tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53179535798853531042011-10-11T04:52:06.520+07:00Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.comBlogger1411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-20487346326250295232011-09-12T07:32:00.000+07:002011-09-12T07:32:08.337+07:00

The Videoke Station Two weeks before I left for the Philippines, I was at Le Drugstore, a lesbian bar in Montreal. It was Karaoke Night, an otherwise quiet Tuesday. About 5 people in our  group, the slightly drunk blond host of the night turned to the Asian guy at our table (a Belgian, nonetheless) and said in French You guys, Asians, in your country karaoke is a front for prostitution!

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1San Juan, Philippines16.66382208460635 120.3353115146484216.633547584606347 120.27404551464842 16.69409658460635 120.39657751464843tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-31606280982345412602011-07-02T05:51:00.001+07:002011-07-02T05:52:53.012+07:00

I was just in Vancouver for my training. There's something about the colour of green and the beautiful Rocky mountains jutting out of the horizon that feels therapeutic.

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0Vancouver International Airport, Canada49.19477 -123.17805tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-10974423465508026582011-06-22T00:48:00.000+07:002011-06-22T00:48:07.174+07:00

I can't go on with this blog without comparing my experiences in Vietnam with those in the Philippines. I know, I know - I am not even there yet. But part of my preparation is about researching what life is like there. In doing some research, I came across the Jeepney. An odd jeep/truck contraption that serves as an informal mode of public transportation.  Whereas in Hanoi I would have to

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1Montreal, QC, Canada45.5088889 -73.554166745.374671400000004 -73.69907769999999 45.6431064 -73.4092557tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-66504809863613085492011-06-18T00:37:00.000+07:002011-06-18T00:37:07.519+07:00

No. It's not the Philippines. But I had to put a picture to make this post a bit less boring My original plan was to publish my last attempt at a blog post: a post where I confusingly went back and forth trying to decide whether or not I should apply for a masters. Well... you don't have to suffer through that, as I must have accidentally deleted it! And neither do you have to suffer through

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5088889 -73.554166745.374671400000004 -73.69907769999999 45.6431064 -73.4092557tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-4743785405824063032010-03-29T17:33:00.001+07:002010-03-29T17:33:42.598+07:00

I am writing this on a plane between Saigon and Hanoi. This weekend marked my 25th birthday. I am now a quarter of a century old. Despite the weeks leading up to my birthday being some of the busiest of my life, I've been able to think and realise a bit about what it means to be 25. First off, it means birthdays are really not that important anymore. More exciting and more urgent things come

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-34844181925299025772010-03-05T14:13:00.000+07:002010-03-05T14:13:44.094+07:00

During our trip in Java, Smorg and I took a diverse array of transportation: motorbike, train, bus, bemo, minibus, ferry. In what seems typical of public transportation, at every stop along the way a parade of people selling things come onboard. They then proceed to constantly try and sell you something while you are both trapped on this moving vehicle. They will actually throw the product in

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-34874391313287855002010-02-28T10:38:00.000+07:002010-02-28T10:38:11.116+07:00

If you were wondering why I hadn't updated my blog, it's because I went to Singapore and Indonesia for the Lunar New Year. The original plan was to head to Philippines, but prices quickly skyrocketed heading that way, and the cheaper option was Indonesia via Singapore. I had been to Bali before, but regretted not heading to Java during the 10+ days I was there. This was my second chance. After

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-63157323641028082812010-02-07T16:18:00.000+07:002010-02-07T16:18:03.181+07:00

My wrist has been hurting me for quite few months now, and in the last week it has gotten pretty bad. So bad, that I could not type or even drive my electric scooter. My co-worker suggested to me I try her acupuncture doctor. Cheaper than "Western Medecine," I thought, why not? I had never been acupuntured (hehe) before, but definitely would try it. The acupuncture doctor practises from the

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-25690841313247616692010-02-02T11:18:00.001+07:002010-02-02T11:18:00.270+07:00

Here is my bit about my food experience in Beijing. My first day started off with a rice congee, similar in name to the one here in Vietnam (called chao). It turns out the similarity stops there. The rice soup here, was yellow in colour, and was doused in a sesame sauce. It was a lot thicker and was a bit salty. I scarfed it down with a vegetable spring roll and some fried bread. I didn't eat

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-57610774891133668032010-01-31T11:16:00.000+07:002010-01-31T11:16:27.910+07:00

For my way back to Vietnam from Montreal, I found a cheap flight to Beijing. I decided to take a couple days in China, before using Aeroplan points to get to Hanoi. I got a 6-month multiple-entry visa, thinking that maybe I would want to take another trip to Guangzhou for another shopping spree someday. Somehow I got a reputation at work now, where everyone thinks I love China. I don`t love China

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-15709282822413521682010-01-15T02:20:00.000+07:002010-01-15T02:20:00.131+07:00

After skating I brought the group of seven people all the way to Aux Deux Maries, a cafe on the corner of Marie-Anne and Saint-Denis. I have always loved going there, if only to watch my non-vegan dairy-drinking friends indulge in amazing-sounding coffee concoctions. I just had black coffee, as they didn't offer soya milk. Now that I'm no longer vegan (and ironically, they now offer soymilk), I

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-14126983820304190322010-01-13T02:20:00.000+07:002010-01-13T02:20:00.495+07:00

