I Do What I Want

It's 10:00am on a Sunday. I just made my second pot of coffee. I'm not tired, I just love coffee. Maybe I should consider decaf one of these days. I thought I would blog while my chicken baked in the over. I eat copious amounts of stir- fry. On any given 5-day work week, I consume the contents of a wok at least 4 of those nights. Sure, any idiot can cook stir-fry. But that's not why I eat so much of it.

I live in a world with limited food options, compared to what those of you in North America might be used to. Most of the fresh vegetables here taste like plastic, especially in the winter. I don't trust a landlocked Slovakia to stock any fish that retains an iota of freshness. And don't get me started on the pork and beef, they're just a scratch above slabs of animal fat. So in my faltering attempts to maintain a healthy lifestyle, I am confined to generous portions of chicken and a medley of frozen vegetables. Stir-fry just makes sense.

I live a pretty structured life these days. I hate to be so predictable, but carefully created habits and patterns allow me to make the most of my time. And boy, do I value my time. I usually get groceries on a weekend morning. If I can make it Sunday before the church crowd is relieved from their weekly mass, I consider the day off to a great start. During the course of a typical grocery run, I buy a large number of chicken breasts and then bake them when I get home, as I'm doing now. This saves me the hassle of having to worry about raw chicken going bad and then subsequently cooking it every night in the pan. I feel like baked things might be a little healthier and allow me to use less oil in the pan too. Bonus, or ridiculous justification of my habits?

When these routines of mine are thrown for a loop, I tend to get a little annoyed. I don't think that it's because I'm anti-social, grumpy or overly-obsessive compulsive. It's just that I know I am going to be inconvenienced in a major way during the week if I can't get these auxiliary things, critical to support my highly productive week, done on the weekend. I'm busy as an elf the week before Christmas these days, what with work and all. And that makes me value my time even more.

That's not to say there aren't days where I'm a complete, lazy, piece of trash. You should have seen me yesterday.

Upon reflection, while holding my limited time in high regard allows me to get a lot done, it also has some drawbacks. I very much prefer to do things on my own schedule, - another reason I enjoy working for myself. Working on my own schedule often means opting out of other people's plans. This would perturb me more, if I didn't enjoy working and believe that the rewards at the end would be well worth giving up a few afternoon activities and evening programs. I need to remain conscious of my actions and remember that every once in awhile it would probably do me some good to give in to the whims of one of my peers, because some times I'm surprised at the fun I have or the opportunity my eyes are opened to. As always, it just seems to be about becoming aware of, and striking the right balance.

The Bratislava Video Round-Up

When I first arrived I looked for videos about the place I all of a sudden found myself in. Here's a few classics to give you an idea of what I'm living through.

I love to hate this place. And I love it a bit, but don't tell anyone.

For all of those who have been wondering at home, yes, Euro Trip was right, re: Winter. And 18-40sec was filmed in my backyard, I'm pretty sure.

I'd say about 70% of the housing looks something like this.

This is a 3:30 video montage of some dudes driving around my immediate hood. It's a bit redundant, but at least watch the first 1:20 sec to get a good idea of what life is like.

Probably the most legit one from the Washington Post, and why girls are skeptical when they hear my native English.

UPDATE: A little long, - I would advise you skip the nice parts - but the most recent and accurate.

UPDATE II: Just watch the first 15 seconds. They really just go after the place.

BEHOLD: Hitohata

I'm trying something new.

The Little Things

Sodium-free soy sauce.

English signs to read in idle places.

People that smile and can walk without looking at their feet.

Houses without graffiti on them.

Complete shite weather... Not.


These are the things I miss.

Late Night Patriotism

It's 3:02 am on a Thursday. But this isn't just any Thursday. Second intermission of the Canada vs. Russia Men's Olympic Hockey Quarterfinal is underway. I can't understand this Slovak commentary so I thought the opportunity to do some late night blogging was a worthy one.

Canada is in the midst of trouncing Russia with a 7-3 lead. It would be heartbreaking to see them blow it; and yet I'm too superstitious to outright declare victory at this point. But score aside, there is one thing that is very cool, that finally made me feel that raw Olympic Spirit. You see, I've been incredibly busy with work, and the 8 hour time difference puts a kink in watching live events, so I haven't been AS enthralled with this contest for ultimate winter athletic dominance as I may have been in the past.

But I'm up now. And boy, am I glad. Not only because I am witness to an unreal game but because - and not to sound like too much of a tech nerd - I did it while on Twitter, connected to a number of my friends who all felt pretty much the same as me. My good pal @amitayer said it best.

Keep in mind, it's three in the morning and I suffer from chronic sleep deprivation on a good day, so sorry if this is a little incoherent.

I need to nap before setting new records of caffeine intake work.

UPDATED:

Back to the Balcony

The amount of Nutella I consume is ungodly. But that's not what this is about.

For those readers who operate with the Celsius scale, I'm happy to inform you that I am now consistently enjoying double digit temperatures. As an Ottawa native, the notion of persistent positive temperature readings in the month of February is mind-blowing. To those of you that remain trapped in the confines of the frigid 613, I don't mean this personally but: Suck it. Maybe it's cliche to blog about the weather; but quite frankly good sir, I don't give a damn.

While I concede, there may be a brief relapse and even a flurry or two, I declare with certainty that the worst is most definitely over.

Off to the balcony where I will stand in a "fresh white tee" and watch incompetent drivers try to parallel park in spaces far too tight.

BREAKING NEWS: SLOVAKIA GETS COMPUTERS

Reuters, 19/02/2010, IBM Corporation Signs Three Year, EUR56 Million Agreement With Slovak Ministry Of Finance For Integrated Finance System
Copyright 2010 Reuters. All Rights Reserved.

Date Announced: 20100219

IBM Corporation announced that it has been selected by the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic to provide technical assistance services for the design, development and implementation of an intelligent, integrated finance information system for the country. According to the three year, EUR56 million contract signed, IBM will standardize Slovakia's fiscal system by integrating and streamlining existing processes into a unified collection platform. The project will be funded from European Union structural funds and co-financed from the state budget. The project is part of the Slovak government's program to revamp the tax information system; improve communication between taxpayers and the tax authority; and unify the collection of taxes, customs duties and insurance contributions. IBM will undertake the project in several phases: introducing a 'one-stop service'. Taxpayers will be able to perform a variety of tasks using one platform, eliminating duplicate confirmations and forms, and reducing the administrative burden for citizens and companies related to the collection of taxes, customs duties and insurance contributions; enabling integration and communication between various local authorities; and establishing a centralized taxation information platform.

Significant Development ID Number 1825233