Vancouver 2010 Olympics!

Ok, I know it been a very long time since I updated this blog. I have been very busy with school work. One of my friends actually reminded me that I hadn't updated it in a long time. I will try to up this blog at least once a week from now on, so stay tuned for more news!

So moving on, as most of you already know I am very excited because the Vancouver 2010 Olympic winter games (21st) is only 3 days away! YAY! I am 100% positive that Canada will win gold at home for the first time. It is actually kind of sad when you come to think of it because we have hosted the games in Calgary and Quebec and we did when any gold medals...I am proud to show my Canadian heritage and spirit. Eh! Oh! Canada Go!

Most Canadians expect Canada to win gold in Hockey especially men's hockey. After all hockey is Canada's game. I am also looking forward to watching speed skating because this is another sport I believe Canada will do well in. I remember it well when speed skater Cindy Klassen won five medals back in the winter games in Turino, Italy. I know that we will also do well in curling, after all it is Canada's national sport. Another sport I want to watch is Ariel Skiing because i just find it so fascinating how the athletes can do multiple tricks in the air and plus I want to watch one of or Canadian women who is competing in Ariel Skiing who is the reigning Olympic gold medalist. I hope she wins back to back gold (1st athlete)on home soil.

And last but not least, this Friday February 12, 2010 I am planning to have an Olympic Bash inviting a bunch of my Waterloo friends to my apartment to watch the opening ceremonies which start at 6pm. I am very excited about it. I will be updating more frequently once the Olympics get underway.

And as a final thought on Canada's most respect sport:

"Hockey captures the essence of Canadian experience in the New World. In a land so inescapably and inhospitably cold, hockey is the chance of life, and an affirmation that despite the deathly chill of winter we are alive." ~Stephen Leacock

Trip to Rochester, NY & Finger Lakes, August 2009

Favorite Dog Breed!

Miniature Goldendoodle

Golden Retriever / Toy or Miniature Poodle Hybrid

The Miniature Goldendoodle is not a purebred dog. It is a cross between the Golden Retriever and the Poodle; a Toy, Miniature or a small Standard Poodle. Some Miniature Goldendoodles are being bred as a first cross between a Golden Retriever and a Miniature Poodle. Some have Toy Goldendoodles. These two smaller sizes of Goldendoodles are achieved sometimes by surgical insemination or artificial insemination, but not all breeders perform this method of breeding. The resulting puppies may or may not be miniature in size. The theory is that they will be somewhere in-between the miniature poodle's size and the Golden Retriever's size. The best way to determine the temperament of a mixed breed is to look up all breeds in the cross and know you can get any combination of any of the characteristics found in either breed. Ask the breeder you contact which method of breeding they used to produce the Mini Goldendoodle. Not all of these designer hybrid dogs being bred are 50% purebred to 50% purebred. It is very common for breeders to breed multi-generation crosses.

Cheltenham Badlands, Ontario- Amazing Place!!

The Cheltenham Badlands are a bizarre geographical spectacle that lies hidden in the Caledon Hills. This area consists of bare, windswept red hills and gullies that are very similar to that of the Alberta badlands. What makes them so bizarre is that they are found in Ontario.

The reddish hue of the Queenston Shale is caused by iron oxide, while narrow greenish bands show where groundwater has transformed the rock from red to green iron oxide. The cause of this phenomenon was poor farming practices in the 1930’s which caused overgrazing of this land and the resultant exposure of the Queenston shale that supports little or no vegetation.

Although the Cheltenham Badlands span a vast area, the best location for visitors is along Old Base Line Road, just east of Creditview Road. Care should be taken as this area is very fragile. Visitors should not climb on the hills after a rainfall or when the ground appears soft. Bring your camera in the afternoon for some fantastic "Mars" like shots.

My First Short Story Please Comment!

The Cupboard

By Dominic Kan

Clang! Crash! Boom!

There it was again, the mysterious sounds from beneath the stairs. Ever since the Johnson family moved into the spacious suburban home they had been hearing mysterious noises emanating from the cupboard under the stairs. Most of the episodes happened during the night. They had thought that the sounds were gone for good when they didn’t hear anything for several days. Days turned into weeks and now it had been almost three months.

But to their dismay the sounds were back once again. And the odd thing was that this time the sounds were not heard in the middle of the night, instead it was late afternoon when the Johnson’s 10 year old boy Tommy heard it. He was upstairs playing in his room when he heard what seemed like pots and pans crashing onto the kitchen floor and then a loud thunderous boom sending a shockwave through the house. He rushed over to his sister’s room and found her sound asleep. His parents usually worked late so his sister had the responsibility of taking care of him.

Not wanting to wake her up, Tommy decided that he would check out the commotion himself. He descended the flight of stairs and into the hallway. The family had never opened the cupboard door and in fact it had never been open since the day the original owner of the house had passed away. The hinges were already rusty, taking on a brown and greenish colour. Rumour had it that the original owner J. T. Morgan had stashed something very valuable in the cupboard but ever since he had passed away nearly 50 years ago, strange sounds could be heard almost every night. It is believed that J.T. Morgan had come back to look for his treasure but had forgotten where he had hid it so every night he would keep coming back to resume his search.

