Goats Do Roam: December 2011

WOOOoOOOooooOOOOooOoOoOOOOOOOoooo!!!!!
Today I got the very first Visa stamp in my passport!!!

REQUIREMENTS to Enter Thailand:
~~1.Thai Visa stamp~~
~~2.Valid Passport~~
~~3.Flight to Thailand~~
~~4.Return/Ongoing Flight out of Thailand~~

Sundown in the Paris of the Prairies

Wheat Kings By The Tragically Hip, and the story of David Millgard--
an innocent 16 year old who was imprisoned for 23 years for a murder he did not commit.

Preparing to Travel Abroad: THAILAND

Travelling abroad is a huge undertaking, and can be very intense depending where you are going, how far away it is, how long you will be staying, and how different the language and culture are.
We are visiting The Kingdom of Thailand (a monarchy) which is on the complete opposite side of the world, with exactly a 12 hour time difference, and sooo many other differences! It can be both exciting and overwhelming, but mostly exciting!!
There are lots of great resources out there to help you learn about experience and integration into other societies, especially webpages, travel books, and blogs!

Here are some that I have found particularly useful while researching Thailand:

Virtual Tourist, Thailand-blogs, Bangkok.com
Foreign Affairs Canada, Royal Thai Embassy ,
Buddhist Travel
Lonely Planet's 'Thailand' by J. Cummings, S. Bao, S. Martin, C. Williams
Moon's 'Living Abroad in Thailand' by S. Nam

To enter Thailand you must have :

A Valid Passport
A Thai Visa
A flight to Thailand
A return flight/ongoing flight out of Thailand

Our Visa Applications, Passports, and Travellers hand books.

Its also a good idea to have:

Travel Insurance
Up-to-date vaccinations
Copies of all documents-Paper and electronic
A Hotel Reservation for when you arrive in Thailand
Thai currency
Credit cards or emergency money

My first Thai baht- Thanks Sandra!!
Here is the back side of the 100 Thai Baht Bill

$3.25 CAD= 100 Thai Baht
(front side)

Christmas Day!

From left to right; Matt, Scott, Moi, Briana, Mom, Dad and Mac!

Brothers<3 Mac and Matt

Mom and Dad preparing din din

A Holiday Snack: Spiced Nuts

This year I made Spiced Nuts for two Holiday get-togethers. They turned out to be a hit, and it was soooooo easy!! The idea of an ensemble of spiced mixed nuts with cranberries originally came from a recipe I found called "Mixed nuts with Curry Spices" from a recipe booklet called "12 easy ways to an easy holiday"(-From the LCBO,page 23). Up until recently I never thought of using Indian spices in Christmas cooking, but once I thought about it and how warm and explosive Indian spices can be, I decided to go for it. I changed the original recipe a little to suit my taste, and the ingredients in my cupboard-Enjoy!

Follow this easy altered recipe for sweet/ spicy nuts anytime!

You will need;

3 cups mixed nuts (salted)
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp. wildflower honey
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. Clubhouse Indian Masala One-Step Seasoning(I used this seasoning which is mostly Coriander instead of Curry- it is a bit sweeter and in my opinion more widely enjoyed by Westerners than the strong taste of Curry)

1) In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat.

2) Add the Indian Masala spice, stir.

3) Add the wildflower honey and brown sugar, stir.

4) Add the mixed nuts to skillet and gently stir until honey & spices have coated nuts well.

5) Turn element to low and add cranberries, continue to stir for 1 minute.

6) Take skillet off heat, put nuts on a cookie sheet to cool.

-Thats it! Happy Holidays!

Its In The Details

This year Christmas seemed to come barreling around the corner for me! Not only is it the hectic yule-tide season, but it is also the busiest time of year for Greenhouse Growers! Just to elaborate a bit, my colleages and I had to undertake the task of cleaning out and disinfecting the entire greenhouse (a three week process!), then there were 312,500 plants (22 acres worth) that had to be planted, and after that hours upon hours of distributing biologicals and natural pesticides. These last few months seemed like a year! That being said, long nights at the greenhouse left me little time to do Christmas shopping! Besides, we all know that shopping for presents during the last week before Christmas is like throwing yourself into oncoming traffic. Not to mention, I have been on a strict budget in order to afford this massive trip to Thailand!

