RBC GranFondo Vancouver to Whistler (120km) - Sep 10
CSC Spec Golf Tournament - Sep 15
Roofmart Bowling Nite - Sep 17
Chuckanut Century Ride - 168km - Sep 18
GVHBA Golf Tournament - Sep 21
Garibaldi and Panorama Ridge Hike - Sep 24
Rotary Ride For Rescue - Cypress Mtn Hill Climb - Oct 1
Tour De Biennale 85K Ride - Oct 2
Granville Island Turkey Trot 10K Run - Oct 10
RTCC Celebration Ride 85K - Oct 16
My Birthday - Nov 10
Fall Classic Run 10K - Nov 20
1 Year Anniversary with Mandeep - Nov 24
UBC Rec Triathlon Duathlon - Mar 11, 2012
Pacific Populaire 100km Ride - April 16, 2012
RTCC Vancouver to Seattle 260km - Jun 18-19, 2012
Tour De Victoria 140km Ride - June 24, 2012
Canada Day Populaire 146km Ride - July 1, 2012
Rotary Club Bike-A-Thon 120km Ride - July 10, 2012
Tour De Whatcom 105miles Ride - July 28, 2012
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Itinerary 2011 - 2012
Friday, July 22, 2011
Friends
The older I get, the less patience I have, it seems, of things, situations, and especially people with whom I don't enjoy spending time. Over the past six months, I've taken stock of my existing friendships and have been evaluating each one with a hard, critical eye and with a heavy heart there are a few existing relationships that I will need to excise. For some, it's simply the fact that we've grown apart and have become completely different people than when the friendships started. I no longer have anything in common with these people and often find myself utterly bored or completely out of touch with their worlds. For others, it's simply the fact that being around them is mentally, emotionally and physically draining and taxing. When hanging out with certain people is no longer fun and you have to feel like you have to put up a front, it's time to drop that relationship. For some others still, you eventually come to the realization that you matter very little to them and that they will never be there to lift you up.
My time and energy is limited and I'd much rather invest those limited resources to the relationships that lift you, nurture you, support you and make you feel great. All of the relationships you are involved in should be mutually positive, healthy and respectful. And the world is full of all sorts of new friendships to be forged with new wonderful people who share my interests and outlook on life. I'd rather invest my time and effort there too. I agree that dropping some of my existing long term friendships seems harsh but like I said above, I no longer have the patience and walking away is probably the healthiest thing I can do for both of us.
Itinerary 2011
Friday Nite Training Ride - 23km - Jul 22
Diez Vistas Buntzen Lake Hike - Jul 23
Sunday Training Ride - 60km - Jul 24
Goldmember Outdoor Movie - Jul 25
Lynn Lake Loop Hike - Jul 26
Nanaimo - Jul 27
Wednesday Nite Training Ride - 45km - Jul 27
Roofmart Team Dinner - Jul 28
Mike and Caroline Dinner - Jul 29
Tour De Whatcom - 110 Miles - Jul 30
Golden Ears Hike - Aug 1
Metric Century Training Ride - Aug 6
Squamish Chief Hike - Aug 7
Whistler Training Ride - 120km - Aug 14
Arnold and Sons Golf Classic - Aug 26
Whistler Training Ride - 120km - Aug 27
RBC GranFondo Vancouver to Whistler (120km) - Sep 10
CSC Spec Golf Tournament - Sep 15
Chuckanut Century Ride - 168km - Sep 18
GVHBA Golf Tournament - Sep 21
Garibaldi Hike - Sep 24
My Birthday - Nov 10
1 Year Anniversary with Mandeep - Nov 24
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
I hate being sick
Ugh! My stomach's been tumultuous today. It's decided to launch an unfriendly revolt this morning and is on a full scale attack on my senses. I'm feeling a little weak and lethargic and add to that the unpleasant and hard-to-get-rid-of after taste of puking your guts out. I'm not one for getting sick usually. I'm more apt to soldier on and walk it off. But today, I had to call in sick. I missed our bi-weekly sales meeting and I still have a ton of work to take care of.
