Canada Day and the Great Beaver Quest
Friday July 3, 2026
I've been slowly readjusting to Toronto time, but without any real need to stay awake during the day, it's been slow and relaxed, with lots of naps. I did do some work on my website, which I'll be showing off here: a new gallery widget! For Canada Day, we went around Old Town Toronto, for the Great Beaver Quest. Basically a scavenger hunt, the Old Town BIA had 51 beavers commissioned in honour of the World Cup, 48 of them representing the competing countries, 2 extras representing the world and one for Old Town Toronto. We solved some basic clues to track down all of them, bar the USA one which had been unfortunately destroyed. Some of the businesses housing the beavers were closed on Canada Day, so I had to come back later to snap a picture of the beaver, but here they all are!
Of note, naturally, is the New Zealand one, which has the whakataukī (Maori proverb) Kia kaha, Kia māia, Kia manawanui, which is an incredibly beautiful and powerful phrase: Be strong, Be brave, Be steadfast. The heat was almost unbearable though, hitting 35C in the middle of the day. It took us just over 3 hours to find them all, but it's such a great way to get people out and about, even if we don't even really care about the World Cup.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:31pm on Friday July 3, 2026 :: 0 comments :: 
Rotterdam and The Hague
Sunday June 28, 2026
We departed Antwerp to the west, with a very specific destination in mind: the Belgian/Dutch border at Zeeland. Sure enough, my research using Google Street View was correct, and we, two New Zealanders, stopped at a small parking lot of trucks to take a photo of a Welkom in Zeeland sign, the entrance to Old Zealand.
As we drove through, we saw hundreds of wind turbines scattered throughout the many islands of Zeeland, as well as storm surge barriers like the famous Oosterscheldekering to prevent flooding during high tides. Eventually we reached Rotterdam; I notice immediately the buildings are all so modern-looking, that they have some interesting and varied designs. Andrew tells me the majority of the city was wiped out during World War II and as a result, had to be rebuilt. Our first stop was the main Market Hall for lunch, but also a chance to admire its spectacular dome roof mural. We stopped by the Cube Houses too, and then we split up. I continued to the Erasmus Bridge, the shopping district and Rotterdam Central station before heading back to meet Andrew and continuing onto The Hague.
We went out for a fancy dinner because it was Andrew’s birthday. The concept of rijsttafel, or “rice table”, dates back to colonial times when the Dutch were eager to show off their conquests by having a meal that displayed all sorts of different flavours, colours and textures. Most of the food is based in Indonesian cuisine, so the both of us were very familiar with the dishes and flavour profile, as well as the spice level, which took me by surprise because some of the dishes were genuinely spicy and I didn’t think the Dutch could handle that. We were so stuffed at the end that we couldn’t even fit in dessert, so we waddled back to the hotel and tried to cool off in the air conditioning.
The next day, we covered the Peace Palace and International Court of Justice before heading into the city centre. I got Dudok’s famous apple tart for breakfast, and then worked it off by climbing a lookout tower next to Binnenhof. We checked out Chinatown, had a brief lunch, then went to the Escher Museum. I’m no artist, nor am I particularly familiar with or appreciative of much art. But MC Escher is different. His works are incredibly famous, and there’s something about the geometry and tessellation and illusions that piques my interest. Learning about his life - especially that he only died in the 1970s - as well as seeing some of his original works and notebook sketches was fascinating.
We went to collect the car and I picked up one of Maison Kelder’s famous hazelnut cakes before heading to the Video Game Museum. Unfortunately because of the extreme heat, they were closed for the next two days, so with nothing else to do, we just headed to Amsterdam. Dinner was burgers from Burgerbar and ice cream from Casa Infante. The next morning, my last day in Europe, we headed to Albert Cuyp Market, where I got to meet the famous chonky orange cat who loves hanging out on the street and in the market stalls. We got some breakfast from Layers Bakery, then headed home so I could pack. I left for the airport around 11am so I had time to grab some lunch on the way. I arrived at Schipohl with plenty of time to spare and was able to clear security and immigration without any problems.
It’s genuinely been a nice time these past few weeks. The heat has made it exhausting to walk around for sure, but this has meant we were forced to take it easy and relax more. When I was in Italy, I was suffering from some pretty bad heat rash due to just walking everywhere and trying to do too many things, but had no problems with that on the road trip. Seeing Andrew as well was a highlight. We reflected on having known each other for more than 20 years now, as well as our journeys away from New Zealand and our lives in different countries. But it’s time to go back to Toronto, time to start looking for a job again, and time to get back into the swing of things. It’s rare to have opportunities to travel like this, to see and eat and experience these things, and I’m deeply thankful to have the chance.
