Kwak Kwak Kwak Kwak

On new year's eve I will be hosting a party with Amy. Yesterday we stocked up on drinks and food. Today we did the decorations. The yellow Ford GT model was a xmas gift by Goran. To have a little break, we visited UBC's museum for Anthropology. Man, oh man, the European colonists really gave the natives a hard time. In the Canadian-Indian Act, they even outlawed congregations of natives. This ban was finally revoked in 1951. In that year, they could finally have a traditional fest again. We had a tourguide telling us about the coastal tribes. Erroneously, she referred to them as the Kwak Kwak Kwak. However, they were actually called the Kwak Kwak Kwak Kwak. They were pretty primitive, as they had to learn the concept of a wheel from the Europeans.



Voor oudjaar host ik met Amy een feestje. Gisteren hebben we drank en voedsel ingeslagen. Vandaag hebben we de decoraties gedaan. De gele Ford GT was een kerst cadeautje van Goran. Als intermezzo hebben we het Anthropologie museam van UBC bezocht. Man, oh man, wat hebben de Europeanen veel leed bezorgd. In de Canadian-Indian act werd het de natives zelfs verboden om hun traditionele bijeenkomsten te houden. Pas in 1951 konden ze weer hun feesten houden. We hadden een gids voor de rondleiding. Ze vertelde over de kust-volkeren, die ze foutief als de Kwak Kwak Kwak benoemde. Volgens mij heten ze namelijk Kwak Kwak Kwak Kwak. Ze waren erg primitief, daar ze het concept van het wiel van de Europeanen moesten leren.

Bald Eagle

We're visiting Amy's mother on Vancouver Island. Her house is close to the ocean, and there is abundance of wildlife here. I saw my first bald eagle. Perched in the top of a tree. When it took off, it flew right over the house. It was an impressive spectacle. After the hibernation period, I hope to see some grizzly bears as well. Today we visited Tofino. This is a hippie town on the far west of the island. It was popular with American draft-dodgers who did not want to go to Vietnam. Now it is a mixture of hippies and surfers. It has a laid back atmosphere. The pacific here is pretty ferocious. The waves much more violent than what I saw in La Jolla California. Here, swimming is out of the question. Signs here explain it all: Q: can you swim here? A: NO! People die every year, do not let it be you. Well, I did not.

SOCOM in Afghanistan

Hmm... that was an interesting news article that Jacco has sent me. The subscript reads: Corporal 1^st class Stefan(22) plays on board of a Hercules-plane fully engaged in the war-game ‘Socom’ against his comrades. Right below him, where he will land a few minutes later, battle is waged against the Taliban.

Holiday Release

My Open Sourced hobby project, Stormbaan Coureur, is getting more and more polished. I've added high tech suspension and real time shadow mapping. To promote the upcoming release, which I dubbed the holiday release, I have created a rock video. The rock was composed and performed by my good friend Johan Stolk. So turn up the volume of your speakers, and play the video. Pay attention to the detailed independent double wishbone suspension and the leaf springs. And Johan... you rock! UPDATE: Version 2.0.0 has been released.

Title Defended

Today was race day. Slantsix boss Dan had organized a GO KART endurance event. As I had been boasting about my racing prowess, the pressure was on. Well, I am quite satisfied. Although Dan was slightly faster in qualifying, I managed to get the fastest lap overall. In the endurance race my team took second place. As I have now beat 21 colleagues on the track, my claim to resident Slantsix champion holds more weight now.

Vandaag was race-dag. Slantsix baas Dan organiseerde een GO KART endurance event. Alhoewel Dan sneller in de kwalificatie was, heb ik de snelste ronde tijd van de avond neergezet. In de endurance race werd mijn team tweede. Omdat ik nu 21 collega's op de baan heb verslagen, heeft mijn claim op de Slantsix kampioen status nu meer gewicht.

winter time

Winter has arrived in downtown Vancouver. This old tree is right next to my apt building. I have not yet been to the ski slopes, but the company has passes for Cypress mountain, so I should see some winter sport action this season. The local mountains for skiing are Grouse, Cypress and Seymour. And a little further in-land there is Whistler and Blackcomb. We're about to attend Amy's office X-mass party which is held right around the corner on Beach Avenue. I hope my new pants will not get wet. I had to buy some today, as my wardrobe here only contained jeans.