But because I can't sit still and I hate taking time off work to be sick at home, I'll be working from home making calls, setting up appointments, blasting out emails, all in between running to the bathroom. Yeah, I know. Sexy isn't it? I'm hoping it's only a 24 hour bug and I'm back on my horse tomorrow. My girlfriend seems to think she might get to see me act like a little baby, but I'm betting she's wrong. Although it would be nice to be spoiled for a day and taken care of. Hell, I think that's reason enough for me.
Anyway, I don't care if I'm coherent, I'm a bit loopy right now.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Measure of A Man
When I was single, one of the qualities that I looked for in a woman, one that seemed quite elusive, was that of a smart woman who is confident and unashamed in her abilities. What I found most often was that the "smart" women were most often, as the cliche goes, taken. And the ones that were available, weren't always all that smart, either because they downplayed their intelligence or weren't all that interested in the world at large around them. Or weren't all that interested in relationships, careers and other demands taking precedence. Then one day, I lucked out and I found my smart girl. She's articulate, passionate about the world, has an innate desire for knowledge and loves to explore. We can discuss and discourse about as many topics as I can think about and I can honestly say that I think she's smarter than me.
Something that I noticed about her, and I'm not sure if it's the same with all smart women, and one that I wasn't prepared for, is that in addition to her being smart and intelligent, is that she's also fiercely independent and a staunch feminist. Now, I know like most guys, my vision of a feminist is that of the bra-burning, anti-male, rhetoric spewing female who is always angry. I realized I was completely wrong on that. She's all for equality of the genders while still celebrating the differences we have. Either feminism has evolved or I always had the wrong notion of them. Knowing her stance on a lot of issues relating to equality of the sexes, makes me realize that I hold a lot of those same beliefs as well. I guess I realized that I'm a bit of a feminist myself. That realization brought with it a re-examination of my own masculinity. How was I to define myself as a man? With a woman who is such fiercely independant confident, what place does the traditional view of a man have in her life? She doesn't need me to support her or protect her, she doesn't need me to be her hero.
I've always been a firm believer in getting back to masculinity. I've always believed that we should as men continue to refine and evolve the role of man and what it means to be a man, and a gentleman. I guess I've always been a masculinist. I never realized that a lot of what I believed in also applied to feminists and feminism. Now there are a lot of masculinists (aka Men's Rights Activists or MRA's) out there that are the opposite of my traditional view of feminists - angry, women-hating men. The traditional view of feminists is that women are the oppressed class. MRAs—apparently inspired by feminism—simply flip this construct on its head and situate women as oppressors. Those kind of viewpoints in my mind do more to harm discourse and change and serves to divide humanity into two distinct antagonistic classes - men vs women. Only one gender can prevail and the loser gets to cart off the coveted crown of Victim.
I, for one, as a man, would rather not allow ourselves to be emasculated by feminism, by divorce law, by women who, God forbid, want to break the glass ceiling once and for all. Why can't we celebrate our women's successes while developing our own powerful voice for good in the world, most particularly when it comes to be being fathers and husbands? Men and Women both bring to the table equally important but completely different temperament, a different vocabulary, a different way of being.
I believe women should get paid the same as men, men should do as much housework as women, and men should treat domestic labor as real work, instead of as emasculating. Workplaces should be more flexible for parents of both genders. If that happened, more women would work outside the home, and more men would cut back work hours for family. I know I would. Why should my wife have to strive for success at work and feel guilty at the same time for time spent away from the family? Why should I have and easier time climbing the corporate ladder and leave the raising of family to my spouse alone? Women still make less than men in the workplace, but still do more free labor at home, even when they work full time. Plus, many men feel scaling back or quitting their jobs is emasculating. So, when someone in a couple decides to scale back or quit a job to maintain the household, it’s usually the wife. But, for many families, women just simply do more for less pay. Being at home is no picnic for women, since it reduces future earning potential. Plus, being around kids all day can be a little maddening. I wouldn't want this for my wife or any future daughters I might have. Maybe I'm not like most men. I tend to believe in wanting an equal partner instead of a dependent.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Rides for 2011
I have to admit that I have a love affair with cycling. I thought the urge would dissipate once the winter season took hold and I was able to indulge in my main passion of snowboarding, but I miss being on the bike terribly and I find myself wistfully wishing for warmer, dryer days to hit the road. So, in anticipation, I've gone ahead and signed up for the following rides this year and i can't wait for training season to start!
