PERSPECTIVES

An 800 year old Kauri tree. It would take 7 or 8 people to encirle the trunk of this tree, hand in hand!











The most expensive house in Auckland, valued at $14,000,000.00 USD. Currently unoccupied, as it was purchased for investment purposes. A typical Habitat house will cost $30,000.00 USD. Therefore, this one mansion could help free 466 families from clutches of the poverty cycle.










A store was transformed into an art display of miniature beds and sofas (and nothing else). Found while walking along ecclectic Karanghape Road above the tourist traps in Auckland. Reminded me a lot of Queen Street: head shops, vintage clothing stores, hemp stores, Turkish delights!













If the entire world were reduced to a small community of 100 people:
http://www.luccaco.com/miniatureearth/miniature_earth.htm

SOME AMAZING LADIES THAT I'VE MET RECENTLY

Veira, a 70 year old who has lived her entire life in Hamilton, New Zealand. The Habitat office that covers this region has erected 40 houses (including the one that we finished). She has been involved in all of them! What a humble heart she has; you often find her being the first one on site, sweeping water from inside the house or picking up rubbish. Here, she's receiving a thank you gift from the team!










Tina is a relative of mine living in Auckland. I wasn't even aware of her existence until just recently; she's my mom's cousin. Yet, she took time out of her hectic schedule to show me around some of the 'cool' local hangouts: Mission Bay, Auckland Harbour beach, Mount Eden, America's Cup Cafe.











What a cutie! Ella (from Calgary - I was just there for work related matters) is discovering the wonderful world of grown up food, like grilled red peppers! Still, it's hard when you only have 2 bottom teeth and 1 top tooth. Wave to her, and you'll get a hearty 2 handed wave back; start clapping and she'll start passionately clapping back! You should see her get jiggy to "Rubber Duckie, You're The One". Thanks for the awesome Alberta beef steak dinner!













My favorite blond from Belgium! Kiwis are so lucky because you can find her on tap EVERYWHERE! Actually, some of the best conversations I had with my team mates were over these kinds of "refreshments". Plus, Leffe is really expensive here, so it was an even special-er treat!

BROKEN HEARTED 2 - REVENGE OF THE RS AND R PRIME

I have no idea what these terms mean. However, it is because of irregularities related to these found in my electrocardiogram that there is concern. I really thought that the results of the initial ECG done during my routine check up were due to human error, this being reinforced by a clean ECHO done shortly thereafter. Plus, I am not displaying any symptoms that are commonly associated with someone who has similar ECG outputs. Being a person who likes to tie up loose ends, I was more than happy to meet one last time with the cardiologist. My initial appointment with her had to be rescheduled to accommodate a medical student who was shadowing her, further indicating to me that this meeting was simple and routine. So, I wasn't too agitated when the student showed up to the clinic late (and thereby delaying my appointment) nor was I too concerned that this 4th year U of T student used way too many "like..."'s in her sentences or apologized ahead of time if she missed something ("because it's been known to happen!"). Another ECG was done and the results would be used as a starting point for discussion between the cardiologist and the student.

Of course, I didn't mind that an ad hoc lecture on interpreting ECG's was happening right in front of me. It was neat, actually, to see the cardiologist put the student on the spot: "So, if such and such happens, what could that mean? Then, how would you go about asking the patient to verify this?" and so on and so on. My intrigue turned to concern when I heard: "Well, this ECG is definitely abnormal (student continuing to nod her head in agreement) as the RS and R Prime are much too high (or something to that effect). And what can sometimes happen if this is the case? (student finally pipes in "sudden death?!") Correct!..." Finally, the cardiologist turns to me and says the only way that they can tell for sure is if I do a cardiac MRI. She also wants to strap a heart rate monitor on me to see if there are any weird rhythmic issues. I vaguely recall thinking to myself that if I were to die, I guess doing so suddenly would be the best way. And so, the saga of the broken heart continues...

I had to do a lot of breathing today. A lot of breathing in deeply, exhaling slowly, holding my breath. All so the doctor (and doctor to be) could hear my heart better. I guess breathing is something you take for granted - let's face it, I've not missed a breath for 31 years. This reminded me of a prayer that was recited at the most recent Habitat Faith Relations meeting I attended:

The Breathe of God in Us
Father, as we gather today, we ask for your blessing. We come together to celebrate our call to bring your love to all people. In doing your work, though, we encounter obstacles and setbacks. It is at times such as these we need your support and that of your community. Let us be reassured of that support, Lord, that we may continue with enthusiasm and confidence, for in brining your work to the world we find the joy of your kingdom.