The alternative: Home-made Christmas gifts. I dont think theres anything that says Christmas quite like something made from scratch with the inspiration of someone you love. This year all of my gifts are hand-crafted. Its not for everyone: it tests your patience, but when you create something beautiful, it feels even better to give it to someone.

I made some ornaments using; glitter, paint and beads, hot glue, and a few other simple supplies. I also purchased some Candy Cane Shot-glasses, (so cool!) filled them up with red and green Skittles and Runtz and wrapped them in some pretty cellophane and ribbons to use as an addition on top of gifts!

Here are a few pictures of some of the creations we came up with!

Hand-made Christmas Tree Ornaments; Supplies provided by Mother Nature
(and The Dollarama, lol- unfortunately Mother Nature does not provide glitter...atleast the kind I required)

Some toy soldiers interestly decorated in Camo! Made by Scott

Numbers Add Up to Nothin

A Message From Neil Young to Us Music Lovers!

Neil Young has always been one of my favourite musical artists. I dont know if its his strange yet melodic voice, the harmonica,or his Canadian-life lyrics, but I always feel like listening to him, anytime, any place. Its the kind of music you want to listen to while making dinner in a toasty kitchen on a rainy night, or in the autumn while you watch the blazing sun set over golden fields. There is something familiar, reassuring and gentle in his music- its like going home, it never gets old!

From Neil Youngs Official Website, here is a message from the man himself, writing about 2012 and the gifts it will bring!

Taken from http://www.neilyoung.com/messagepage.html

Check out this great Neil Young cover, "Long May You Run"
One of my favourites!!

you never start where you end up
<3

Summer 2011: We Found Things To Do, In Stormy Weather!

On the spur of the moment, we got in the car on Friday after work and decided to drive 740 km to Sault Ste. Marie-my hometown! And then push further North!

We stopped in Parry Sound overnight,
the half-way point!

Getting closer, almost in Blind River! --that town from

Neil Youngs song "Long May You Run")

While in The Soo we stopped at The Trading Post where Im posing with the giant moose! Then we got back in the car for a weekend camping trip past Batchewana Bay, in Pancake Bay Provincial Park. On the way we got really pumped up singing Tenacious D...hahaha!

Batchewana Bay

@Pancake Bay Provincial Park!

Once we got to Pancake Bay we set up our tent, went fishing, kayaking, and made sure to enjoy some nice cold beers! We sent a message in a bottle out on Lake Superior too, haha- Ive always wanted to do that! On the last night we got caught in a huge Thunderstorm, which turned out to be sooo much fun!

Being up near near The Soo again reminded me of how stunning it really is! The water is gorgeous, the sand is clean, the air smells great! And the best part is the wildlife still owns the land (and the people are awesome!!) I could go on and on.. :)

Holiday Cheer HAHA!

You Are Like A Lotus Flower

“[I]f you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak,

return to yourself, to who you are, here and now.

And when you get there, you will discover yourself,

like a lotus flower in full bloom,

even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.”

― Masaru Emoto, The Secret Life of Water

Experts

When Thomas from Earthoria interviewed Jo Jandai from Pun Pun Center for Self-Reliance, I absolutely loved one of his answers about "Experts":

Q: You state on the website, "We dont believe in experts, but in learning together" Why do you not believe in experts?

A: Because experts, they only know one thing, but life is not only one thing, life is everything together. So nobody can be expert in life. So the way we do, is we have to experience it ourself. Because in sustainable way, or in natural way there is no formula.

To hear this Podcast Click here
To learn more, check out"Life Can Be Easy"

"Life Can Be Easy"

Earthoria is a website I came across while looking for sustainable farming projects in Thailand. It is an excellent resource for travellers, or inquisitive minds alike, and is self-described as a travel and lifestyle blog. Here is an short excerpt from Earthoria's
"ABOUT" page:
"We originally set up Earthoria in Thailand, where we met and where we both lived for years. During this time, Tina managed an HIV/AIDS campaign (Aidscarewatch.org), and Thomas initially volunteered with a Burma-related Human Rights group on the Burmese border.. Following some prompting from friends, we thought we’d set up the website to share some of our experiences with others."
(from www.earthoria.com )
In addition to interesting travel articles, they have a ton of podcasts on all sorts of subjects all over the world. They have a lot of information on Europe, Central America, and particularly Thailand. I really enjoyed the podcast about Pun Pun, the sustainable organic farm in Northern Thailand.

