Halifax Immigrant

It’s Over!

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 17:38:05 -0300

Summer is officially over! We survived! Pop open the champagne bottle and a pat on the back please. We finally take back control of our day-time, Monday to Friday. The early mornings start again. The prodding and screaming to leave for school in 5 minutes start again. The stained uniforms, missing water bottles, I-didn’t-like-my-lunch whines, muddy shoes, I-forgot-my-homework excuses....and all that jazz are going to return in a deluge, sure....but no matter. No more fights over computer and TV time, no more I’m-bored side comments, no more can-I-eat-snack? queries every 15 minutes...NO MORE! Only peace and quiet...and I get to watch any blood-and-guts DVD I want too.

Two lasting impressions about the end of summer in Halifax this year.

One, blistering heat. Mid 30’s temperature (but “feels like” 41℃ on the Humidex!). In a place where winters are way longer than summers, the people are struggling with the heat. It feels like any summer day in Japan...or any day in the Philippines, but here? This heat wave is off the charts. And because we don’t get this kind of weather too often, most houses (including ours) do not have air-conditioning. Our house can handle perfectly freezing temperatures; but it is at a loss when the mercury goes above 30. So for the past week now, we’ve been sleeping like buns baking in the oven. My arm has grown extra muscles now from fanning my little one with a magazine. Never thought I’d say this but right now, I can’t wait for winter!

Two, garbage, garbage, everywhere garbage! The apartment leases of most college students end with the summer. Lotsa moving trucks and U-Hauls around the city...and as people move out...you guessed it...lotsa garbage piling on the curb. The question is why can’t they bring their garbage with them? Poor landlords...they’re stuck with getting rid of it. Just walking around, I see tons of black garbage bags, a couch, a chest of drawers, a desktop computer (Whoa! That wasn’t there an hour ago!), old suitcases...among others. That’s just walking one block...my block! Problem is garbage collection day is Monday...but it looks like Hurricane Earl has reservations to visit us this weekend. Who do you think is gonna clean up after Earl?

Any takers for the couch? Garbage attracts more garbage....

Wine Whine

Sun, 8 Aug 2010 08:42:09 -0300

Here is the scenario: An award-winning Annapolis Valley vintner announces a wine label design contest open to Nova Scotia artists for 6 of their upcoming 2010 vintages. The ostensible reason is to commemorate the 400th anniversary of grape-growing in North America. Practically, it is a quid pro quo. The winner will get a case of wine and exposure as the wines hit the store shelves. The winery will get labels for their bottles. (See the announcement.)

So what’s wrong with this scenario? For me, NOTHING. It looks simple enough, an uncomplicated barter. I imagine a budding artist would jump at the chance. Winner gets great exposure, or simply great satisfaction. The winery...well hopefully it gets some good artwork that’ll help sell the wines.

But apparently, all is not well. A professional graphic designer did not like this plan. He blasted the contest as exploitative of artists. The wine-maker is gunning for a freebie (true). There were also copyright and intellectual property issues (which were later clarified: the artist keeps all rights.) This is the Graphic Designers of Canada guideline on speculative contests. They don’t like contests (unless maybe the prize is a million dollars?). Good for them. Good for clients who are looking for professional work. But I think, the risk is for the artist (at least the non-GDC member artist) to take. As for the client, in a contest, the company would probably get more mediocre work than anything (pure speculation on my part) and maybe end up with a not-so-nice label...but that’s the risk it has to take.

“By way of analogy, [the designer] suggested that he might organize a contest asking six wineries to submit free cases of wine for his daughter’s wedding, with the winning entry being served at the ceremony. ‘They haven’t taken me up on (that) offer.’”
[Read the full article here.]

The analogy does work. If you don’t like the contest, then don’t join. It’s as simple as that. Nobody is forcing anybody. But maybe if it had been Chelsea Clinton’s wedding, the wineries lining up to submit would have probably rivalled iPad queues. Or maybe Bill & Hillary would have ended up with bad wine for their daughter’s wedding. As with anything in the capitalist world, you get what you pay for....well, most of the time anyway.

Chateau Mouton Rothschild certainly does not hold contests for its wine labels. Let’s compare their next label with the winner of this contest, shall we? Oh, and of course, we have to compare the wine prices as well!