Today let us breathe deeply the breath of God in us, for through us God inhales the fantasies of children, the experiences of yesterday and the hopes of tomorrow.
Let us rejoice over this breath in us lest God wonder whether his world has grown too old and his people too despairing to celebrate.
Let us spin him our dream.
That someday soon all people will celebrate life everyday.
That someday soon all people will know they are beautiful in black and red and white.
That someday we will glimpse the face of God in our students, patients, co-workers and clients.
Someday soon we will airlift food to starving people.
Someday soon we will grow wheat in deserts and flowers in garbage cans.
Soon we will turn our tired old cathedrals into cafeterias for the poor...and the rich.
Soon we will sink our teeth and our talents into the politics of peace and justice.
Someday soon we will light our homes with the sun and lighten our hearts with love.
Someday soon "we will live more simply, so that others may simply live."
Someday soon we will turn our guns into large tubes of finger paint.

I have to carry this in my wallet so that if I ever need to go to the hospital, I can let them know that I inherently have an abnormal ECG!

192 m FREEFALL

That's 630 feet. To put it into context, the CN Tower is 553 m (1815 feet) and the main observation deck of the Eiffel Tower is at 115 m. So, one of my adventures in New Zealand was to do something called the Sky Jump off the Sky Tower in downtown Auckland. The hardest part was letting go. They get you all dressed up in a superhero-like jumpsuit, then they walk you onto this plank, where they strap this thin cable to your back. As the wind is howling, you have a magnificent view of the city, but that is obscured by the fact that you are now standing on a shaky 2 by 6 that wants to buckle under your weight! You hang on tight to the handrail, barely comprehending what the guide is telling you. All you know is that he is going to count to 3 and you had better jump! I took one look over the edge of the plank and my survival instincts kicked in! There was NO WAY I was going to plummet to sure death on the city street below. Then I heard it, the final countdown. "1!...." Oh my, was I really going to do this? And why did I agree to go first?! My other American teammates must surely be laughing their pants off that a silly Canadian fell for their encouragement to go first. "2!...." Surely, they've had people back out before. Yes, I know that I would lose my money, but was I willing to sell my life right now? "3!!!" The final thought I had was this: Tim, you've got to do it! This same fear is what prevented you from finishing the swim leg of the triathlon and I can't let fear stop me from doing things. In many ways, I still think I could've finished the swim, that I gave in to fear way too easily. Now was my chance to prove to myself that I had some command over my instincts. I literally leapt off the plank.

What an amazing trip down! The cable that supports you is hooked up to a motor, so your descent is actually 'controlled'. The first nanosecond of panic is quickly replaced by the feeling of exhilaration! At first, I thought that I would have no breathe to scream with, but soon found myself screaming madly and pumping my fists! What a cool way to see the city landscape. In fact, I recall having enough time to scream twice. The people down below must've thought that I was crazy and in a way, I was. There's so much of life that I haven't experienced yet and it's just a matter of letting go. And when you do, you break out of the monotony of what you're used to and experience a new rush.

Andy, a Maori guide and what I thought would be the last face that I would see before plunging to a 192 metre free fall induced splat on the sidewalk.










On my way down to one of the coolest experiences that I've ever had!

LAG, PERECT TIMING, GO WEST, STILL TRAINING...

Well, it's been a week since coming back from New Zealand. I'm not sure that I'm 100% over jet lag as there are points in the day where I've hit a wall and feel like I could fall asleep right away. It's scary when this happens as I'm driving or doing something else that requires attention. It doesn't help that things at work are quiet. It was quite sentimental/sad this past Friday because I said good-bye to my last staff member. The call centre that I built from scratch back in January has finally been shut down. I have no more staff to manage as I have no more customers to care for. The general feeling around the office is that we're all stuck in the moment with not much to look forward to, perhaps hanging on to a faint glimer of hope that there might be something new (or just riding it out until we get our packages). Others have chosen not to wait or have been told to leave. It's kind of eerie.

I continue to reflect on my recent trip and it helps that I have ample opportunity to share about it. At last night's small group meeting, one of the regular attendees brought a friend. As I was sharing about Habitat, I mentioned that the particular office that I was volunteering with in Hamilton is thinking about partnering with the affiliate in Sri Lanka, as there is still tons of work to be done as a result of last year's (can't believe that it's been that long - funny how things slip our mind when not on CNN) tsunami. Well, it just happens that this friend has step-family in Sri Lanka, just outside of Columbo, and he's been looking at different NGO's/agencies to see if he can contribute because he has some construction experience. He is totally amped about Habitat now and I've hooked him up with the coordinator that looked after my trip. Talk about good timing because I doubt that we will see him again at this small group!

