Book Review: Ted Dekker's "BoneMan's Daughter"

If you can save your family about by killing another innocent soul, what would you do? Whose life is more precious?

What if you can save your family by inflicting permanent damage to a bystandar? Will you do it? What price will you pay to protect your family?

BoneMan's Daughter follows the footsteps of a father whose daughter is held captive by a serial killer who is looking for the Perfect Daughter. When all the world believes him to be the kidnapper, whan can a father do to save his daughter from this serial killer? What price is he to pay to get her back?

A brilliant thriller/horror/adventure novel by Ted Dekker, this one is decidedly "darker" than his other writings. Following the minds of a tortured father and of a serial killer, this book takes your breath away with every turn of page, in pure Dekker's style. Until you can't help but think, "That's how much HE loves me!"

The Worst 'Bank' I've Ever Been In

This last weekend, I made a trip to open an account in a credit union close to my place. Technically, credit union is not a bank, I guess. But since I will only use their chequing/saving/money transfer services, the two places are very closely related in my mind. Btw, the money transfer service charged the least, hence the reason I wanted to do business here.

Anyway, the experience started well enough. The weather was sunny and I was wearing my sunglasses. Upon entering the premise, there was a sign to take off hats & sunglasses for safety precaution. Fair enough. I took off my sunglasses, and tried to put on my regular prescription glasses. While I was in the state of half-blind with my hands full, a woman came to me and asked me what I wanted to do there. I explained and she asked me for my documents right away.

I asked her for a moment to put on my glasses and store my car key etc in my bag first. "Of course," she said with a smile, and then kept shuffling her feet as if to hurry me. I was there about 1 hour before closing time.

She took my ID and asked me for my SIN. "Uhm... but I am only opening a chequing account, why do you need my SIN?" I asked. Even as international student with no SIN, I was able to open an account hassle-free before (obviously not in this 'bank'). It had something to do with their regulation, she answered. "So, if you don't have it, I am sorry but you cannot open an account here."

I was taken aback. Oh well.. I didn't have my card with me, but I had my number. I wondered if that would be enough. "Yes, if you know your number, we don't need to see the actual card," was her reply.

So I asked her to open an account for me. I had a cheque to deposit there. Next, she needed to see the cheque. Upon looking at it, she said that it would take 10 business days to clear. Since there are Canadian + USA Independence Day, it would take about 3 weeks, she said.

"Well, I need to transfer this money to another country," I told her. And quite calmly she said, "Oh, that would take another week to do. You are looking at a month here. If you don't like it, you might want to try other bank."

By this time, I was very very annoyed with this lady. I was starting to wonder if she was trying to get rid of me. I knew this was a ridiculous thought, especially in this economy, but it felt like that to me.

Note that I was still standing in front of the entrance by this time. 15 minutes had passed. I persisted in asking her what would happen in different scenarios, and since she didn't know the answers, she called the manager to handle me.

Ah, the manager, I thought. Surely he/she would be able to point me to the right direction in regards to what to do in my case.

A lady came and asked me again the same questions. And after a string of questions, "I am sorry but I think you should go to another bank," was her conclusion. I was trying to present different scenarios to make this work, since it could save me transfer fee. But by this time, I was starting to think that a higher fee might worth a friendlier service. It seemed like this 'bank' really didn't like me.

The manager was firm and adamant. "There is no way to make this work. Go to CIBC, or TD Bank," was her reply to all my proposed solutions. She stood up in the middle of the conversation and showed me the door. The moment I hit the entrance, she turned back and walked to her office. I was practically thrown out.

I have banked with a lot of banks, in different countries. Some don't have branches (online only), some don't have website (brick-and-mortar only), some have both. But every bank is glad to add another customer to their list. This was the first one that was happy to throw out a potential customer. I am still steaming mad thinking about it.

I usually did my insurance on this branch's insurance department. They are friendly. But I won't support a 'bank' that throws me out. I guess it's time to shop around again...

An Overbooked Weekend

The weekend of Mother's Day 2009 was definitely one (fun and) overbooked weekend.

Planning for this weekend was started a couple months back, when we thought there were only the Youth Retreat to go to. We were part of the Youth Group for a long time, and even though we are past university age, we still would like to support their program. The place for the retreat was 3 hours away

No problem, it was only from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. Plenty of time to sleep off the tiredness, and be fresh for Monday morning works. So we signed up without second thoughts.

Pemberton - our destination for Spring Fellowship 2009

Then my mom came and decided to stay until just after Mother's Day. Which meant that her flight was leaving on early hours of the Monday after. Which meant that we needed to get her to the airport around Sunday midnight.

Okay, going to the Retreat would mean leaving my mom without us for the whole weekend. But then my mom encouraged us to go. Yuli wasn't planning on going anyway, so she would be okay.

As for us, it would be a bit tiring to go to the airport after the long drive home from the Retreat. But it was not a bit problem for us. Our second plan for the weekend was booked.

GII mothers

When Vina emailed and said that she was having her wedding on Mother's Day, we knew our planning skill was put to a test. We would be 3 hours away from the city on Sunday morning. With her ceremony starting at 2 pm and her reception at 6.30 pm, we had just enough time to catch our breath before continuing on with the next part of the day. But we love Vina and would not miss her wedding for the world.

Vina and her sweetheart, Edward

After shuffling things around, we figured out that the only thing we could do to attend everything, was to leave the camp at 10 am, which would take us to the chapel in downtown in time for the ceremony, then rushing to church Sunday service at 4 in Burnaby (just in time to get those kids ready to sing for Mother's Day), and drive back to the reception area at 6.30 pm. Then we would drive to the airport straight from the reception. Yuli and mom would bring the luggage when they left the house Sunday morning.