For 3 years I lived within a 10 minute walk to Parc Lafontaine, one of Montreal's largest urban parks. I was with someone for quite a while who lived on the other side of the park, and wouldn't miss the opportunity to pass through it on the way to his house. There are trees wide enough to make me believe they were in that very spot in 1642 when Montreal was founded. Despite walking through the

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-56920925774432486872010-01-10T02:37:00.000+07:002010-01-10T02:37:00.379+07:00

Veggie burgers in Hanoi lack a lot. I have yet to come across a veggie burger there that isn't some sort of sloppy mishmash of vegetables, batter and usually cheese (yuck!). Oh. And fried. Even outside Vietnam, no veggie burger comes close to what you can get at Harvey's. Canada's answer to fast-food giants Burger King and McDonald's, Harvey's grills your burger on an open flame right in front

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-77582392486899925762010-01-08T02:36:00.000+07:002010-01-08T02:36:22.898+07:00

If you heard me talk about Montreal while I was in Hanoi (and believe me, I know you did), I would have told you how there were a couple things I hated missing. The first would be the launch of the Bixi system, the first large-scale bicycle sharing system in North America, and also the most successful bike-sharing system to date. Unfortunately, the bikes aren't there during the winter, so any

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-22065960611489758692009-12-13T09:21:00.000+07:002009-12-13T09:21:38.655+07:00

Ok. It hasn't yet been one year since I left Montreal and came to Vietnam, but being in Japan again visiting Jeannette and soon making my way back home for the holidays has got me thinking. Interestingly, I found an old document in my Google Documents titled "5-year goals". I hadn't even looked at it in a year and a half, from the day I had an inspirational chat with a friend and ran home to

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-70215579138668334332009-12-03T21:37:00.000+07:002009-12-03T21:37:56.503+07:00

Literally across my new place is Lenin Park. It's a small little triangular park dedicated to the Russian communist. Cat my new housemate and I have been enjoying the sights. We sit and stare at kids and teens break-dancing, robo-dancing, spinning on rollerblades and spinning soccor balls on their arms, head, and feet. Oh and, babies driving around in mini cars. (I apologise for the poor

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-72620250672506817722009-11-26T19:01:00.000+07:002009-11-26T19:06:33.900+07:00

I am testing out mobile posting. At the moment i am sipping a mango smoothie at a street cafe. Just killing time before i teach. Here a photo of me eating half of a loaf of bread at work. Sent from jonathan's mobile phone

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-17212440509993615212009-11-25T21:56:00.000+07:002009-11-25T21:56:48.900+07:00

A couple weeks ago I got a text from a new Vietnamese friend. He asked 'tomorow you want motorbike to china 2 nights. pls tell me soon'. And so unaware of Rebel's horrible return to Hanoi, I packed my bag and hopped on the back of the motorbike with no idea what I was getting into. It turns out we joined a group of 22 other people - all Vietnamese. A group of young people who use an internet

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-18998281638429853572009-11-14T18:44:00.001+07:002009-11-15T00:36:10.612+07:00

So what happens when you live in a society where opposite-sex intimacy is not acceptable in public? And what about if, in the same society, people live with their extended family? You get Love Cafés! Little cafés where you can sit in a booth that's hidden from view. Near work there was this cute love café down the hill from the main street. Little bamboo huts with bamboo blinds could be had

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-65336502225983811532009-10-18T14:54:00.000+07:002009-10-18T14:54:16.803+07:00

My camera has been stolen, so until then you will have to put up with photos from my mobile phone. I should mention that I am moving to a new house soon. I figure now would be a good time to post about my current neighbourhood and house. I live in the middle of a giant block. Between the two streets is a densely packed neighbourhood that one can access only through the alleyways that sprawl

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-9491532610576846272009-10-04T10:22:00.002+07:002009-10-04T10:22:00.195+07:00

I've been here for about 9 months now. On the first day I arrived, I headed straight to this vegetarian restaurant I found on the New Hanoian. It is still one of my favourite vegetarian restaurants, and I go there at least once a week, if not several times a week. However, I have discovered quite a few vegetarian places within a 15-20 minute radius of my house. I use places because most of

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-59769453085829175962009-10-01T22:25:00.001+07:002009-10-01T22:26:46.478+07:00

Thinking about pocketting that disk of La Vache Qui Rit or that brick of butter? Think again!

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-46374502480935988542009-09-20T09:52:00.004+07:002009-09-20T10:15:21.353+07:00

So I've finally given into Twitter. Now anyone can track me down by either checking out the Twitter Gadget on the right side of this blog, or following me on Twitter.com (please add me!). Now I can let the world know when I am stuck in a squatter toilet with no toilet paper: delucajon OMG, that Vietnamese sandwich I ate at lunch wanted to get out fast, squatter- and no tp hehe LMAO-literally.