Catching Dreams

Sun, 1 Aug 2010 10:42:32 -0300

Last night, I had a terrible, TERRIBLE nightmare. Woke up with my heart pounding, sweat on my brow. It was just too real. My eyes were wide open at 3 a.m. and I couldn’t fall back to relaxed sleep again. I dreamt I was being audited (again!) by the Canada Revenue Agency! Something wrong with how I reported my water expenses, it seems. They think I was fiddling around with the units...using cubic metres instead of cubic feet or something like that. Go figure! Yes, of course I went online and typed “tax audit” on different dream interpretation sites. No match found.

Before you go on suspecting that I am hiding something from the CRA, let me snuff out that line of thought. I am not. Even the CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) officer looks at me funny whenever I go and declare items I get in the mail. I pay my custom duties and GST voluntarily. Are you getting that bewildered look too? Why do I do it? The noble answer is because it is the right thing to do. But I do it because I can live with it. What I mean is I am living the dream that the playing field is level, that everyone follows the rules, and that there are no short cuts. And that’s how I want to live. And that’s why I am sure I will pass muster on any audit.

About 25 years or so ago, when I got my first driver’s license in Manila. I didn’t have the luxury of a level playing field. I knew I could drive; I knew the road signs; I knew the difference between red and green; I knew I could pass the exam. Still, I had to pass some money under the table. In return, I got the answers to the written exam. (Mind you, there were 2 wrong answers on the cheat sheet...a perfect score would probably be too obvious!) Every step of the way, I was “tipping” the examiners for their troubles. Did I really need to play Santa Claus? Maybe not, but it felt like I couldn’t afford not to...not if I wanted to get a driver’s license on the first try. There was something rotten in the system and I could’ve played the principled knight on his high horse and refused to succumb to the outstretched palms waiting to be greased....but then again, I wouldn’t have been driving anytime soon either. So I did what I had to do to get on with my life. That was a long time ago....

So why is this nightmare bothering me? Beats the heck out of me. I should have bought one of those dreamcatchers at the Membertou Pow-wow. The Mi’kmaq had it all figured out: Catch the bad dreams on the web and let only the good dreams go through!

Dreamcatchers.

Fatal Assumption

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:41:40 -0300

This morning, I was a bit frantic, pulling out all the permits and other bureaucratic paperwork for the shop. Sign permit, sandwich board permit, alarm certificate, Nova Scotia Power final inspection report, and finally (sigh...) the occupancy permit. I knew I had it all along but its like that bag of gold you keep under your bed. You just need to count it time and again...just to be sure they’re all there. So I read it again...just to be sure. “The issuance of the permit .... does confirm that all of the appropriate reviews and inspections have been conducted and there were no apparent violations at the time of issuance.” Music to my eyes! And the icing on the cake: “OCCUPY RETAIL STORE...” Only then did my pulse rate start to ease up.

See, I had been reading about the troubles of the Caribbean Twist, a restaurant in the north end of Halifax. The owners are being asked to shut down their operation because the building they are in is zoned “residential” and they do not have a proper business occupancy permit. The irony is that the owners bought out a business (another eatery) and took over the property about 15 months ago...and they assumed that there were no zoning violations. (How else could the previous business have been allowed to operate for years?) In business, there is nothing more lethal than a wrong assumption.

There has been an outpouring of sympathy (rightly so, in my opinion) for the business owners and also a dose of outrage (wrongly so, in my opinion) against the city government. The city is run according to laws. The city government enforces those laws. The restaurant was caught in violation. Even if it was not intentional, a violation leads to certain consequences as prescribed by law. Just because the previous business was not caught doesn’t get the current business off the hook. It’s the same argument I use against the excuse most people give when they park illegally on my property. “Oh, but I have been parking here for years.” Well, that doesn’t make it right, does it? Let’s switch the word “parking” with the another word like say, “shoplifting”. See how absurd that excuse begins to sound when you get caught?

So, the problem is not with the enforcement. The outrage should be directed at the zoning rules...most probably, the city has already outgrown them. Hopefully, this is a wake-up call that will get city council moving to review the zoning restrictions. In the meantime, the owners of Caribbean Twist are applying for a legal exemption. The mayor cannot just grant that at his pleasure. Again, there are rules to follow. City council needs to have a public hearing to be able to grant the exemption. I do hope the restaurant finds an accommodation. I know what it feels like to work hard to start a business. The city needs more of these small businesses. Besides, I heard the food there is really good and I hope to stop by one day soon!

