steve kwan user experience designer

Leaving Greece

(July 30th, 2004)

Today is my last day in Athens. Tomorrow, I'm flying out of here for London, where I'll be staying for four days before I leave for Vancouver.

The trip's been a blast so far. I'd upload pictures, but I can't seem to do it from here. I've taken a lot of photos...some of them surprisingly artistic. Not to tease, but I'll upload them when I'm in Vancouver!

I've done a lot of reading on this trip: six books! So far, I've read:

• Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich
• The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
• No Logo, by Naomi Klein
• Greek Mythology, author currently unknown
• Naked Empire, by Terry Goodkind
• Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

The best of the books I've read so far is Life of Pi, no question about it.

I've also purchased Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix and Trainspotting, which I'll read soon. I've done a lot of reading on this trip; I attribute this mainly to all the time I've spent on buses and boats.

I'm looking forward to London, and I'm looking forward to being home after that. I've got an exciting new job to start, and I look forward to seeing my girl again.

In Greece

(July 22nd, 2004)

If Jimmy Fallon were here, he'd say, "...AND WE'RE BACK!"

I'm sure you've noticed that the site was down for a few days. My computer somehow got turned off at home. Once I found out about this, I e-mailed BC and told my roommate's boyfriend to restart the computer.

Greece is a blast. What a wicked country. There's so much history here! I've seen the original Olympic stadium, the ruins of Delphi, and all sorts of other neat sites. I've got a lot of pictures, but I probably can't upload them all from here because of the combined size of the files. I'll make them available when I get home.

I miss Sarah! If you're reading this, I hope you're doing well, and I have presents for you.

Greece is the word

(July 14th, 2004)

So off I go to Greece.

Will try to update the site while I'm at it. Not sure if they have Internet in Greece; they can't even build a stadium.

Looks like things are back to normal

(July 12th, 2004)

My website and e-mail are back up. I'm sure you're relieved.

I'm going to have a very busy few days before I leave for Greece. Tonight I'll be working on a paper for my Critical Reading & Writing class. Tomorrow, I hand in the paper and write my final. Wednesday I have to pack and get ready, and Thursday I leave. Somewhere during this time I should set up my friend's computer and install it.

But it should all be worthwhile once vacation starts. Obviously, I won't be updating often (if at all) while I'm gone, but will try to post pictures and updates at Internet cafes along the way.

New Web server

(July 10th, 2004)

The new Web server is partially up. If you're seeing this message, you're on the new server.

My e-mail is not fully migrated yet, and is temporarily unavailable. If you have any problems with my site, let me know please.

Another new computer

(July 9th, 2004)

I'm picking up a new computer, custom-built from Rock Computer, tonight. The price was right: $350. This computer will act as my new Web server, hosting stevekwan.com and my e-mail. I'm thinking Red Hat or SuSe.

There was a huge thunder clap a while ago. Saw a flash, and then a bang of thunder so loud I thought the lightning might've hit the building.

Additionally, I downloaded a new game, Painkiller, from my buddy Eric. It's a shooter where you play a guy who is a hitman for Heaven. Why is the game called Painkiller? That name has nothing to do with the game, from what I see. Maybe a bunch of marketing guys got together and decided that Painkiller was a good name because it sounded "intense."

So I'm getting a bit of a gut. I need to go to the gym more. School and work make me so tired that I don't want to do anything but play video games when I'm not busy.

Well, not sure what else to say except that I'll be having a busy weekend working on my research paper. If anybody wants to do anything, call me.

You're all a bunch of stalkers

(July 8th, 2004)

I know I went a few days without posting, but a lot of people sure seemed to notice my absence. What am I, a Web jester? Find a better source of entertainment than my blog.

Just got back from school. Wrote one of my exams. I of course made sure to have a beer before the test. Always good to mix alcohol with higher learning.

Sarah was a little upset that I said "I appreciate the companionship." I assume she wanted me to post all sorts of lame girly crap on my website. Don't count on that happening anytime soon.

Big News!

(July 6th, 2004)

So here's the big news...I should have posted this a while ago, but things have been hectic and I just haven't gotten around to it.

After almost two years of employment, I'm leaving MINISIS Inc. This is a huge deal for me, and will hopefully wind up being a decision for the best.

For a multitude of reasons, I've decided that it's time to move on. I don't want to post the details here. Suffice it to say that I want to progress my career, and this is the best way to do it.

Additionally, Sarah and I are back together. Another startling development. It would be nice if things worked out this time. I definitely appreciate the companionship.

I'm sure you all understand how hectic the past few weeks have been for me. Although I am looking forward to my vacation to Greece, before I leave I have two exams and a research paper to write, in addition to coding responsibilities at work. A lot of opportunities have presented themselves to me now, but I've got a lot of work ahead of me.

By the way, see Spider-Man 2 if you haven't already. I saw it twice, and it was amazing both times.

Canada Day

(July 1st, 2004)

Happy Canada Day! And what better way to celebrate the greatness of this country than to get sloppy and drunk?

I'm planning to see Spider-Man 2 with Divyesh tonight, unless that falls through. I'm a big fan of Spider-Man, and have been looking forward to this movie since the first one came out.

I'm pretty busy these days, having two courses at BCIT nearing conclusion. I have two final exams on the horizon, as well as a research paper. My topic? How geeks have become cool. :)

Additionally, I have HUGE news which I'm not going to post here just yet. Check back Friday for more details.