of my current job. The bonus here is that there are no requirements on me and my business once I get the PR status, so if it doesn't work out I'll try for the crappier jobs. Anything to be a productive member of society to stay there.
01 Nov 2016
Shoulder still not healed yet but I have to start exercising already. My idea here is to skip all exercises that strain the shoulders but continue with the P90X3.
Got to talk to my aunt in Toronto about my plans. Maybe she can give me a better idea of what to expect.
The weird thing here is that usually, from what I've seen since young, people go to a country or get a job there before applying for visa and then PR. In my situation, it looks like I should apply for PR before I fly there.
...
Read further and got a better understanding of the residency obligations of Canadian PR.
I must stay in Canada for 730 days in the 5 years preceding my application. Not completely accurate, technically speaking, but this interpretation is accurate enough in my case.
The actual rule is that I must be able to prove that I have stayed for at least 730 days within the 5 years of the date I became a PR.
This stretches the current plan for 2 more years then.
08 Nov 2016
FUCK YEAH!
Oh wait... it's probably not going to live up to our expectations anyway.
10 Nov 2016
Absolutely no idea why my page view count has been rising in the last few days, up to over 300 a day today.
Another change to the Changbaishan trip. Various search results and replies from fellow travellers have finally convinced me that the souther slope is closed and the 1442 steps to the peak on the western slope will be too icy and slippery to be worth the view, so this segment of the trip has been changed to the northern slope where things are more developed and easier to handle.
It's also supposed to have the worst view but the buses go up to just a 10-minute walk from the viewing point.
And this change followed the other piece of information recently discovered through forum conversations and further digging on the specific topic - temperatures on the mountain can go as low as -40 degrees, the point where both the C and the F scales are the same.
This is the cold seen on videos where someone throws boiling water into the air and ice crystals hit the ground.
Therefore, I'm supplying the heat packs and these will be the good ones from the department stores, not the really really trashy Daiso ones. Vanessa will also need a ski mask and probably goggles because all of us must cover as much skin as possible to protect ourselves from the -20 to -30 degree wind that I'm expecting from the mountaintop.
Fortunately, the trains haven't been paid for and the hotel at Changbai was fully refundable, so no money has been lost yet. The downside is that the hotel costs more now since we're going to the most tourist-oriented town.
...
Downgraded the HSR fare to second class seats. That helps to offset the price difference from the higher hotel rate by about half. I'll cover the other half for both of them myself. It's not a major difference but the point here is that I now have things to save up for, like her grad trip and a future in Canada.
Weight loss is currently an issue. The P90X3 works but not in terms of weight loss. In fact, I've gradually gained weight too - 96kg!
Thing is, it's is a fact that I'm getting stronger, so the conclusion is that this workout helps with muscle gain but not fat loss. Since it's simple logic that weight loss is having a greater output than input, it is now necessary for me to skip one meal a day using my meal replacement shake. Have been neglecting it for too long.
Arms ached yesterday from The Challenge session of P90X3, partly from the almost healed shoulder but also from the wide-arm pushups because at some points, I was aching on both sides at the back of my lower neck and shoulder blade area.
And as usual, my triceps are still aching. Those are some of my least used muscles so they grow the most every time there is an exercise session like this that focuses on the upper limbs.
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