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-7434405112012015722009-09-16T16:33:00.001+07:002009-09-16T16:35:09.010+07:00

Photo: Definitely not the largest I've encountered. This was in a bathroom in Halong City.   The other day while cooking some pasta, a cockroach popped it's head out from my house mates cupboard just above the stovetop. I panicked. I grabbed a can of Raid (or more like Rade, considering the knock-offs they have here) and trembled as I tried to extinguish it's life.  I thought above writing a post

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-53017895504667306932009-09-13T10:18:00.001+07:002009-10-03T10:52:24.971+07:00

One of the main things I do here is cook (and eat). I will be posting some recipes that I've found, formulated or adapted.This dish is for tofu with lemongrass and chilli. I learnt this one in Hoi An,Ingredients:200g of tofu 2 tsp of oyster sauce (or veggie oyster sauce or kecap manis or you can leave out) 3 tsp of stock powder (optional) 2 tsp sugar 4 tsp sesame oil 1 or 2 small red chilli (

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-80490720204933137872009-09-11T15:37:00.000+07:002009-09-11T15:37:14.150+07:00

 Day One: we had no idea what was in storeWe also didn't know we'd be eating delicious vegetarian food off of a banana leaf. The team. Along the way we passed many random Lao sightings. Kids fishing, families bathing, livestock... It started to rain at one point. This is me and Lélé. We bickered about half the time, but quickly smiled for this rainy shot. Day 2: right before we went into a

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-81619640654114707822009-09-05T10:25:00.004+07:002009-09-05T10:59:20.474+07:00

The trip to Lao was incredibly amazing. Not only because everyone living in the house went, but also because it seems we packed so many different things into one trip. For one, our transport was quite varied:WalkingMountain BikingSwimmingTuk-TukJumbo (like a tuk-tuk, but a retrofitted pick-up truck)Rickety wooden boatLong ferry boatKayakElephantCompared to Vietnam, Lao is a peaceful sleepy

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-634860077300220722009-08-29T09:17:00.003+07:002009-08-29T09:52:23.453+07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my trip to China did not go exactly as planned. I was supposed to go to Guangzhou with Diep, where he would buy clothes (and of course, so would I), and then head to Hong Kong with Diep for 3 or 4 days, meeting a friend who I had previously met while travelling in Malaysia. It was a very simple trip, one that required me to get a visa for China, and one that

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-8261712853822972732009-08-26T10:53:00.000+07:002009-08-26T15:37:04.157+07:00

Diep and I find this cute café that sells Chinese sweet soups, very similar to Vietnamese chè. I had black sticky rice, young tofu (or silken tofu), and coconut milk. Not as delicious as Diep's green tea jelly cubes in young tofu flavoured with almond!Beijing Street - one of the main commercial streets in Guangzhou. Just a big shopping mall with cobblestones. It was interesting to see this

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-67973134180017814592009-08-23T13:58:00.004+07:002009-08-23T14:17:06.599+07:00

It hasn't been raining too much over here, not as much as a expected. When it does rain, though, it rains like hell.The other day I decided to leave work early. I'm glad that I had, because as soon as I climbed my up to the 4th floor it startd pouring like crazy.I waited a couple hours before heading out to the western food market to buy black beans and hamburger buns (8 months is way too long to

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-46887125753644187772009-08-19T10:26:00.004+07:002009-08-19T10:53:38.708+07:00

I realised recently that I haven't really posted much about my travels outside Hanoi. So here is my effort at providing a concise but informative post about my recent trip to Southern China.Here's the number one observation:Young Chinese men love purses. Or man-purses or murses. Whatever you prefer to call them. Whereas in Montreal only a select few men would dare stroll around will a shiny-white

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-60163608279797341872009-07-29T13:53:00.000+07:002009-07-29T14:56:12.694+07:00

Here is a video of driving through the Mekong Delta. This is one of the most important river systems in Asia. Covered in jungle but densely packed with people and rice fields this is a beautiful corner of Vietnam.If you find this video somewhat dizzying, imagine 10 hours in a car that is swerving back and forth into oncoming traffic at speeds you doubt are suitable for the poorly maintained and

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-2609311203716595972009-07-21T13:42:00.000+07:002009-07-21T15:31:56.963+07:00

The glistening surface of my flooded alley. Maybe about 30 cm.Ok so, I never knew what monsoon weather meant. Even after learning about it in climatology class, I never really understood what made that different from our May Showers in Canada.Well. Now I know that monsoon means a shitload of rain, wind, lightning and thunder in a short period of time. And this is usually followed by about 20

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-71388172418975283752009-07-19T13:59:00.000+07:002009-10-03T10:52:24.972+07:00

This morning I popped out of bed and decided I wanted to go and try bun bo Hue for breakfast. I had seen it on the breakfast menu of my favourite vegetarian restaurant, and and though it was twice as expensive as the usual breakfast item, pho, at only about 1.15 USD a bowl it was still a steal.The vegetarian version of this soup from Hue has vegetarian beef and rice noodles and is flavoured with

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-12350703879346760612009-07-15T14:16:00.001+07:002009-07-16T13:56:04.639+07:00

On my motorbike in front of my houseSo I splurged. With the financial help of my parents, I bought a brand new electric scooter!The Yamaha Metis was a little bit expensive, but still dirt cheap compared to the price one of these would cost in Canada. I just still have to ride my bicycle to the market, or else the market vendors will overcharge me for sure!Gone are the days of biking in 38 degree

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-78745399184916592482009-07-09T14:37:00.003+07:002009-07-09T14:51:50.063+07:00

As if some sort of force out there is correcting an imbalance, I am now officially cool.9-year old Jonathan would never believe that 24-year old Jonathan would be walking around the streets with complete strangers waving and saying Hello! Yeah. If kids said Hello to 9-year old Jonathan, it was probably to distract him while another kid would run over to trip him. They would then steal his package