Sunday School Choir sings "Cooperation" for Mother's Day

That was exactly what we did.

I am so glad that we attended everything we promised to, and all events were kinda fun (except the part where my mom had to leave us). It's been a while since I jam-packed so much activities in so little time.

It was an overbooked weekend, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Those times were too precious to miss.

Btw, reports on each of the event won't be here. I will post it on Chris's blog once he uploads all the photos necessary.

Free Tim Hortons Iced Coffee Tomorrow!

For all coffee lovers (or Tim Hortons' Iced Coffee lovers), go and get your coffee shot of the day at Tim Hortons tomorrow!

On May 21, between 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm, get a FREE small Tim Hortons Iced Coffee!

Hmm... now I need to find out the nearest Tim Hortons around my office.

By the by, I am so glad this time the offer is for Canada, instead of the usual "USA Only" promotions.

Kindle DX Announced!

As the rumor suggested, the new Kindle DX was announced this morning.

I am drooling over the big screen (still in the middle of reading a manga). It's also a good thing that they finally support PDF files.

But the almost-USD-500 tag price is working against it. I knew I wouldn't buy it before, but now I know with deeper conviction.

On another note, the Spring Fellowship is coming. I am so looking forward to it. And of course, Vina's wedding is up next after that. Do.. mi.. so... I need to make sure I hit the right notes when it matters.

In the meantime, Sony, hurry up and release a bigger screen e-reader, please!

Rumored Amazon Kindle DX

Since yesterday morning, the internet has been buzzing with the rumored new Kindle DX that supposedly will have a 9.7 inch screen among other things. Engadget even has the leaked pictures (shown here).

I am not a big fan of Kindle, BUT a 9.7-inch-screen sounds wonderful. I wish Sony would release one that size as well.

Why would I want a 9.7-inch screen?

Well, for one, think about all those mangas I have downloaded (and printed on to PDF for reading on my Sony PRS-505). On 6-inch screen, it is a bit small to read especially when I am sleepy. I need to change the display to display only half a page at a time to read comfortably.

A regular manga has 4-12 volumes, at 130-190 pages per volume. That's a lot of page turns, especially at half-a-page a turn. The waiting time to turn sometimes exceed the reading time. A 9.7-inch screen will enable me to read my mangas comfortably again.

I have also started to collect technical books for my work and other managerial books. On a bigger screen, it will look just like it's meant to be.

In conclusion, I can't wait for Amazon to announce or release this device, if only so that Sony would hurry up and do it too.

Cleaning with Vinegar

This is my third speech on the ToastMaster club. More information about the topic can be found here.

Cleaning with Vinegar

Some things in life are unavoidable. Tax is one of them. Cleaning is another one. If we neglect to file our tax, the government will come knocking on our door. If we don’t do cleaning, our house will be messy and full of bacteria and viruses.

When it comes to cleaning, a lot of cleaning products are available out there. But believe it or not, the title “The Perfect Household Cleaners” is hold by vinegar. This is the same vinegar that we use for cooking. Households around the country have proven the effectiveness of vinegar.

Vinegar is surprisingly effective, when compared to other cleaners. It is an 'all-in-one cleaner,' so there is no need to buy specific cleaners for different purposes. Vinegar is good for cleaning kitchen surfaces, sink, bathtubs, toilet, ceramic tiles, appliances, painted walls, floors, messy microwave, top of the fridge, and other solid surfaces. It can also be used to shine mirrors, glass, stainless steel, and chrome, to remove unpleasant odors, and to remove stains from clothes.

Vinegar is non-toxic, so there is no fear of breathing harmful chemicals while cleaning. It is a natural organic bi-product of vegetables and grains. It is therefore edible and biodegradable. If in the course of normal household cleaning you 'pour it down the drain', its impact on municipal sewer and water treatment systems is just like any food product. It is very safe for the environment, for family members, especially those with asthma, and around young children.

Vinegar is economical, much less expensive than other cleaners. You can buy a big jug of vinegar and use it for a long time. The shelf life of vinegar is almost indefinite, according to The Vinegar Institute’s research studies. Because of vinegar's acid nature, it is self-preserving and does not need refrigeration. When an opened vinegar is let sit for a long time, sometimes you can see changes in color or development of sediment. This is, however, only an aesthetic change. The product can still be used with confidence.

Vinegar is also gentle on hands, so there is no need to wear rubber gloves.

Now, what about the smell of cleaning of vinegar? Vinegar does have a distinct odor that some find unpleasant. But it is a clean smell and it dissipates quickly. Some have suggested mixing peppermint oil to counter the smell.

In the course of cleaning, sometimes we you accidentally spray our eyes with the cleaning solution. Vinegar will sting your eyes if sprayed directly into them, so direct contact with eyes should be avoided. However, vinegar will not cause any short or long-term damage to your eyes.

To start cleaning using vinegar, put distilled white vinegar in a trigger-spray bottle. Spray it on the surface you want to clean. Let sit for several minutes, wipe with a paper towel, and that’s it. Vinegar cleans streak free, so there is no need to rinse after cleaning.

I hope I have convinced you to start cleaning using vinegar. I have prepared a short handout of how to clean using vinegar, and I wish you will try some of these methods. Your wallet will thank you. Your environment will thank you. And your family will thank you.