Flag This Artist

I haven't yet decided if I want to use this blog as a political outlet too. Still, I figured I'd start slow, and post about the following site:

http://www.brazilianartists.net/home/flags/

Originally posted by Anthony, I thought it was really thought-provoking, and very original. I don't get impressed by art or politics too often, but this, at the intersection of both, really caught my attention. Well, I didn't see the flag of my country there, so I took the original concept and applied it. It only took me a few minutes to figure out the surface area colours by percentage, since I found a grid-lined version of our official map. Interestingly, the National Flag of Canada is about two-thirds red, and without the leaf, it would be exactly half red. (What, did you think I was American?)

Here's my flag. After doing my research, I realised It's really hard to come up with statistics that are real that fit the proportions of a flag and that are relevant to a country's political landscape, so I have to give the original artist a lot of respect.


Red: Aboriginal population under the age of 25.
White: Aboriginal population not under the age of 25.

Here are a couple of other stats of note I uncovered:

• Red: General population not under age of 25.
  White: General population under the age of 25
• Red: Educational workers that are female.
  White: Educational workers that are male
• Red: Forest fires (land burned) due to human activites.
  White: Forest fires (land burned) not due to human activity.

I'd be interested to hear any feedback or other stats.

Daniel

A Nomad No More? No Madness?

I've been a nomad for a long time, travelling on planes trains and automobiles, mostly for work, although I have met some very wonderful people through my travels. However, it has kept me so busy, I haven't had time to think. I also haven't had a car, or a place to live until very recently. And that's what this post is about. I was finally forced by work to get a place to live locally. I'm still returning home and maintaining my resident status in Toronto, but will be staying in Michigan to work at GM, thanks to my friend Ann, who is renting me a spare room in her gigantic house (with a sweet sound system). The cool thing about having a roommate is that you come home, and even if no one is around, there are signs of life, and things have moved around magically! I went grocery shopping for the first time in years and it was kind of exciting! Yes its amazing: red, orange and yellow bell peppers are 1.5 times more expensive than green ones.

Will I still move to Windsor (which was the original 30-minute commute plan)? I don't know... I do hate the 1 hour commute. For now I'm liking the non-nomadic style of having a nice place, so time will tell.

Daniel

Whine Whine Whine...

When you find that life is difficult and you find yourself complaining more often than normal, I believe that this is an indication that you should reassess your attitude and whether or not you are part of the problem. Whether it be through bad prioritization, a lack of appreciation or anything else, often the cause of and solution to many of life's problems is internal. (Also it is said that alcohol is the cause of and solution to all of life's problems, and I suppose it does indeed become internal once you drink it, so that proves my point).

I have a couple of things I'm currently complaining about: One is the fact that I didn't get many comments about my new car on my weblog. Its not so much that I wanted people to see it, but simply that it is showing that nobody really reads my blog much, which is what I suspected (and I was perhaps in denial). I figured if people would comment on anything, they'd comment on a car! Or... maybe I should write better blog entries. Another related thing is that someone opened their door and dented it in a parking lot the first day I brought it to Michigan. Now I'm parking it away from other cars when possible. Whine whine whine...

Additionally I muse that I work too much too. I try to take time off and I spend it doing mostly work-related things. I'm back from it now and I'm almost as stressed as before. But again, this is an issue that I can clearly do something about. I need to prioritize my life better and learn to draw the line and actually try living my life, especially seeing as the company isn't paying my way as much anymore. Whine whine whine...

It's time to stop whining about issues and start doing things about them.

Daniel

The New Daniel-mobile: Brand Spankin' Used

I really loved my dad's old '89 Camry wagon, even though the malfunctioning "auto-off lights" helped me meet many strangers with booster cables. I always appreciated how you could slip the keys right out of the ignition and still continue to drive. That car truly was fun, and I even got 9L/100km (thats like 26 MPG, you Americans)!

But, all the same, I think I'm much happier with my 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT2. Sure, its the first big thing I ever bought (and incidentally, the first big thing I ever bought that I still have to pay off eventually), but I'm anticipating keeping it for a long time. My dad actually found it in Oakville for me (Stan's home town).

I didn't enjoy the whole car buying experience. Pretty much its people trying to convince you to give them your money, which is annoying because you don't really know how much to trust what they say. In the end, you ignore what they say, and see what they can prove. I did buy the car, though, so it means I was either satisfied or getting tired. Thanks to GM Optimum, I could actually exchange it within 30 days. But that'll never happen, because I'm enjoying it more every day. I'll name it soon.

Suggest a name, and let me know what you think, and maybe I'll let you ride in it... but wipe your feet first, I'm getting obsessive already.

Daniel