As Tommy got closer and closer to the cupboard, he could hear his heart beating wildly. Every sound around him was suddenly amplified. He could even hear the slightest creak from the floorboards as he crept closer. As Tommy got to the front of the doorway he held his breath so as not to disturb whatever was lurking in the cupboard. He closed his eyes and gently touched the dusty doorknob. His fingerprints stood out on its surface as if he was guilty of some crime.

As Tommy turned the doorknob the door creaked as it open. Clouds of dust came billowing out and several spiders skittered up the stairs. It was obvious that the cupboard had not been disturbed for a very long time. From his pocket Tommy withdrew a flashlight. He pointed it into the depth of the cupboard illuminating a narrow passage. It looked barely wide enough for one person to fit through. He managed to squeeze through the opening and crawl into the cupboard. Once inside, the smell of damp wood and dust swarmed his senses. Tommy almost choked on his own breath. As he started crawling down the passageway he suddenly realised that he had no room to move and that forward, was the only direction he could go. As he shone the flashlight on the ceiling he saw cockroaches scattering hurriedly away into the darkness. He felt a sense of uneasiness in his stomach. As he kept moving forward, Tommy felt a shiver through his body as if someone was following him. He wondered if it was the ghost of J.T. Morgan.

After several minutes of continuous crawling Tommy came to another door. It was identical to the one at the cupboard’s entrance. Once again, Tommy carefully opened the door treating it as if it was an antique. As the door slowly creaked open, Tommy shone the flashlight into the darkness and revealed a wooden staircase that spiralled all the way down. He wondered why this secret passageway had never been discovered. It was probably the loud banging noise that kept people away from the cupboard.

CLANG! CRASH! BOOM!

There it was again the sounds that he had heard while in his room, but this time it was even louder. The sounds bounced off the wall and sent a chill up his spine. Tommy knew that he was getting closer to it. He slowly began to descend the stairs, his legs wobbling with each step, terrified that something or someone would attack him at any minute. Pointing the flashlight straight ahead as he descended he noticed a couple of old fashioned kerosene lamps hanging on the walls. From the looks of it, they had been used very frequently. Had J.T. Morgan really forgotten where he had hidden his treasure like the rumour said? Whatever treasure he had hidden in this secluded cave must have been very valuable to him, because apparently he came down here frequently.

Thump! Tommy felt loose soil under the soles of his feet. He had final reached the bottom of the stairs. There were even more cockroaches and spiders down here as he saw them scatter away from the light source. Up ahead the flashlight revealed two passageways, one continuing straight ahead the other curving to the right. Just when Tommy was contemplating about which path to take the ground underneath him suddenly started to shake.

CLANG! CRASH! BOOM!

The sounds were thunderous, coming from the passage to his right. It was so deafening that Tommy thought his ears would pop. Chunks of soil flew up into the air all around him. The sounds were so loud that it sent a shockwave so powerful that it made it seem as if the passageway was going to collapse. Tommy could see the walls around him starting to crumble. He wondered if this was how he was going to die. Tommy couldn’t die now; he was still so young with his whole life still left to live. As he stood there contemplating his death, as quickly as the shockwave had begun it passed right by him, leaving alone in the dark once again. Tommy pointed his flashlight around the enclosure, and realized that if the shockwave had gone on any longer all the walls would have collapsed trapping him in the dark, musky tunnel. Large piles of soil dotted the enclosure created by the shockwave. The pathway right in front of Tommy had caved in due to the shockwave. Tommy pointed the flashlight to his right and could barely make out the small opening of the other passageway. The only way to find out what or who was making the weird sounds was to follow the winding path.

With caution, Tommy stepped forward towards the direction of the opening moving slowly as if not to disturb what was waiting in its depths. As he moved further and further through the winding passageway, Tommy felt a chill pass through his body like the one he had experienced during the shockwave. He pointed the flashlight around the passageway but there was no one there except the spiders and cockroaches that scurried away from the light along the walls. Suddenly as if by luck, Tommy saw a faint streak of white light in the distance. He pinched himself, making sure that he wasn’t day dreaming, but the light remained shining in the distance. Tommy started running towards it with a sense of anxiousness and fear. On one hand he was excited that he may actually find the treasure of J.T. Morgan but on the other hand he was scared that there was something waiting to attack him at the end of the passageway.

After running for several minutes the light gradually became brighter and brighter. Tommy’s heart was beating so fast the sound resonated off the walls of the passageway. He finally came to the end of the tunnel which opened up into a small clearing. To his amazement in the middle of the opening, he saw an intricately carved water fountain in the shape of a fish with water flowing out in a majestic arc from its mouth. If it wasn’t for the many years of dust that had accumulated on it anyone looking at the fountain could have imagined it to be a beautiful structure during its glory days. Tommy stood there starring at the fountain transfixed; with a sense of awe flowing through his mind that he almost forgot his surroundings.

