Thursday: Push Hard

I worked from home today which was pleasant and productive.  There's something about working in comfy clothes that seems to up the productivity.  

I also had a pleasant outing this morning when I went up to Kitsilano to meet my friend, Janice, for coffee.  

This evening I was invited to my Korean colleague's for a farewell dinner for my Japanese colleague, Asako.  She has been transferred to New York and will be sorely missed.  I've always really enjoyed her company.    

The dinner was outstanding.  I can't resist reeling off the menu:

Crab and abalone rich porridge with pickled white radish wrap;
Mini vegetables and beef crepe with honey mustard sauce;
Grilled beef short ribs marinated in sweet soy sauce;
Nutritious (that's what it said on the menu card) rice stuffed buttercup squash, soybean paste soup, kimchi and grilled mackerel
Persimmon sorbet
Green tea Tiramisu

And, in case you're wondering, yes, we were served all courses.

There was also a very interesting twist to the conversation.  Not everyone knew each other so Gunn, the host, employed a technique he often uses and asked everyone to share a thought or observation on a chosen subject.  The subjects he chose were New York, which was the topic over the appetizers, and the topic for the main course was education.  

At first, I was filled with dread but it was actually really good.  On education, for example, an elderly Korean lady shared the story of her strict schoolteacher father who used to beat her and her brothers if their grades weren't good enough.  This was in the 1950s - and the worst part is that they had to fashion their own whip.  

And Santa, who is the President of the University of British Columbia, spoke about technology and the uses it has in education but how it has also removed an entire generation from their parents, and, particularly, grandparents, as well as increased isolation and created problems for students on a much larger scale than he has seen before.  

I suspect this sign, hung on the outside, was born out of years of frustration.