Little Rocks From Heaven

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:10:54 -0300

It may have been common sense...one of those needless-to-say type of admonitions that normally would’ve been received with a do-you-think-I-am-stupid sort of frown but...(brace for the cliché)...it is better to err on the side of caution...specially when the consequences could be a matter of life-or-death. That’s why I keep hammering my kids with “Stop. Look. Listen...before you cross the street.” ...or, “Wash your hands before eating.” ...or “Don’t talk to strangers.” ...or “Give Daddy the remote control!” ...oops, scratch that last one.

The mayor of Halifax, Peter Kelly, was right to send out that memo to city councillors. That memo, leaked anonymously to the press, basically warned Halifax city councillors not to drink and drive. Duh! Did the mayor really need to remind our esteemed, responsible and grown-up councillors in a formal memo about something like that? Grown-ups can think for themselves already. Grown-ups know it is wrong to litter on our streets, to throw one’s garbage on someone else’s property, to park one’s vehicle on someone else’s property, to take merchandise without paying for them, ad nauseam. They shouldn’t need to be reminded because it is common sense, right? Theoretically, yes. Empirically, not quite.

So I say, “Right on, Mr. Mayor!” Knock on some foreheads on behalf of us, powerless residents. And no, you didn’t have to name names. The little rocks* from heaven will take care of that. I trust you are on top of the situation and have already privately confronted the people concerned anyway. The names will come out eventually if your warning is ignored and a drunk-driving incident actually occurs (touch wood!) By then it would be too late but at least you did what you could to prevent it. So, thank you for the pre-emptive strike.

*There is a Filipino saying: “Bato bato sa langit, ang tamaan huwag magalit.” Literally, “Little rocks falling from heaven, don’t be angry if one hits you.” Meaning, a general opinion or observation does not target anyone specifically, so don’t feel offended if it happens to be relevant to you. Example, a general memo says, “Drunk drivers are stupid.” The person who angrily protests is probably “guilty” [guilty of being a drunk-driver or guilty of being stupid, who cares really?] He has been hit by the “little rocks from heaven.”

Disclaimer: I do not work for the mayor. Heck, I did not even vote for him ...because I do not have the right to vote yet!

Time to Wake Up

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:21:20 -0300

In my old age, I should be jaded enough to know that fairy tales are not real. And when they end, it is not with “and they lived happily ever after.” Still, when the balloon pops and you wake up to a harsher reality (that really, you knew was the case all along anyway), it still depresses the hell out of you.

Last night, I discovered a few items got shoplifted from the store. Some merchandise were taken from their respective boxes...and the empty boxes were put in the bottom of the pile to continue pretending that they were still inhabited. I am in the retail business and I guess it was bound to happen. But now that it did, the spell has been broken. I had wanted very much to believe that everybody in Halifax was good and decent. I had to re-qualify that when I started getting garbage and parking problems. Also, the cigarette butts, empty paper cups (I should apply for a subsidy from Tim Hortons as I pick up a lot of their cups!!!) and chewing gum that I pick up outside the store are daily reminders that the proposition is false. So I just narrowed the assumption and “believed” that everyone who enters the shop is good and decent. In the past 7 months in business, that actually proved true. I have met so many wonderful people that I felt enriched just sitting behind the counter. Then this incident happens. What a shame.

I am not too worried about the economic loss...yet. The items were small and replaceable so I didn’t scream for the CSI team to start dusting for fingerprints. Nor did I bother to check my surveillance cameras. I am more devastated by the loss of innocence (in a manner of speaking). Whereas before I was trusting enough to leave the customer be, now I can’t help but look at each unfamiliar face with at least 10% suspicion. It muddies the heart....and is a great disservice to the truly wonderful people of Halifax. But, I am not the kind to turn the other cheek and say “Take more!” I am still a businessman and know that such incidents have to be dealt with. I have now launched “Plan B” (Sorry, no details. It’s a secret!) as a countermeasure. I bear no ill-will against the culprit(s). JUST DON’T EVER COME TO THE STORE AGAIN! ...and may the karmic forces catch up with you sooner than later.

While I am in a complaining mood, might as well complain about the truck that used my driveway (to load/unload stuff) without permission two nights ago and left some damage in the process. Hey, it’s spilled milk, I know; but at least have the decency to own up and apologize! ....and maybe your insurance could have taken care of it too.

The Interview

Mon, 5 Jul 2010 23:14:28 -0300

So, there I was on this quiet Monday morning, late morning to be more accurate. I was enjoying my third cup of coffee, listening to some music, lazily reading my novel, and feeling quite relaxed. I was still unshaven and still in the clothes I had slept in. No urgency to make myself look presentable...it was going to be a stay-at-home day. What a way to spend a Monday eh? See, today was my wife’s turn to play shopkeeper while I play babysitter at home. The children were old enough to amuse themselves so I was left to my own devices.