CLANG! CRASH! BOOM!

The sudden burst of sounds brought Tommy back to his senses making him jump backwards a few feet in the process. He looked towards the direction where the sounds had come from and saw a small wooden door with intricate carvings on it. He noticed the light he had seen earlier trickling out from underneath the door. As he walked up to it, Tommy realized that the door was barely high enough for a person of his height to fit through without having to bend down. He saw what seem to him to be snakes that had been carved out of the wood. Cautiously, he gave three gentle knocks on the door. After a couple of minutes of dead silence, Tommy proceeded to open the door, turning the doorknob, his hands trembling with the fear of what he was about to encounter. As he slowly opened the door, to his amazement he saw a room filled with all shorts of antiques. Beautiful paintings adorned the walls. Plates and cups of all different shapes and sizes both silver and gold were spread out on long tables. Near the back of the room Tommy saw several bookcases filled with books. Tommy could not believe his eyes. What was the most surprising to him was that in back corner of the room an old man with his back to him was leaning over one of the tables of treasures. Both excited and scared at the same time, Tommy broke the silence.

“Umm…H…Hello there…sir,” said Tommy shyly.

“Oh, hi little boy. I’ve been waiting for you,” said that the old man, his voice cracked and raspy.

He turned around to face Tommy. Tommy’s first impression of the man was that he looked really old, the sign coming from the many wrinkles on his face and hands. His hair was grey with white streaks. He wore a simple grey sweater with matching grey pants and white running shoes. He held a cane in his right hand and was wearing a pair of reading glasses. Tommy stood there at the door looking at the old man not daring to move an inch.

“Don’t be afraid my boy. Come over here right next to me so I can see your pretty face.” The old man took out a handkerchief and coughed into it spewing out bits of mucus.

Tommy calculated his every step as he slowly inched forwards towards the old man.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of my boy. My name is J.T. Morgan and at the age of 95 I think I’ve experienced just about everything there is in life, excepted death of course!” J.T. let out a low raspy chuckle.

Tommy stopped dead in his tracks, shocked at what the old man had just said. Was this man really the J.T. Morgan he had heard in the rumours? He had thought J.T. Morgan had long since been dead. Sensing his fear the old man tried to reassure him.

“I know what you must be thinking boy. I’ve heard the rumours myself. J.T. Morgan Sr. was my father. Come sit down and I’ll tell you my story to make things straight.” J.T pulled out a wooden stool and from across the table brought out a plate of cookies and offered them to Tommy. Tommy sat down politely and took one of the cookies. Seeing that Tommy was comfortable, J.T. began his story.

“As I was saying, my father J.T. Morgan Sr. was a great man. He was my role model. Sadly he died 50 years ago when I was 45 years old, not long after my mother also passed away. My family was pretty poor during the years after my father’s death. I ended up having to sell my childhood home under the persuasion of my wife to free up money for our living. To make a long story short, when I was about your age, I had heard rumours that my father had secretly stashed away very valuable treasure somewhere in the house. I came to believe that it was hidden in the cupboard underneath the stairs, because whenever I tried to take a peek inisde my father would stop me. It seemed that he was very protective of his treasure. Until the day he died I never got a chance to find out what was inside the cupboard. So naturally after his death, I was anxious to find out what my father had been hiding from me all those years. Unfortunately I was not able to find the hidden treasure before we sold the house. So every night I would go over into the dense woods in the backyard and start digging hoping to find another entrance to the cupboard. Finally three months ago I uncovered a secret door that lead to this room that you are standing in right now. I was amazed at all the treasure I found in here,” J.T. took a deep breath and spit into his handkerchief. He pointed to an opening in the ceiling where a streak of sunlight was shining through.

“What about all the loud noises that I hear all the time at night?” asked Tommy curiously who seemed be enjoying J.T.’s story and was now more relaxed.

“Oh…about that, I always came here after midnight because I didn’t want my wife to find out what I was up to. Even after my discovery I kept the secret to myself because I was afraid that people would sell the treasure. Every night when I came to this room, I loved to polish the treasure that fills it. I’m a very clumsy person, so naturally I am bound to drop some of it on the floor. I never realized it was that loud.” He commented surprisingly.

“Ha! Ha! Ha!” Tommy, burst out laughing. So the noises that had scared him so much were actually just the sounds of a bunch of cups and plates falling on the floor. Tommy breathed a sigh of relief as if a great burden had been lifted from him. Suddenly in the distance, Tommy heard his mother calling him.

“Tommy! Lauren! We’re home!” His parents had finally come home from work.

“Its getting late son, you should probably hurry out so your parents don’t find out me and the treasure. The fastest route is through the opening at the top of the room. You can use the ladder over there to get out.”

“Can I come back to visit you tomorrow?” asked Tommy

“You’re more than welcome; I always love to have company.”

And with that Tommy dashed up the ladder and exited out onto the backyard running back into the house with a big smile on his face.