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-4839057928083932362009-07-01T16:04:00.004+07:002009-07-03T08:11:23.900+07:00

On my recent business trip to Vietnam's south, I had to unexpectedly return back to Hanoi early. Because of bad planning logistics, I spent an entire day in the city of Can Tho. At the centre of the Mekong Delta, Can Tho is not a particularly interesting city.I sat for many hours on a bench at the riverside, staring at people walking by and judging whether not a foreigner napping on a bench would

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-24175128673475826952009-06-23T09:45:00.004+07:002009-06-23T10:00:13.628+07:00

I'm sitting at a restaurant with co-workers and representatives of the local government. After one woman, a manager in the the Vietnamese army, explains how romantic her husband was in asking her to marry him (these stories are much too common), I somehow mention how tired I am. I say this in Vietnamese, which of course elicits laughter from everyone at the table. It was Saturday, about 35

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-88431859634528944872009-06-19T11:29:00.000+07:002009-06-19T13:16:51.703+07:00

Dislaimer: This is an old photo, and I am slightly more handsome than portrayed in this candid shotIt didn't take me too long in this country to realise that people find me handsome. The first day in the office sitting around a table full of Vietnamese women (95% of the staff were female) all blushing telling me they didn't realise I would be so handsome kind of tipped me off. Many times when I

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-67672985994251482972009-06-14T09:58:00.004+07:002009-06-14T10:25:46.660+07:00

Long story, but I ended up spending about half the time of my Bali trip travelling by myself rather than with the friend I was visiting.I rented a motorbike but had a little accident when driving of some construction debris at high speed, and decided to return it early. My bruised and scraped up body did not want to risk another brush with gravel (but I have to say it made me look tough).In Ubud,

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-31313891129871511812009-06-09T16:37:00.005+07:002009-06-11T15:52:33.444+07:00

I am on a boat in Nui Chua National Park. The blue-aqua waves are agressively smacking the boat back and forth. The boat is filled with environmentalists and those involved in the conservation of the reef that lies just beneath the boat. A bright blue and red wooden boat is stationed around the side of a steep cliff, bobbing in the violent and thrashing water. The passengers of my boat, all

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-58822527882550528052009-06-05T16:25:00.003+07:002009-06-06T08:49:57.175+07:00

While away from Hanoi, I got sad news about my friend Son.On June 1st, he was caught in a wave off of the central coast of Vietnam.My first real friend in Vietnam, Son showed me what the country was about. Even though it was a friendship of only 5 months, we had become quite close.Son was a great friend and a great journalist.He will be missed.

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-25871561245665794112009-05-31T14:10:00.003+07:002009-05-31T14:21:15.048+07:00

Scene: I am in the posh Kim Do Hotel in central Saigon. I am sitting in the restaurant with my colleague Thuy. Classical music plays in the background and I can hear the soft trickle of the intricate waterfall at the back of the open-air restaurant.Thuy sits with a grilled tomato on her plate. A slice of gently melted mozzarella cheese clings onto the softened tomato. Thuy: What is this?She

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-9271579297414754732009-05-27T23:48:00.005+07:002009-10-03T10:17:25.532+07:00

I've arrived safely in Saigon. I'd been back from Malaysia and Indonesia nearly two weeks, and I'm already on another 2 week trip. This time it's a business trip to Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City) and the Mekong Delta. The organisation I started my new job with is organising an awareness campaign in the south, and they've sent me along to help coordinate it. Saigon is a crazy busy city, not

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-3055511521639085062009-05-19T13:21:00.003+07:002009-05-19T14:08:27.556+07:00

This is the route between the tailor and my place.This road separates West Lake from Truc Bach Lake, and connects to the Tay Ho neighbourhood.You can hear my friend Zed oozing on about how she wants to watch the sunset with her boyfriend.Romance is a farce(yes, maybe that is the stage I'm in now)

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-78414961599629880332009-05-09T21:34:00.008+07:002009-10-03T10:53:03.658+07:00

I just got back from a trip to Bali and Malaysia. A trip whose main feature was food. Food food food. I saw a program at my aunt's house about a year ago on Penang Island in Malaysia and the place has since been in the back of my head. When I was presented with an opportunity to stop in Malaysia on my way back from Bali (due to awful scheduling by AirAsia's Kuala Lumpur-Hanoi route), I just had

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-2225656372127873812009-04-10T13:05:00.005+07:002009-10-03T10:53:03.659+07:00

Food is my life. Anybody who knows me well knows that I love to cook and eat things. Cooking is half the fun. And sometimes it's all the fun, especially when a recipe doesn't work out.It's hard sometimes to stroll the streets here in Hanoi and find something that I can eat. But when I find something, I can't be happier. It's not uncommon for me to be walking completely full from a meal, and to

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-8365113928874685112009-04-02T15:14:00.002+07:002009-04-02T15:24:00.160+07:00

So I'm back from Bangkok, and now getting ready to take a 15 hour train ride to Danang in North-Central Vietnam.I'm not rolling in dough, can I mention... Things are just so cheap here.Thailand was an amazing experience. I think it's ruined my view of Hanoi.There's something about mixing an elevated light rail system with coconut-based curries that makes me want to pack up everything and move