- Pacific Populaire - Apr 3 - 100km
- Ryder Hesjedal's Tour De Victoria - May 28 - 140km
- The Ride to Conquer Cancer - Vancouver to Seattle - June 18-19 - 260km
- BC Randonneurs Canada Day Ride - Jul 1 - 144km
- Rotary Club Bike-A-Thon - Jul 10 - 120km
- Tour De Whatcom - Jul 30 - 105 miles
- RBC GranFondo Whistler - Sep 10 - 120km
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Bucket List updated
This list is a work in progress, it'll keep changing with the beat of my life.
Travel
1. Sail to Tierra Del Fuego, Chile and Ushuaia, Argentina and Antarctica and see the end of the earth and play with penguins
2. Visit every country in Western Europe and Eastern Europe
3. Factory tours at Porsche - Stuttgart, Benz - Stuttgart, VW - Zuffenhausen, Zonda - Maranello, Lambo, Ferrari - Maranello, and other European car factory tours in Europe
4. See Eastern Canada including the Maritimes and Old Montreal and Quebec city
5. Fill all the pages of my passport with stamps and visas before it expires.
6. Visit the Carribean to St Maarten, Trinidad, Tobago, St Lucia
7. Take a cruise to Alaska
8. Take a volunteer vacation
9. Spend a few weeks touring through South East Asia
10. Have sushi in Tokyo
11. See Mount Everest from Nepal. I don’t want to climb it but I do want to make it to base camp.
12. Walk the Great Wall of China
13. See the pyramids in Egypt
14. Walk the streets of Monaco where the F1 cars play
15. Sail around the Greek islands starting with Santorini
16. See the sunset in Australia
17. Spend New Years in Fiji and be the first to celebrate
18. Lay on the beach in Goa - DONE
19. Party at Carnaval in Rio
20. Take a train across Canada
21. New Years in Times Square New York
22. Hike the Grand Canyon
23. See the basilica in Rome
24. Go ski-doo sledding – DONE
25. Stay in an ice hotel in Europe
26. See Angel Falls in Venezuela
27. Attend both Winter and Summer Olympics
28. See the temples at Angkor Wat
29. Kiss the Blarney Stone
30. See the Aurora Borealis
31. See the giant stone heads on Easter Island
32. Volunteer to help at the Galapagos Islands
33. Volunteer at a village in Africa
34. Drink a beer at Oktoberfest
35. Visit the Louvre and see the Mona Lisa and I.M Pei’s glass pyramid entrance
36. Go on a roadtrip with my friends, with no predetermined destination
37. See the running of the bulls in Madrid
38. See all of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous buildings in person
39. See Singapore again and visit all the places I grew up around
Accomplishment
40. Run a marathon
41. Hit a 145 lbs and/or 10% body fat
42. Learn to snowboard – DONE, this one I love
43. Complete a Triathlon
44. Learn to speak Spanish
45. Learn to Sail a boat, even if it’s a small one
46. Sleep under the stars on the beach - DONE
47. Hike the Northwest Trail
48. Learn Photography – in progress
49. Learn to cook – in progress
50. Raft the Nhatlatch River
51. See U2 live in concert in Dublin
52. Learn to surf – DONE
53. Snowboard black diamond slopes confidently – DONE
54. Scare myself at least once each day – in progress
55. Learn to use Photoshop to tweak my pictures
56. Have one of my pictures published - DONE
57. Write a travel article
58. Jump out of a plane - Skydive
59. See a tiger in the wild
60. Write a book
61. Learn to live minimally and without clutter, except when it comes to gadgets and vehicles
62. Take a glass blowing class
63. Create a Photo Essay project
64. Start an heirloom to pass on to future Goel generations
65. Learn to enjoy fine wine and scotch - in progress
66. Learn to identify all of the major constellations
67. Teach somebody to read
68. See a total solar eclipse
69. Learn to play the guitar
70. Marry and be a dad
71. Read the Bhagavad Gita
72. Play 18 holes of golf in par or under par
73. Live debt free – in progress
74. Spend an entire paycheck on a piece of art and not regret it
75. Build a house for Habitat for Humanity
76. Adopt a dog - DONE
77. Take a yoga class - DONE
78. Finish renovations on my house – in progress
79. Serve my Country, and by this I mean Canada, and in any way that I can raise the profile of this amazing nation
80. Keep a clean garage for a year straight
81. Do the polar bear swim - DONE
82. Get pampered for a day – I can do more
83. Crush grapes with my bare feet to make wine
84. Get a shave at an old fashioned barbershop in England
85. Get a custom made suit - DONE
86. Try a deep-fried Mars bar
87. Learn to feel like I’ve accomplished things in my life that I can be proud of
88. Take a helicopter ride around Vancouver
Cars
89. Learn to race on the weekends in a sanctioned event
90. Learn to ride a motor-bike
91. Drive across Canada
92. Take a performance driving course
93. Drive the Nurburgring in Germany
94. Drive the Autobahn
95. Take the chunnel across from England to France
96. Visit the Top Gear taping on set
97. Rebuild a car
98. See an F1 race – preferably in Monaco
99. See the WRC rally race in Catalunya Spain
100. Teach a kid to drive
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Songs of the week - Nov 22nd
What's turning my crank this week... Enjoy!