@Pun Pun

Pun Pun, aka the
"Pun Pun Center for Self Reliance" believes that

life can be easy.

It can be easy if we become be self-sustaining by learning how to provide ourselves with the basic necesseties of life such as; shelter, medicine, and food. Then we could depend on ourselves and build thriving communities. Their main focus is organic farming and seed-saving, however they also focus on making medicine making,as well as earthern house-building. To learn about workshops, or volunteer/intern opportunities go to: http://www.punpunthailand.org/

Click here to go to this article, or hear the Pod cast and learn more about

seed saving vs. corporations
how globalization and corporations are affecting our natural seed supply and our CHOICE
composting techniques
earthern buildings
Pun Pun organic restaurant and farm
self-reliance and sustainability.

Departures: Life is more than who we are

Watching OLN I came across this Canadian tv show called Departures. Its my new favourite thing to watch, and I guess others agree, because it has won several awards such as the Best Photography in an Information Program/Series in both 2008 and 2009, as well as the Best Picture Editing in an Information Program in 2009. It has also been nominated for 8 other awards!

It's about 2 young guys, Justin and Scott, (both from Ontario) who decide to drop everything and travel for 1 year. After going full circle around the world once, the show was a hit and luckily allowed them to continue their travels...this meant round 2 around the world! It seems they just cant get enough travel, and I cant get enough of them travelling!

The show is great because they dont explore tourist destinations so much, but are really interested in going off the beaten path. Its completely inspiring! Not only does Departures show you parts of the world you otherwise might not see, but it shows you all of the places you could see, and that in itself is a
reminder of the greatness of life.

**Click below to watch some episodes from the Season 1,2 or 3**

Season One follows the guys as they travel across Canada and then head to Jordan, India, Ascension Island, Japan,Cook Islands, New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia, then finish off in the Great White North of Canada!

Check out the Thailand Episode and see where Im going!

Season Two they head to Morocco, Libya, Brazil, Cuba, Mongolia, Iceland, Zambia, Madagascar, Chile and finally Antartica

Season Three features Russia,Sri Lanka,Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Greenland, North Korea!, Indonesia, Australia

Thanks for reading!/Kob Khun Ka/ ขอบคุณ

"Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride"

Dear friends and family;
My dreams are coming true! We have officially begun our adventure to the other side of planet Earth! Lastnight we bought round trip tickets to Asia!!!!

We got awesome flights that will bring us to Chicago, Tokyo Japan(!!!) and then finally, after 28 painstaking hours of travel, we will be in BANGKOK, THAILAND!!!!!!! Can you tell Im excited?

Here are some pics of where we will begin our Thailand adventure:
Bangkok, aka, The Las Vegas of Asia!

The Floating Market!! I especially cant wait to see this!

                                              Damnoen Saduak Floating Market....
                                      If I dont come back from Thailand,
                                    this is probably where you will find me!!

Mount Royal

Overlooking the St. Lawrence River and Montreal

When I found this on the mountain there was a man with a
guitar singing Stairway to Heaven! Could I be any happier?

Check and Check!

Forklift License, Check!

Greenhouse Exterminator License, Check!

Who knew Forklifts were so fun?

Starting out in the Greenhouse Industry I never wanted to use pesticides- or drive a forklift for that matter. But sometimes your job surprises you, and you surprise yourself. In my job, I realize now how important it is to have training, both with farming equipment and chemicals.

Using a forklift comes in handy so often, that now I cant imagine not being trained to use one. It is useful, its easy and its fun! As for the Exterminator license, I have always prefered not to use pesticides. I prefer a more holistic approach to the prevention of the causal agent, rather than cleaning up the after-math. The training I have received by taking the Exterminators course and exam at Guelph University (as well as my hands-on experience using pesticides) has provided me with practical knowledge that I can use in my future with the greenhouse industry. Even in a career without pesticide use, it is important to have a knowledge of chemicals, how to use them, and their effects.