Posted by Jeremy at 2:36pm on Sunday June 28, 2026 :: 0 comments ::
Brussels…and Antwerp?!
Thursday June 25, 2026
We stopped in a small town called Arlon after crossing the border and picked up some paninis for lunch. My French was immediately put to the test, but it wasn’t too difficult to communicate my order and payment details. We continued to Dinant, home of a beautiful cathedral by the Meuse River backed by a large cliff hosting a citadel on top. Unbeknownst to me until arriving, Dinant is also the birthplace of Adolfe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. Several large saxophone art installations can be found around town, all painted in honour of a particular country, with most of them being found on the Charles du Galles bridge over the river.
An hour or two later, we were in Brussels. We checked out the Cinquantenaire Park, named for the 50th anniversary of Belgium’s independence, as well as the Berlaymont, the European Commision headquarters. We passed by a vegan protest and proceeded to the Leopold Quarter for some Lebanese food before retiring for the night.
On Tuesday, we went to the city center in search of waffles, chocolate, mussels and fries. Instead what we found when we got to the Grand Place was a ton of Japanese tourists. We ascertained that the Japanese Imperial Couple were due to meet with the Belgian Royals in a few hours, so we quickly covered some major sites like Mannekin Pis, the famous pissing boy statue, as well as his companion Zennekin Pis, a dog. We also saw the Tintin and Asterix & Obelix murals. We got back to the Grand Place with plenty of time to see everyone arrive and wave from the balcony of the Brussels Town Hall.
After lunch, we split up. I wanted to go to the Atomium but Andrew wasn’t keen so I headed off by myself. The building is incredible. It’s so much larger than you think it is. Each sphere is 18m in diameter, the top being the restaurant and observation deck, and three others holding light and sound art installations. It was originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World Fair, a scale model of an iron crystal, and was never meant to be permanent, but still stands today, an icon of Brussels architecture and a nod to the steel industry. Dinner was at a Greek restaurant, possibly the best food we’d had so far on this trip. After sunset, I suggested we return to the Atomium to see it lit up at night, and so we drove back to admire the lights on the atoms.
Andrew had some loyalty points that were going to expire, and we figured there wasn’t that much to do in Brussels, so we cut short our visit by one day and instead booked in at the Sapphire House in Antwerp (part of the Marriott group!). I also managed to cancel our Airbnb in The Hague and we’ll be spending that at the Best Western instead. More than anything, I’m looking forward to having air conditioning as Europe struggles with an intense heat wave.
We left Brussels after having breakfast at IKEA and arrived in Antwerp on Wednesday morning. We covered the city center and some of the more famous buildings, and then we split up again; Andrew went to get a massage for a back injury that he sustained while trying to put on sunscreen. I was intending to head to the waterfront but I happened to pass by a cat cafe, so I went inside for a few minutes to enjoy a cold drink and the company of some adorable cats. I also went to see MAS in the north, and I got myself a Liege-style waffle. I was by myself for dinner as well, and enjoyed a relatively cheap Persian meal.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:45pm on Thursday June 25, 2026 :: 0 comments ::
Frankfurt and Luxembourg
Monday June 22, 2026
I made it to Rome Fiumicino Airport well on time, despite some heavy traffic in the city. As I was waiting for the gate information to appear, I saw two girls playing Heart and Soul on a public piano. I waited for them to finish, then played Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. I continued on to my gate when I saw a second piano, so I played To Zanarkand and a German couple applauded me when I finished. I later had to make small talk with them on the bus to the plane, but thankfully I wasn’t seated near them, or I may have just died from awkwardness.
Frankfurt is nice. I like the river aesthetic, it’s such a pleasant stroll especially in the cooler hours of the day. The city felt quite alive on a Friday evening, probably because of the local apple wine festival in full force. I was told that most of the restaurants serving local specialities were on the south side of the river, so I headed in that direction and found myself in the middle of a street festival at Schweizer Platz. After walking around and seeing what was available, I settled on a restaurant and tried some of the local apple wine, which was quite strong, and decided to walk home to sober up.
The next day, I took my bags to the new hotel; Andrew, a mate from New Zealand who’s now living in Amsterdam, would be driving in to meet me in Frankfurt and we booked a place together near the train station. It’s pretty dodgy there, a lot of homelessness and substance abuse in the area, but I left the people alone and they didn’t bother me. I continued on to the cathedral and Kleinmarkthalle, where I got my lunch. I was still desperate to find a place that did an authentic Black Forest cake, and after wandering around many bakeries, I finally ended up back at the cathedral where a popular coffee house in a beautiful building had my Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. It was phenomenal, and well worth the walking. I had planned to come back after dinner to try the Frankfurt Kranz, another famous regional pastry, but they were sold out well before I had the chance, such is their popularity.