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-91788759477676495282009-03-19T12:11:00.003+07:002009-03-19T12:23:42.721+07:00

My internet has finally been fixed! First it was my keyboard, then the internet connection.It's like Buddha has a personal grudge against me.The tech guy literally left 2 minutes ago. Sorry, I should call him my friend, as he said he wants to be my boyfriend (I just assume he means guy friend, Vietnam is not that type of place).I've cancelled my ticket back home. I've decided I'm staying in Hanoi

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-16760632213882542372009-03-10T18:12:00.003+07:002009-03-10T18:36:40.495+07:00

Sorry for the delay in posts. I've now bought a USB keyboard.Here's a short teaser from Van Hung Commune.Every workshop I have attended here (all 2!) has had someone come up and sing traditional Vietnamese songs during the break. Just some random participant. I was hoping they would ask me to come up and sing some Celine Dion.

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-53456449242022416612009-03-03T21:24:00.001+07:002009-10-03T10:53:03.660+07:00

Armed with my new knowledge of numbers in Vietnamese, I decided to venture out to the street market near my house. I wanted to make a soup for lunch and I was missing some key ingredients.I surveyed the street quickly to decide which vendor I would buy my produce from. I decided on a smiling old lady who didn't seem frightened by the prospect of communicating with someone who obviously had a

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-41475164602884285782009-02-27T08:48:00.003+07:002009-02-27T14:08:59.480+07:00

All I have to say is "wow". I just spent a week travelling around South-Central Vietnam for work, and I am incredibly impressed with the beauty and tranquility of the place. The reason for the trip was to assess the potential and readiness of the communities to jump starting a Community-Based Eco-Tourism project around a National Park. As well, I had the opportunity to spend some time in a

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-32413237363515806132009-02-24T09:02:00.004+07:002009-02-24T15:55:33.230+07:00

Until my keyboard is fixed, this will give you a taste of my recent trip to Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan Provinces in the south of Vietnam.

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-21267467739684288352009-02-14T10:13:00.004+07:002009-10-03T10:53:03.660+07:00

I have all these ideas for 'blog series', but have a difficult time going through with them. Hence the large amount of posts with a "#1" at the end...But here's one that can be easy to keep up with! One reason why I came to Vietnam was because the cheap cheap food! I spent hours and hours in Montreal researching all the types of street food, and trying to figure out which ones were vegetarian.

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-58178790276061592182009-02-12T14:48:00.006+07:002009-02-12T22:52:54.944+07:00

I've now realised work can be fun, even if you're not getting paid for it.I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying working at this organisation.But let me clarify: I am not doing anything like partying, chatting all the time, drinking, or going to karaoke. At least not anymore (those were more for the weeks preceding and following Tet), that is not why I am enjoying work now.I think one of the main

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-20052404323366196872009-02-09T19:43:00.004+07:002009-02-09T20:02:48.279+07:00

I now have an official position at work. I will be the Sustainability Advisor.My role will mainly be to evaluate the project sites of the organisation where they have set up Community-Based Eco-Tourism (CBET) to ensure that they are up to standard and that they incorporate sustainable practices. The reason why these coastal communities were selected was because of the presence of ecologically

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-42420355456830043202009-02-05T11:54:00.005+07:002009-02-05T13:05:30.238+07:00

My keyboard at home doesn't work anymore and neither does my cellphone. I blame humidity. But here's a short post done at work...We paid about 50$ USD and it included a cave-tour, kayaking, 4 meals, and an overnight stay in a cabin on the boat with a private bathroom.A couple friends, I'll call them Dele and Max, decided last minute to visit Halong Bay. Dele is leaving to go back to her home

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-57029446620706889482009-01-30T08:56:00.003+07:002009-01-30T09:02:35.730+07:00

I miss Pad Thai.And thanks to the 'global meltdown' that everyone is so afraid of and the recent protests in Thailand, AirAsia is having a sale on flights between Hanoi and Bangkok. 0$ round-trip, and only 60$ with taxes and fees!I will be spending my birthday eating pad thai on the streets, and sipping cocktails on the beach.Bangkok, here I come!

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-8142652347249347092009-01-29T17:09:00.005+07:002009-01-29T17:56:42.698+07:00

Traditional Tet decorationAbout two days into Tet (the Vietnamese lunar new year) I was totally over the whole thing and ready for the bakeries to reopen. I want a croissant. This holiday seems to last longer than an American election campaign!I definitely did not expect everything to be closed this long, and for the city to be this quiet. I have spent the last couple of days riding my roomates

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-38721013519373808372009-01-29T05:46:00.001+07:002009-02-24T09:02:36.510+07:00

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-71495950128230710192009-01-28T09:22:00.002+07:002009-01-29T17:59:22.619+07:00

I've been almost embarrassed to mention that I am now on vacation. Almost everything is closed now, and the entire country has been celebrating Tet, the lunar new year. It's strange, but many Vietnamese follow the lunar dates. It's not uncommon for someone to say 'the 23rd' and mean the 23rd day of the lunar calendar which is really, let's say, the 30th of a given month. Awfully confusing for the

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-80698290846733855082009-01-25T01:20:00.004+07:002009-01-28T12:00:17.679+07:00

So did they get the rejects of long-gone fads from the 1980s?What are these called anyways? There were about 8 machines in this gym, and two of them were these (was was attached to a treadmill)!

