Nova Scotia: The Search for Paddling - Found! I can't believe what I found in my first week in Nova Scotia: The 9th Annual Manulife Dragon Boat Festival! Who would have guessed it? Since I was already in Halifax I decided to pop over to Lake Banook in Dartmouth and check things out. Next thing I knew I was adopted by "The Model Units" (Killam Reality...a fine group of people) and I'm helping to coach and giving them paddle tips. I had never paddled a DB wearing a lifejacket before but hey, what cha gonna do? NS is saftey bonkers! We ended up in the A Cup Final and finished 5th out of 70 teams. Awesome! Especially considering half of our boat had never paddled before. Most of the boats that beat us were paddling clubs and not corporate ones like us as well. Well done! Oh, I love being a ringer!

Oh Canada - My initial impressions upon returning to Canada never cease to amaze me. Damn, we gotta lotta trees eh? Can we send a little bit of this clean air to Asia? Please? I feel like I just quit smoking as my body adjusts to living in a non-hostile environment. Tim's really is that good, it wasn't just me being homesick. Give me a Double-Double on the double! Yes, people are very friendly in the Maritimes, I love it! With one glaring exception: What's with being so agro after a few drinks? I don't understand how such nice people can turn into rage-machines after consuming a few beer. That and I feel like a runt outside of Asia. 5'9" 185 lbs, really isn't that big is it? I keep forgetting.