Thursday, May 31, 2012

Revelations

Another day, another day of nothing happening. Rather that abandoning the blog, and allowing myself to get in the habit of not updating, I will write about the things that I do when not seeing new things.

Today I made a lot of headway into Resident Evil: Revelations for my 3DS. I'm about 95% done, but I won't post any spoilers about the game.


This game takes place between Resident Evil 4 and 5, so this esentially fills in the gaps between Leon's mission in Spain, and the mission where Chris and Jill raid the Spencer Mansion. This game has you playing mainly as Jill Valentine, with her partner Parker Luciani, as they investigate the mysterious cruise ship, Queen Zenobia.



Gameplay wise, the game is very similar to Resident Evil 4 + 5, but your partner is less intrusive, with them being virtually invincible, the game revolves around you. Combat involves your typical third person RE styled shooter (with the option to switch to First Person), with some puzzle solving and exploration.


The feature I like the most though, is the way the store unfolds in episodic form. You can tell that this was made to be a portable game as each section is divided into short bursts. One minute you can be restoring power to a part of the ship, the next moment you're raiding an abandoned airport in Europe with a new pair of characters. It really feels like playing a TV show, and it works perfectly.



If you have a 3DS and need something new to play, I highly suggest getting Resident Evil: Revelations. It's not just a great 3DS game, it's a great game period.


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Red Dog Cafe

Due to uncontrollable circumstances, we are still in Lethbridge, with our stay being extended by a few days. Today was rather uneventful, but I tried a new restaurant that my sister was pestering me to try; the Red Dog Cafe.

The RDC is styled like a 50's nostalgia diner. The moment you walk in, your bombarded with red and white checker patterns, and the scent of hearty grill. The staff there seemed to be a family of Frenchmen from Montreal, who still held on to their roots despite being in southern Alberta.

The food is naturally the most important part, and it was quite good. I had a burger with fries, and I was very satisfied with the burger. It was nicely grilled, and it had that unique homemade quality that you can't get from McDonald's or Burger King, and I absolutely would recommend it to anyone traveling in the Lethbridge area.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Nikka Yuko

Today we took in some of the cultural sights of Lethbridge, and the main focus was the famous Nikka Yuka Japanese Garden. This garden is designed to represent the spirit of friendship between Canada and Japan, with Nikka representing Nihon + Kanada (The Japanese interpretation of Canada), and Yuka meaning friendship.

Japan and the Lethbridge area have a long history together. During World War II, the Canadian government built internment camps in the region, and many Japanese Canadians lived there during the war. After the war ended, the Japanese community fell in love with the region, and soon became a major player in the development of Southern Alberta.

In 1967, the Nikka Yuka garden was created to honour Canada's 100th anniversary. Since then, it has become one of the most popular places in all of Lethbridge.


Monday, May 28, 2012

Locomotive

Today we stayed around Lethbridge, and didn't have any real adventures. After returning from having a much needed haircut, I spotted an old steam locomotive on display across the street. Being a fan of trains since childhood, I couldn't resist the urge to head over and take some pics.







In other news, I am continuing to update the Puppy Pics, and have added a picture of my oldest dog Molson.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Cowboys

The honest truth is that I did nothing interesting today. So rather than post nothing, I'll tell you about something I saw yesterday.

While driving to Spring Coulee, we passed by many farms and ranches as the norm in southern Alberta. As we drove, we noticed the vehicle in front of us had hammered its brakes, thus we stopped abruptly as well. After coming to a stop, we saw to small calves crossing the highway and they trotted off into a field. I tried to take a picture of them, but unfortunately, by the time I got my camera ready, they had wandered off far into the distance.

Roughly half an hour later, we were traveling back to Lethbridge, and we saw two cowboys riding on horses where we had seen the calves. This was the first time I had seen a real cowboy outside of areas like Klondike Days and the like. These guys were like the exact image of the stereotypical cowboy. They had the hats, horses, stylish but rugged mustaches, and were carrying ropes to catch their cattle. I found it odd seeing these men, but even I couldn't resist the romantic image of cattlemen.

Here are some pics of horses we found nearby. I'm not sure how used to humans these guys were, as they seemed nervous when we tried to get closer.


Saturday, May 26, 2012

Birds of Prey

While we waited in Lethbridge, we decided to visit the Birds of Prey exhibit in nearby Coaldale.

At the centre, we were greeted by a cute little burrowing owl named Mario, one of the mascots of the centre. At first I thought that Mario was only there to greet the visitors, but then one of the staff members brought out a small stack of gloves and we soon found ourselves handling Mario.

After we had all had our turn with Mario, we began to explore the entire sanctuary. I think these pictures will tell a better story than anything I could possibly write.










At the sanctuary, it's expected to see birds like the vultures, eagles, and hawks. But there was one group of birds that I did not expect to see, and that was an entire army of ducks. When I first saw them, they were on the other side of the enclosure, and I didn't think about them all too much. However, as we got closer, the ducks saw us, and they ran right over to us.

You would think that a bunch of ducks are cute, and you would be correct. However, when they start swarming you, they become a little interesting. Perhaps the most hilarious part was that they thought that my shoe laces were food. Still, they were a great addition to the sanctuary and were perhaps the most memorable part.






Can you identify the birds in this picture? I will post the answers at a later date.


In other news, starting tomorrow I will also start a new feature on my twitter account: Puppy Pic of the Day. Everyday I will post a picture of my dogs, or other interesting dogs I see. I hope you check it out and enjoy all the puppy love.

Friday, May 25, 2012

What you leave behind...

Perhaps the biggest part of this journey, is not traveling for hours between unknown places, but actually making the first step. As I write this in Lethbridge, I ask myself if what I'm doing is actually the right thing to do, or am I just running away from becoming an adult?

Part of this journey is not just an adventure, but also a means for me to help my dad run his business out of Panama. Is this really something that will give me good work experience? Is making this business profitable even possible? Will my family actually commit to it's success? Perhaps I would be better off remaining in Fort McMurray and having a normal job and live in a normal apartment?

Both options have pros and cons, and I'm running out of time to decide which one is best for me.
  1. By going to Panama, naturally I will have new experiences that I would never get by staying in Canada. On the other hand, staying in Canada will give me security and routine, allowing me to have greater control over my life.
  2. By going to Panama, I will still be with my blood family and won't have to worry about the cost of living. But my being in Fort McMurray, I will have my other family, my friends who I have shared almost half of my life with.
Perhaps it's normal for people to feel hesitant about going on such large trips, knowing that they really don't know what to expect. As my time in Lethbridge raps up, I think about whether or not I should continue traveling, or just go back home.

From the road,

Michael J. P. Ingram

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Getting Ready to Go


Today is the beginning of the last week of my life in Fort McMurray. I have lived in this city since October 2001, and it's been an interesting experience. I won't go into this today as this is only a test post. For the future, I will talk about my travels to Panama, and when there is no news, perhaps I'll tell some stories about my past in Fort Mac. 

I hope you enjoy my stories, and I hope you continue reading in the future.

From the road,

Michael J. P. Ingram