Year: 2012

I participated in the Movember fundraising event this year.  Anya persuaded me to join Nathan’s team, Royal Moustache Part of Canada.  I didn’t want to do the whole Movember thing.  At the same time, I had never tried not shaving for a month, so I went with the mindset of “what do I have to lose” and gave it a try.  I told myself I could always bail out if it didn’t work out. 

My moustache came in different phases throughout the month.  First, I had a patchy face for a week.  The second week I had a goatee.  I must admit I enjoyed having a goatee.  The third week I shaved the chin hair and kept what it was called the Handle-bars or Fu Manchu.  Whatever it was called; it was dirty.  People on the bus had to look at me twice and slowly move away from me.  I enjoyed the attention.  With the Handle-bars, I went to a Movember party hosted by VSSC (Victoria Sport & Social Club).  I play basketball in that league with my awesome Hammerheads teammates.  To my surprise, I won the Best Mo Award at the party and took home some cool prices.  Thanks to those who voted for me!  Keelan Clemens did a great job being the organizer of the event.  This last week of Movember, I got rid off the handle bars and kept a classic stache.  By this point, my moustache has grown out more and been looking more distinct.  People at work have been given me mixed reviews of my “new” look.  Just for laughs; I enjoyed it, again.  Today is the last day of Movember.  I’m concluding my first Movember with this look:

It was fun for my first try out with Movember.  I look forward to having a clean face again.  I’m sure Anya is looking forward to that more than I do.

Not really surprising, but congrats USA at last.

I have been reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.  In Book Two, Passage 4, Marcus wrote,

Think of your many years of procrastination; how the gods have repeatedly granted you further periods of grace, of which you have taken no advantage.  It is time now to realize the nature of the universe to which you belong, and of that controlling Power whose offspring you are; and to understand that your time has a limit set to it.  Use it, then, to advance your enlightenment; or it will be gone, and never in your power again.

This passage accompanied me mentally throughout the last weekend while Anya was out with friends on a Labour Day long weekend retreat.  It was this passage that pushed me to focus on my thesis proposal whenever I wanted to play a bit of video game or stayed on Facebook a bit longer or simply found anything that could distract me from reading boring integrated care case studies.  The weekend is over now, and I’ve finished editing my proposal.  Thank you, Marcus.

I had lunch with Séamus today.  We are both Pho lovers, so having our monthly Pho lunch has become a tradition.  We talked about business, friends, kids, and then somehow our conversation arrived at genome sequencing.  He was telling me how we can use genome sequencing to cure illnesses and diseases we were never able to in the past.  It was fascinating!  I felt like Séamus was from another planet or the future because I had no idea genetic studies have evolved so much.  Then I realized genome sequencing can be used to promote preventative care.  Yes, it’s quite expensive now.  Based on the video below, genome sequencing is, and will be, becoming cheaper and more affordable.  By November 2012, British Columbians will have a choice to upgrade their health care card to an integrated care card combining BC driver’s license and health care card.  This is another step towards electronic patient health information, integrating demographic, clinical, and medical information, as well as faster and securer access to one’s health information online.  I believe the care card project BC is working on will build a solid foundation for educating citizens and residents of this province how to appropriately manage their health information.  Once a better understanding of one’s physical, mental, and social health, a true preventative care can be obtained and practiced.  Once a prevention oriented lifestyle is amalgamated in our daily living, then we will be more willing to welcome advanced preventative tools like genome sequencing.

Writing my thesis/working full time and watching Make It Count is like being a squirrel locked out of a peanut butter factory…