When I went to T&T in Metrotown for glocery shopping today, I found out that the chinese bookstores next to the supermarket is closed. There used to be two chinese bookstores next to T&T, one is Taiwan based, and the other one is China/Hong Kong based. When I go to T&T, I usually stop by these two places to check out new books. I don’t like Taiwan books very much. I found there are way too many yet another translated copies or very taiwanized get rich quick books. Althought there are some good writters and a few translated gems, especially on literatures. The China/HK based one sell lots of simplied chinese books, and some first shipment of new HK books. I won’t mind reading simplied chinese, but the paper quality of those books really bothers me. It feel like they are printed on tiolet paper. I had finished reading quite a few books standing right there, but rarely I make a purchase with them. If I can wait, I can always get it cheaper by ordering over the internet. No wonder both of them had to close the doors. I will feel something is missing when I go to T&T for a long while.

I went to Cellar Jazz at Boardway and Almo on friday. This is the first time I go to a jazz lounge, and I found that place is pretty comfortable. Listening to jazz is more for the life style it represent than the appreciation of the music itself. Jazz is commonly associated with the bobo (bourgeois-bohemians) way of living, especially those protiated in HK TVB shows. The atomsphere in Cellar Jazz is very different from the usual bar that only serves alcohol. $10 ticket for whole night of entertainment from an ameture jazz band is reasonable, and the drinks are priced like anywhere else. I like the music from tranditional jazz trio pieces, piano, drums and cello. But that night has added an odd instructment to the show, african drums, I found the sound of african drums doesn’t fit very well to Jazz. I would like to listen to a Jazz band with a Saxophone player next time.

Finally, I have discovered the correct way to eat the seaweed side dish come with the meal in Korean resturant. I went to the $5 cheap Korean place for lunch. Verona had learnt how to eat the seaweed from observing people from other table. She is so kind to teach me and Tyrone with a good demostration. The correct way is first take a slice of seaweed, lay it flat on top of your rice. Then pick up the seaweed by placing the chopsticks parallel to the rice surface, the seaweed will fold into two halves and hold rice in between. It looks kinda like a sushi. I found the seaweed taste much better eating this way. Now I have another reason going to that resturant for lunch. Oh… I also learnt the sweet dessert drink come with the lunch is called chi-ke. It is pronounced somewhere between chicken and sake.

I have been working on my thesis full throttle these past weeks. After sorting out all the bugs in the simulator, I have made quite some major progress. Tomorrow I am going to have my regular research meeting with professor Hardy. This is the first time I have something solid to show him. I have generated the graph on packet delay measurement. I am going to employ 3 different traffic prediction methods, the first two is already coded, the last one is more involving, hopefully it will be done by this weekend. I am looking forward to get feedback from the professor on how many data I have to collect before I can call it done. I can think of hundred ways to extend the scope of my research, but all of those really doesn’t matter now. All I care is the minium requirement to pass the defense.

I hosted the toastmaster meeting today. This is the first time I take up the role of the meeting chairman. The main task of the chairman is to introduce the speakers and bridge the transition between different sections. I don’t think I am doing very well today, even missed a small section entirely. I keep forgoting my lines when I don’t have my notes. Although I am less neverous than when I am making a speech. The reason I can think of is my lines are much shorter, not enough time for me to start getting nervous. I have to work on my introduction skills more, better find some time to read the toastmaster manual. I don’t think I have time for my next speech in december, probably I will do in january. Still, my biggest challenage is I tends to forget what to say and I have a hard time forming a sentence right on the spot with correct grammer.