Then the phone rang ominously. Sigh! Too good to last... Shall I just wait for the voicemail to pick up? My little idyll was forever ruined by my wife’s panicky voice, “Come here RIGHT NOW!” Apparently, CBC had called the shop and asked for an interview. They were coming in 10 minutes! Well, I wished I could just speak to my watch and say, “Beam me up, Scotty!” but reality was a minimum 20-minute drive from Bedford to Quinpool. But first things first, I put on my red-alert-this-is-not-a-drill voice and screamed at the kids to get themselves ready to go in one minute. I scrambled and managed to shave, brush my teeth, sprinkle some water on my face, coax my hair to calm down, change into decent clothes (but no more socks), hop into my Crocs, bundle the children into their child seats, and drive away...inside 5 minutes. I was still driving safely though....couldn’t help it really, because there was this tractor running at 40 kph on a max 70 kph stretch of the Bedford Highway. Murphy’s law eh?

We got there in time...in time to catch the tail end when the interviewer says “Thank you” and shakes your hand. All that rush for a handshake! My wife looked pretty composed...but inside she was a nervous wreck. Getting interviewed in English was my department. Or at least up till now, I had been present during her interviews, listening like a bat and jumping in when I think a misunderstanding was happening. But today, she did it all by herself...and with flying colours, I might add. The piece was aired this afternoon on CBC Radio One. My wife actually felt too embarrassed to listen to it. Me, I quickly downloaded Audacity (audio software) and recorded the broadcast as it streamed online. I know one day she will secretly listen to it.

Click her to listen to the interview.

In Defence Of SuperStore

Sat, 3 Jul 2010 17:56:06 -0300

Membertou 400 Pow-wow, Canadian Navy centennial, Queen Elizabeth’s visit, Canada Day festivities, Bedford Days fun.... There had been many things happening in Halifax these days that I had actually found it hard to put my finger on one to blog about...until I read this article in the Chronicle Herald today. It touched a raw nerve: parking. In my personal opinion, the article was badly written. Just from the title, you could already smell the bias: Happy Canada Day! That’ll be $25, please. It reported that on Canada Day, cars that parked in the Atlantic SuperStore parking lot were ticketed. (A parking violation costs $25 fine.) The implication was that the supermarket was out to take advantage of the situation and make money out of its parking lot, preying on regular people who thought it was OK to park there. Of course, the supermarket ruined Canada Day for these “small people” (using the BP term). When Loblaw (the parent company) found out, they offered to reimburse the parking fines...a hasty PR retreat. The article was skewed against and publicly skewered SuperStore. Very irresponsible...again in my opinion.

Here are some facts to consider though:
The parking lot is private property owned by the supermarket. (Point to ponder: Who pays for the property taxes, maintenance, cleaning, snow removal, etc?)
There are clear warning signs there that the area was for customer parking only.
SuperStore was closed on Canada Day. (A little use of simple logic: If the store was closed, then there should be no customers. If there is no customers, then there should not be a car parked in the parking area. If there is a car parked, then it must be without permission.)
Parking tickets are issued by the Halifax police.
Ticketing for illegal parking on private property is done at the property owner’s request to the police.
Or, the property owner may be deputized by the police to issue parking tickets on illegally parked vehicles on the property. (This is probably the case with SuperStore.)
The parking fines resulting from those tickets go to the city coffers, NOT to the property owner.

Things I want to say about this issue:
The parking tickets were not a “money grab” for SuperStore. The fines paid do not go to them.
I don’t know if tickets already issued can be voided. If yes, good. No harm, no foul. If no, then it will be SuperStore paying the parking fines of the violators to the city...an expense they do not need to be incurring except in the name of public relations.
I expected better from the Chronicle Herald. I actually didn’t think this was newsworthy unless they have an agenda against businesses that have parking space. Remember Subway?
SuperStore could have tried a more pro-active approach as one reader suggested. Charge 10 bucks for parking and donate the proceeds to charity.
You wouldn’t like it either if somebody parked on your driveway while you were on holiday, would you? (Oh, but you were not using it anyway so I thought it was OK....)
And no, I am not a Loblaw shareholder, supplier, or employee.

As Forrest Gump would say, that’s all I am going to say about that. Well, for now anyway.