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-5698795887326497882009-01-24T12:24:00.000+07:002009-01-24T12:56:59.635+07:00

Just because I am white, it doesn't mean I want a moto-biiiiike! So stop waving at me!This is the entrance of the house I am living inMy day, this is a hat shop, by night it is a streetside barbecue!Street food

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-22106475958927560932009-01-20T21:52:00.003+07:002009-01-20T22:04:14.488+07:00

I am now at my second day of work. There is a lot of review that I have to do before I can really have a good idea of how the organisation functions and to become familiar with all of its projects and activities. So far everybody is extremely nice and welcoming towards me. We had a briefing meeting where I was introduced to everybody and everyone went around and introduced themselves and their

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-58089522031912392982009-01-18T12:13:00.005+07:002009-10-03T10:53:03.661+07:00

All I can say is that I just had one of the most eventful days of my life. So far, I am completely in love with the city, its dirt and noise and traffic and especially the chickens and roosters that seem to live outside my window.I started out the day with my Australian roommate, we went to a nearby vegetarian restaurant. As we were walking and talking I found it hard to keep my focus. This was

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-37853041747294691822009-01-17T02:04:00.001+07:002009-01-17T02:06:28.676+07:00

I am in Hanoi now.First thing I noticed: it's humid and smells like matches. And there is this thick fog everywhere.I've only experienced the night so far, but it strangely reminds me of the nights in Florida, when i was a kid.More to come later.

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-16482462424929410052009-01-16T13:19:00.004+07:002009-01-16T13:34:02.843+07:00

I am in Seoul, waiting for my connection to Hanoi. I have about 4 hours to spare, but only about 20 minutes on my laptop... and no adapter plug on me to charge it.If I can add on to my recent post about becoming increasingly fearful of flying, it's as if every flight I take without plunging into the Earth increases my chance that the next flight will be the flight of doom. To make matters worse,

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-81859077436355550462009-01-14T07:35:00.005+07:002009-01-14T07:55:50.685+07:00

I don't step foot in Hanoi for another couple of days and I've already made quite a few friends. Not only friendly local Vietnamese, but other foreigners alike. It's a good start. Maybe moving around a couple times as a kid has made me socially adaptable. yeah right.I've also seem to have made an enemy. I got a pretty harsh message from a prospective roommate, upset because she found out (through

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-10631803284628809472009-01-11T21:30:00.000+07:002009-01-11T21:30:00.584+07:00

We relaxed and dipped our feet in one of the city's foot onsens. After a while it get pretty crowded, but everyone was chatting to each other. It seemed like a big community thing, there was even a couple with a month-old baby!Jeannette is obsessed with trying every weird flavour of soft-serve. This one is soba-flavoured.Lighting an incense at the Pagoda in Yamaguchi. People would leave offerings

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-41247824377034075212009-01-11T06:15:00.003+07:002009-01-11T06:28:58.438+07:00

The other night Jeannette and I went to this new bar with a bunch of other foreigners that was owned by two young Japanese brothers. The bar was about the size of my kitchen in Montreal, fitting only about seven chairs around the bar.As two Japanese people entered the bar, everyone else left. Which was good, because I don't know how they would have fit in the bar. The girl was in a kimono, and

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-71300596918880172022009-01-09T14:26:00.004+07:002009-01-09T14:41:07.631+07:00

So I've arrived at Jeannette's in Tokuyama. I am surprisingly not very jetlagged, I fell asleep around midnight and woke up around 9 am, which is my usual schedule. Other than a couple scary sleep talk/walking episodes that woke up Jeannette, I slept pretty well.I finally met Motto, Jeannette's Japanese boyfriend. He is super nice, and he is just so cute the way he is a little awkward and dorky

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-92036160077460809742009-01-08T13:24:00.011+07:002009-01-18T12:44:59.832+07:00

Sorting of this sort would never be acceptable in Montreal. People get upset that they have to separate plastic from paperWe flew over Lake Winnipeg, through the prairies and then into the tundra of the Yukon and AlaskaThis was the flight route from Chicago to TokyoI am in Tokyo right now, waiting for my plane to Hiroshima. I feel just a little dirty and very tired.I had this unexpected cold

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-59410376833459254512009-01-01T23:19:00.003+07:002009-01-01T23:35:25.146+07:00

It has been quite a while since my last post, and I apologise for it. It's been rather hard dealing with something major that happened. Sorry for the vagueness, but I'll just say I started packing some clothes a lot earlier than I had thought.I now have less than a week left before I leave and I feel I have not gotten very much done. I have mostly been moping around and stressing about the house,

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-7004874853334635352008-12-22T22:37:00.000+07:002008-12-22T22:37:00.180+07:00

Because I'll be so much closer to Jeannette.It's true. I want to marry her. We will be on the same continent again.

