It's been awhile....

Well its been a few months now, and actually I've gotten a few complaints about not writing in this blog. I thought no one was reading them. I was wrong.

Anyways there are a few things on my mind.

One is that I met a gentlemen on the street in Shanghai and after meeting him eye to eye as I passed him on the sidewalk, he approached me and asked me to lend him a hundred RMB. I quickly said "no" like I do with all the merchants selling fake watches, and purses. He followed me and then said he needed the money to get back to Nanjing and that someone had stolen his wallet and again I said "no", I then saw what I assumed to be his wife and son. I still said "no". He gave me his business card and assured me that he would return the money, but I still said "no". Now at this point I walked away and got into a taxi and went home. I looked back, as he and his family sat on some steps by a small building. I could see the man and it seemed as if was assuring his wife that things were going to be alright.

I went home.

I felt horrible. I could have done something to help this man and his family and I did nothing. For me it wasn't a question of the money, but was I being scammed? For hundred RMB equivalent to about $14 I turned this man down. $14 would not have broken my bank account, but it definitely could have helped someone. I did nothing.

I still feel bad. Today I know that was the wrong decision whether or not is was a scam, I should have given that man the money he may have really needed my help.

I can only hope that in the future I will make the right decision. Maybe I'm a fool, but helping someone who needs the help is always the right decision.

Anyways take care, and I will try to write more regularly

City on Fire

So I spent Chinese New Year in Shanghai! It was amazing, or atleast the fireworks that were going off all over the city were!

At about 6 pm the fireworks started going off, just a few places, and then by 10pm, with no place to go cause everything is closed or stupidly crowded, I went home with some pizza and some beers! From my 37th storey apartment on the east side of downtown, I have a good view of the city! There were fireworks everywhere, I mean there's something to say about firework shows, and there's something to say about the whole city engaged in lighting up the sky!

It was amazing, never seen anything like it. I was in India for Diwali, and it doesn't even come close. I mean the the entire sky was filled with fireworks! What a sight!

At midnight it became really intense and at one point I could only see the fireworks that were really close because the sky was filled with so much smoke!

This continued until I think about 3 am, when I was able to finally fall asleep from the crackers, which started again at about 7am!!!

In any case, it was a good experience!

Oh yeah if you are ever in Shanghai, keep in a umbrella with you, twice in one week I got drenched cause I couldn't get a taxi!!!!

Anyways catch you later, for you guys in Toronto, see you in March!

Oh yeah St. Paty's is coming! you can read my second or third blog for what happened last year, and this time I will post the schedule before the beer drinking event!

Cheers,
Vijay

Best Of You

Well I want to try to continue this regular feature, a song that means something, it seems like the only thing I write on this blog lately.

What comes to mind is the phrase ".....someone getting the best of you..." and you know what, they are! I'm not yelling back or telling them which orifice they should stick their head into, but enough is enough! I'm sick and tired of people who think they are just too important! So before I came back to China someone really ticked me off, and I thought we had resolved it via an adult conversation calmly, but when I landed it was different! Then there have been a series of other conversations as such which just lead me to believe that people who think they are too important are missing the point to life.

So here is the song...

"Best Of You" from the Foo Fighters

I've got another confession to make
I'm your fool
Everyone's got their chains to break
Holdin' you

Were you born to resist or be abused?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?

Are you gone and onto someone new?
I needed somewhere to hang my head
Without your noose
You gave me something that I didn't have
But had no use
I was too weak to give in
Too strong to lose
My heart is under arrest again
But I break loose
My head is giving me life or death
But I can't choose
I swear I'll never give in
I refuse

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
You trust, you must
Confess
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Oh...

Oh...Oh...Oh...Oh...

Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
The life, the love you'd die to heal
The hope that starts the broken hearts
You trust, you must
Confess

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?

I've got another confession my friend
I'm no fool
I'm getting tired of starting again
Somewhere new

Were you born to resist or be abused?
I swear I'll never give in
I refuse

Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
You trust, you must
Confess
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?
Oh...

So that's it! I'm going not going to give in! They can do what they like, they are petty and have meager minds!

Anyways catch ya later!

Home?

Well I'm going back to China after coming back to for the holidays.

It was a time to reflect and think about what makes me tick, never got to that answer, but one question did get an answer. Home, what is it for me?

For the longest time I thought it was in Toronto. In the townhouse I lived in, then it became my place in Shanghai, but now I know what it really is for me. It's the relationships around me that make me feel like I am at home. It isn't a place, or a object, it is a feeling of belonging.

In anycase now I need figure out where home is....... Toronto, Shanghai, or somewhere else on this small planet....

Good Faith

So I got back from India and it was awesome! Seeing the entire family, visiting a few friends, going to the Taj Mahal, some temples and spiritual places like Haridwar.
Mumbai and Delhi were amazing cities, Gujarat (Surat and Vadodara) was incredible. I miss it a lot. I also noticed that I had changed. India and China have helped me become more patient, more directed. I have a better attitude, and it was positive!

Realization of positivity

I guess I could get into details but that is not why I decided to wipe the dust off my blog and start writing again.

So why? well.....

I tend to believe the good nature of people. I trust people to do the right thing, even if it is difficult. I almost always get taken advantage of. It happened again. It was the final blow that pushed me over the edge. I got into my car a marauded thru traffic to get home to listen to load angry music. The slower traffic aggravated me more just adding to the already volatile situation. Wishing I had a bazooka strapped to my green Toyota Camry so I can leave little craters in the ground where a car once was. I got home, no causalities except me.

Negativity creeps back in

I have no hidden agenda. I am who am and it is pretty raw, what you see is what you get. I try to expect that people will do the right thing and that there is good in people, but once again I have been proved wrong. I don't want to get into details, but it has a lot to do with my experience with going to China on foreign assignment. I DON'T BLAME anyone but me, cause I should have looked at number 1, me.

Full assault of negativity

So this situation has been frustrating for the past few days.

Sitting at my desk, I try to clean out some junk on my computer, and then I came across a word file, and it was titled Mother Theresa.

Positivity fights back

So I proceeded to open the file, and then began to read it. As I read it ,I remembered that I had typed this a few years ago from a news paper when Mother Theresa had passed on. I remembered thinking wow, these are profound words whether you believe in God or not. So I would like to share it with you.


People are often unreasonable,
Illogical, and self-centred;
Forgive them anyway.


If you are kind, people may
Accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
People may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
Someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and
Happiness they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
People will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
And it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,
It is between you and God,
It was never between you and them anyway

Then I realized that this was true, and came back to where I was after being in China and India....

Then there was light

.... a more positive person, a better positive attitude, some one who won't let negativity run his life, some one who won't give up on good faith

India

Going to India for a month!!! Awesome!!!!

Zinda

I watched this Indian movie the other night, Zinda, and man it was different than most Indian movies. I think it was a take on a Korean/Japanese movie. Zinda, means alive. It was good, I would recommend this to anyone who likes, well 1) Bollywood; 2) movies like Kill Bill, and Collateral Damage. By the way if anyone knows what movie this concept came from let me know cause I would like watch it!

On a another note, the Bill's got smoked by the Bear's! Hopefully this is not another long season for the Bill's, and yes I am a Bill's fan! What can I say!
I miss football. I need to get satellite!