1) Trust in Me by Etta James - I'm not sure I'm even allowed to like this song. I mean it is way, way cooler than me.
2) Carz by Sir Mix-A-Lot - Yeah, you're probably wondering how I can go from sweet Etta to Sir Mix-a-lot, and truth be told, I'm not sure I even like this song. But it is about exotic cars, and I gotta give him my props on that. I mean, I like nice cars and I cannot lie, you other brothers can't deny, that when a Benz rolls in with 20 inch rims, and it's headlights in your face, you get sprung!
3) All The Wine by The National - For some reason, listening to this makes me want to visit New York in the winter. The mood almost seems right for a grey moody winter day.
4) Alway Like This by Bombay Bicycle Club - Yes, I hate hipsters, but I have to face facts. I am one of them, I realize this reluctantly. I love the same music they do. Dammit.
5) Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley - What can I say, this is a classic. There is seriously something wrong with you if you don't like this.
6) Bad Reputation by Joan Jett - From the original rock and roll goddess! What is she like 50 now? Still rocking and still hot!
7) Very Loud by The Shout Out Louds - Go watch Nick and Norah. Okay movie, awesome soundtrack!
8) Et Les Mots Croises by Dan Mangan - If you live in Vancouver, you gotta love this guy. Good local music.
9) Friends of P. by The Rentals - Just a bit of trivia for you. P is for Paulina Porizkova, the wife of Ric Ocasek. Ric Ocasek is a member of The Cars and he produced Weezer's first album. Now you know.
10) Fist by The Dudes - another great canadian band.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Biz Markie, Goldblum and The Roots
As wierd and eccentric as Jeff Goldblum is, he is still awesome as evidenced here by his performance with Biz Markie on "Just A Friend".
Monday, November 08, 2010
Putin Wins Staring Contest (brings F1 to Moscow)
He's ridden horses:
He's kissed children:
He's shot guns:
He's taken down tigers:
As Hemingway said, "There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games."
Well, last weekend, Putin particpated in one of the three sports. He put on a helmet and, like the brave ex-KGB-ex-President-current-Prime-Minister he is, he went out to clip some apexes:
Then he hung out with Bernie and made him bring F1 to Russia... OR ELSE.
"YOU WILL TO BRING F1 TO RUSSIA!"
"Um.... Yes?"
"Good.... Want to see my horse?"
50 Cent puts $2million into the trunk of his Lambo...
What a classy dumbass! Somebody please shoot him again. You wanna know why he's doing this? So he can piss off poor people like you and me.
Kinda reminds me of this....
In other news, something else for your viewing pleasure...
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
New Bike - Argon18 Platinum Carbon
There's a pang of sadness today as I sold my first road bike today. My Merlin RSR was a beautiful machine to behold. Built on a full naked and bare Titanium frame, with a full Shimano 105 gruppo, Selle Italia seat and classic Ambrosio wheelset, this was a rare machine. Bikes with Titanium frames are rare, mostly because they are expensive as hell and they will never rust, break, ding or scratch. And if you like the mechanical look of things, nothing beats Ti.
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| My old Merlin RSR |
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| My new Argon18 |