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-68868707428397522672008-12-22T08:28:00.004+07:002008-12-22T08:48:13.362+07:00

Thanks again to my brother, my family and my friends for making the dinner and a raffle a big success! We ended up raising over $650!Here are the winners for the 13 prizes:1 - Basket from Bath and Body Works full of skin care products (worth 150$) - Hoa (ticket # 105430)2 - Basket from Bath and Body Works full of skin care products (worth 150$) - Simon B. (ticket # 105439)3 - $25 gift card from

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-87213725401579836402008-12-20T13:31:00.000+07:002008-12-20T13:31:05.069+07:00

Everything is pretty much coming along fine. Today was my last day of work. I can now focus my energies on packing my stuff and making last minute arrangements. My room-mate Jasmine's boyfriend will be moving in for the four months I'll be gone, and so I'll have to clear out some stuff from my bedroom.I'll also be able to come up with my 'volunteer's work plan'. Basically, because I've organised

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-56424802709962455422008-12-18T20:10:00.001+07:002008-12-20T21:50:48.360+07:00

Photos by ReeseThe Haircut-a-Thon organised by my brother was a success! We managed to raise $139 to my Vietnam internship fund.We had an awesome hairdresser, John Paliotti come and offer haircuts with a price range of 25-40$ depending on hair

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-16662019305680896242008-12-15T00:13:00.004+07:002008-12-15T00:19:35.214+07:00

Because people think I'm a volunteer anyway.Some people seem to think that because my job involves promoting recycling and 'environmentalism' that I surely cannot be paid! I've been asked "do you get paid to do this?" by about 5 people a month. Every now and then there's a "You're not paid to do this, are you?".I mean, there are tonnes of people out there looking for real jobs...

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-556129002010093472008-12-13T00:01:00.000+07:002008-12-15T00:19:16.375+07:00

It started with a George Forman G5 Next Grilleration Grill. This amazing machine was sitting in a box in my parents basement. As with every single gadget my parents buy (including the fruit dehydration appliance I bought my mom when I was 10, and she never used), it had never even been opened. This sweet machine has five interchangable panels that can turn it instantly from a pannini press to a

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-88107946512748637972008-12-08T23:45:00.003+07:002008-12-09T00:01:26.313+07:00

It is not cheap. Nothing is cheap. And going to a far away country to volunteer for 4 months is not an exception. My original budget estimates brought in the total cost to around $3,000 Canadian. I wish. Much like government expenditures, my budget has totally 'mega-hospitalled' to $4,000.Here's a rough list of what I have estimated and spent already:Airline ticket 1900Travel clinic

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-88427012176051547172008-11-26T21:40:00.006+07:002008-12-03T01:21:37.105+07:00

I've started learning Vietnamese in preparation for my trip. I've decided I will not pull a Jeannette, and so will arrive with at least enough knowledge of the language that I will be able to ask someone if they understand English (sorry Jeannette!).Or announce to everyone that I am American! Even though I am not American.There is no doubt that the series of CDs I bought, Pimsleurs

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-54078867602255757832008-11-23T23:14:00.004+07:002008-11-27T00:32:27.031+07:00

So I have now changed the name of this blog from Chronicles of the 12th Floor, to Chronicles of the Next Floor. For those you don't know, the 12th floor is where I spent most of my time in University: the 12th floor of the Hall Building at Concordia. The change to the Next Floor represents my quest to find the next level, the level where I can continue learning in a more practical and technical

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-73863562133253057252007-08-31T08:33:00.000+07:002007-09-03T01:04:03.863+07:00

If anyone is wondering what has been happening with the Chronicles of the 12th Floor blog for the last couple months, you should come to Pierce Street this Saturday, September the 1st. The street facing the Faubourg will be closed off between 11am and 5pm for an event that i have been organising. The Eco-street fair will host music, eco-vendors, and community organisations and a chock full of

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-81737430299853848922007-07-25T23:58:00.000+07:002007-07-26T21:05:15.265+07:00

Recycling has been a major part of the ecological movement for almost as long as there has been an ecological movement. It's popularity began with public awareness of the amount of waste going into landfills, and the popularity of the environmental movement as a whole (Rachel Carson's Silent Spring having much to do with it). Today, recycling programmes are popular not only because i this sense

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-43797905421764969982007-07-05T22:08:00.000+07:002007-07-05T23:04:28.501+07:00

I went to New York for Canada Day weekend, and didn't really take many photos. I'm not sure why, but now i wish i remembered some more of the trip. Looking at the photos now, i can't even remember taking half of them! I guess their drinks really are stronger over there (note: i experienced the worst hang-over of my life Saturday morning). Other than drinking heavily, Rob and i ate very delicious

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-34576492221969851742007-06-22T19:01:00.001+07:002007-06-22T19:13:21.183+07:00

I was sitting at my desk yesterday (ok.it's more of a table) and heard something that sounded like a swarm of locusts. Well, i can only assume it sounded like a locust invasion, as i have never experienced one but have watched enough movies to have a vague idea (as if the filmmakers knew anyway). Wondering (and somewhat eager) whether the divine-being (whoever the fuck it is) was finally

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-53208360243170048862007-06-14T22:58:00.001+07:002007-06-14T23:17:08.589+07:00

As if Blork and i are competing in a garden post-athon, here are some more photos of my garden. Whereas Blork's have an artistic quality to them, mine are simply amateur photos trying to capture the very short life of the blooms after my impatient pacing (for weeks, really). Perhaps this is a friendly challenge, but i see this as a learning experience. I really do need to learn how to use my

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-28036843097072449962007-06-07T20:35:00.000+07:002007-06-14T23:17:54.714+07:00

