Fire in manhole...

See the contrast between the buildings on the left and right... the west downtown core was out of power for 4 whole days earlier this month..

Seeing the sunny side of things.. this is what I'm talking about. Thanks Mayor Nenshi!

Among city officials, only Mayor Naheed Nenshi would posit a possible explanation, albeit a cheeky one for a city bedevilled lately by fire, September snow and flooding.

“I have been doing my own analysis of the situation, and I have pretty much ruled out zombies and aliens. Zombie aliens, however, still remain in question.”

On Parenthood

Being a parent is hard. Let's not beat around the bush about it. It's hard because all of a sudden you're overwhelmed with this sense or responsibility. You, after-all  brought this child to this world. The kid is totally dependent on you (or your delegate, in our case, my poor mum..) for everything. Starting from the time he wakes up, to the time he sleeps. Well, actually, even when he sleeps - as our little one "demands" to co-sleep with us.

Being a parent forces you to grow up - in a sense. I'm sure Danielle would argue I'm still somewhere in that process as I toy with, and increasingly being serious, about the idea of doing a PhD. The need to satisfying one's intellectual curiosity pale in significance in the face of, more pressing needs such as, feeding your family. This is a delicate thing, you see. If not handled properly, could well evolve into a situation where one just having to feed, oneself...

I had the pleasure of looking after Jonathan a few weeks earlier this month. It was a pleasure, no doubt about it. I love him to bits. His giggles would make the most upsetting thing in this world seem insignificant. His refusal to eat, on the other hand, would make you want to pull your (or his?) hair out. Recently I have come to the conclusion that as a parent, you really have no choice but to love your kid unconditionally. For there is no viable, alternative way to live if you don't love your kid. I guess it is also this "unconditional" love that lies the root cause of all this forever endless barrage of often, unwelcome advice that once the kid turns into a teenager, has to endure.

As Jonathan approaches 1 year old in less than 2 weeks time, again I pray and hope that he will grow up to be a confident, healthy little boy in the coming months. I am forever grateful for my dear wife, who brought us this bundle of joy to the family.