I have an interview with the trading arm of my company next week. They are going to fly me out to their office in Calgary and I will be meeting with the hiring manager and the director. It's been a while since I threw my hat in as an applicant and am somewhat surprised that they are still finalizing their resources. I have mixed emotions about this prospect. On the one hand, it is perfect in terms of professional development in the energy industry, which is quite large and would be around for many years to come. Understanding how the fundamental inputs and outputs are treated/traded in the marketplace is key to understanding how our whole business works. Because it is a trading environment, there would be a demand for constant attention to fine details, the responsibility of making important strategic decisions, continuous learning about the complex marketplace itself and interesting shift schedules. I guess all these "new" things would be novel and refreshing compared to what I've been doing for the past little while. On the other hand, I've lived all my life in Ontario, particularly in the Toronto area. All my family is here, I have many close friends here, I've found reliable tennis and ping pong partners! It would break my heart to leave all this and venture off on my own, almost feeling guilty for doing so. But then, I remind myself about how close to the Rockies I would be, how close I would be to beautiful back country, I have some close friends and relatives in Alberta... And so, I have to wrestle with all these things in my mind. No decision nowadays, it seems, is ever a simple one.

It dawned on me that I have signed up for the Toronto Marathon which is happening on October 16. That's less than 2 months away and I really haven't been increasing my mileage, despite having kept up running even while away. I see this challenge a little different than training for the triathlon because I know how far I can push my body in running and am pretty confident with how my body will respond. With the triathlon, particularly the swimming part, it was hard to guage whether or not I was making any progress and whether or not all the training would hold firm when it counted most, such as on race day. I'm so grateful for the teammates in NZ who helped keep me on track with training, as well as the beautiful backdrop that I was able to run in.

This is on the running path in Auckland, around the main harbour. It was roughly a 10 km route that ended on a spit, which took you right over the waters, giving you a magnificent view of the city.









This is on the running path in Hamilton, a 5 - 8 km route along the Waikato river, which was located 2 blocks away from the motel. Looking at the colourful downtown strip, one would think that such a beautiful trail wouldn't be anywhere nearby. There were a couple of rowing clubs on this river, so it wasn't uncommon that we would be pacing ourselves against a scull or rowing crew (over my right shoulder)!










In life, you always have choices in how you spend your time. The trick is deciding on what meaningful really is. That's me in the middle with the white cap.

WEDDING CRASHERS

Most of my American teammates in New Zealand have seen The Wedding Crashers and were raving about how funny it was. So, I decided to see if Canadian and American humour were compatible. All in all, it was one of the funnier movies that I've seen. But what sealed it for me were the references to Habitat For Humanity and how everything is backwards in New Zealand. Having just come from there, it was so hilarious! The scene is set upon a sailboat, and that brought back some recent memories...

I'M BACK

It's sometimes hard to keep track of what I've written when I'm essentially keeping 3 journals right now. This blog, my New Zealand blog (which I just posted the final entry) and the written journal that I kept while in New Zealand. Keeping the written journal in New Zealand was a good way to wind down each work day and through which I became a familiar fixture at The Bakehouse Cafe (the only place in Hamilton, NZ that was open past 10 p.m.) for 2 weeks. My companions were a cup of Flat White and my MP3 player. I need to spend time reading over what I wrote to fully digest it all and I guess what revelations I receive will trickle onto this ongoing blog. I am fighting the urge to have to write some huge entry about the trip as I think that minimizes the meaning of this journey and only succeeds in feeding my need to compartmentalize things. Instead, I believe this experience will continue to sprout new revelations about who I am and how I see the world.

One of the first things that I did when I returned to Canadian soil was to do something very, well, Canadian. I hit a Tim Horton's and ordered a double-double. How sad it is but I have to admit that this often overlooked convenience was something I missed while overseas. NZ is like Europe in their affection for coffee: it's got to be strong. Filtered drip coffee is unknown, as places like fast food restaurants and even petro (gas) stations serve only espresso coffee. That means having to pay $4 for a cup of Joe! And if you said something like "double-double" you're bound to get a blank stare in response.

I don't think that I'm too jet lagged although I woke up at 4 a.m. this morning and couldn't force any more sleep. So, I did laundry and started unpacking everything. I had thoughts of going into work but thought that I would be more productive doing "chores". The weather is awesome, particularly since I've been living in southern hemisphere winter for the past 2 weeks. I think I'll go for a bike ride or run or both. Yeah, it dawned on me that I've got a marathon to run in about 2 months time.

Well, through this trip, I discovered that I like taking pictures. Not typical group shots or pictures of people posing for a camera. But candid ones, as I think that people's expressions and gestures are more sincere when not affected by our weird disposition of wanting to look a certain way for a picture. And I think that black and white pictures communicate with a certain degree of purity. Colour just seems so contrived, like something that has been put together for a glossy magazine or flashy television. I also found that taking pictures without the flash produces interesting and realistic results. I messed around with some of the settings of my parents' digital camera that I took to NZ but I guess digital has its limitations.

This is what it was all about...










Ces (short for Cecil) tirelessly drove us to our work site everyday! He has been serving Habitat for some time now and would have joined us on this build has we not has some many volunteers available.










A daily routine for me, this was a great way of remembering the trip and fleshing out ideas and revelations.