Montreal's sister city Shanghai has announced the development of an underground park that will be part of the city's large underground network. A fibre-optic network would 'wire' light underground, solving the issue of it being underground.I am not familiar with the way the underground city in Shanghai is organised, but in Montreal the underground city (except for certain passageways) are private

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-39780324568375644322007-06-06T21:08:00.000+07:002007-06-06T20:09:59.871+07:00

Sustainability has become a sort of buzz word, companies and organisations (and even governments) throw the word around in hopes of capturing consumers' attention. People are attempting to seek a more sustainable lifestyle even if they are a little unsure of what it means. In what i hope will become many more posts, i will recommend several alternatives to everyday consumer items. They won't

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-31860831254460284382007-06-01T22:33:00.000+07:002007-06-02T12:38:12.627+07:00

Today is the start of the Fourth Citizen Summit of Montreal, the theme being 'Planning the City, economic development and participatory democracy: The Right to the City'. The Urban Ecology Centre is hosting the 40 or so workshops that will be simultaneously translated in English and French. Most of the programming is in French, but they have 12 roundtables and workshops that will be in English.

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-30480477724373211632007-05-26T23:18:00.000+07:002007-05-27T03:21:33.011+07:00

This is the first full summer where i have my own backyard. I've done the whole balcony container garden thing, and i've done the whole community garden thing. Nothing compares to having your very own fresh earth to break right outside your kitchen's back door.When i'd moved in, the backyard had not been taken care of by the previous tenants for many many years. Vines that had been planted had

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-30264739504816228772007-05-25T01:14:00.000+07:002007-05-25T01:35:49.277+07:00

Here's an interesting article from the Toronto Star, by way of Spacing, on Ontario's adoption of a Smart Growth policy. I know that they have been commissioning reports from the Neptis Foundation right left and centre for several years, but it appears that the province is going to officially adopt such a policy. The most important facet of Smart Growth is that it involves planning growth on a

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-41837705303350021972007-05-22T23:41:00.000+07:002007-05-22T23:49:42.397+07:00

The Coop La Maison Verte (5785 Sherbrooke West) has received their annual shipment of heirloom vegetables seedlings. Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and other organic vegetables and herbs are available. Here is a list of what they have received, you can no longer order them, but have to go in and choose from their selection. There are some interesting varieties of tomato plants like the Pineapple

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-34354669695761511552007-05-22T22:09:00.000+07:002007-05-22T22:25:13.115+07:00

The UN has managed to garner pledges to plant a billion trees, thanks to Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai. Maathai (the first African women of her status) started the programme to combat climate change and fight poverty. The article mentions that deforestation in Africa has led to conflict over the now scarce resource, and planting trees will help calm the fire. Maathai successfully influenced the

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-25103240114484420232007-05-19T23:10:00.000+07:002007-05-20T11:56:02.014+07:00

So this is the debate. Montreal has decided that its priority is to develop a tram network, starting with about 20 km that will eventually expand. I took a course a couple of years ago in Urban Transportation and one main focus was on the differences between bus service and tramways in the way they shape a transit system and travel behaviour (as well as the city landscape). I have to first point

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-27815101705178912712007-05-18T00:02:00.000+07:002007-05-18T00:47:02.346+07:00

A new tram system in Montreal has been the talk of the town for the last month if not the last year. I somehow fell upon this document [pdf 240 kb] put out by Projet Montreal, complete with maps of every borough, and their proposed tram lines. If you haven't forgotten the last municipal election, Projet Montreal is the very new municipal party that surprising won a seat. They are the ones who

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-21481338924836906532007-05-16T21:40:00.000+07:002007-05-16T22:29:34.199+07:00

My parents have decided to move back to Montreal from Suburban American Hell. I had taken the responsibility of real-estate agent in showing them several properties as 'ideas'. Of course it has been incredibly stressful for me, and i have now resigned. It's clear they have acquired a taste for suburban living that can hardly be changed. Even in light of global warming ( i mean it's even on the

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-61541000702150434302007-05-13T21:09:00.000+07:002007-05-13T20:11:13.167+07:00

I've been visiting a new bar every two weeks with a group of friends in order to acquaint myself not only with new places but also new friends (we each invite new people to come out with us). I bought the book Montréal Resto À Go-Go by Sarah Musgrave a while ago, and have used it as a guide for our new bars. The core members of the group have decided that we should visit a new restaurant once a

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-3618885594078651282007-05-11T07:05:00.000+07:002007-05-11T07:36:52.664+07:00

The Inhabitat blog has posted an interesting piece on a new city in Abu Dhabi to be completely green. Designed by firm Foster + Partners, this 6 million square metre walled city (called Masdar) will be completely car-free, waste-free and self-sustaining. I wonder if it will consider the other 2 pillars of sustainability, social and economic. Hopefully this city will be a centre of innovation in

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317953579885353104.post-6965965637072845102007-05-09T20:59:00.000+07:002007-05-09T21:12:40.042+07:00

I would encourage everyone to check out the City Stars comic, by illustrator Grant Collins. This was part of the Logocities Symposium that just wrapped up a couple of days ago. The comic illustrates the tales of someone who, triggered by the pope's death and the resultant 'purple cross illumination', searches for meaning in the logos that dot Montreal's skyline.The signs and logos of the city are

Jonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10199773903749578402noreply@blogger.com0