I went back to the hotel to wait for Andrew and after he arrived, we went for dinner and walked back along the river front. Frankfurt isn’t that big, and I was pretty much done with the major sites, so we headed back. The hotel had no air conditioning so we kept the windows open throughout the night, and I could hear bottles being smashed outside which made me nervous. The windows were connected to the fire escape gangway so at some point during the night I dreamt that someone was trying to sneak into our room, to which I yelled and woke both myself and Andrew up.
On Sunday, the coffee house with the Black Forest cake wouldn’t open until 11am and we didn’t want to wait around, so we just left. We ended up in Trier, Germany’s oldest town, right near the border to Luxembourg. We walked around the main square and admired the buildings, before heading up to the lookout over the city by the Mariensäule statue.
The drive to Luxembourg City took another hour. We parked in the city center and wandered around in the sweltering heat. The downtown area is built high up on a cliff looking over the Petrusse River, with remnants of the old Luxembourg castle still standing today. We had dinner near the train station - it was ludicrously expensive at €29 or nearly CAD$50 - and walked back to crash for the night.
Today we’re off to Brussels. I’m glad we didn’t stay in Luxembourg for longer. It’s pretty but it really does feel like there’s not much to do or see. In any case, I can happily mark off 35 countries on my Visited list, with Belgium being 36.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:51am on Monday June 22, 2026 :: 0 comments ::
Rome II
Friday June 19, 2026
My holiday blogs are always so full of exciting events and I love looking back on fond memories, years after they’re written. I also captured the sad time I had in Rome the last time I was here, due to food poisoning on the first night. Thankfully, many of those memories have been rewritten (or downright erased) and my week has so far been excellent, albeit very hot.
On Monday, I took the metro out east to catch a connecting bus to Tivoli. As you know, “Do as the Romans do”, so I didn’t bother tapping my card when entering the bus as no one else did. Tivoli is an hour east of Rome, nestled in the mountains with the Aniene River flowing through. Its incredible scenery attracted the money of several aristocrats who built lavish villas, the most famous being that of the Este family, Villa d’Este.
The villa didn’t open until 2pm so I had a few hours to kill. I walked around the town center, and stumbled upon Villa Gregoriana, built for the pope who commissioned the water overflow tunnel that prevents flooding of the river. In the 1800s, severe flooding damaged the town due to the river collecting rainwater from all the surrounding mountains. In addition to the beautiful cascade of the Aniene, there’s the grand fall, an 80m high manmade waterfall that takes the water from the tunnels and deposits it into the valley below.
Villa d’Este takes this water concept and expresses it with hundreds of ornate fountains. In addition to the beautiful gardens, there was a Chinese art exhibit on display, showcasing similarities and parallels between the art in China and the ones in the villa.
There were mostly tourists on the bus back, so I went to tap my card and it declined. It suddenly occurred to me that my transit card may not have been valid for this bus since it is such a popular tourist route. Instead, I got off and waited for the next bus, and followed the locals on who didn’t tap their cards. An hour later, I was safely back in Rome.
On Tuesday, I was up early to get to the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. It was relatively quiet, the crowds wouldn’t materialise until opening time at 8.30am. The ticket lady said I had enough time to start with the Mamertine Prison and then go to the Colosseum, and then sassed me when I asked if I could do the Colosseum first. She was right though, my visit took 15 minutes. The Mamertine Prison is where the apostle Paul is said to have been held (and was recently the subject of a sermon by my Italian pastor in Toronto), and all you can really see of this is a typical jail cell which has a hole in the roof where food for the prisoner can be lowered.
I spent the next 90 minutes in the Colosseum, listening to the audioguide talk about the world’s largest amphitheater and one of the Modern Wonders of the World. The Flavian Amphitheatre, as it was known then, remains Italy’s most visited touristic site, its presence and size dominating the Palatine Hill area. While I had visited the Colosseum when I was here in 2017, I barely remember what I saw in the Roman Forum, so I spent a good deal of time wandering around there that day. The ruins are fascinating, and the tales they tell so captivating. The view from the Palatine Hill was awesome too, but I was quickly becoming hungry and tired as the harsh heat had intensified with the sun overhead.
I headed to Largo di Torre Argentina to grab some food from a nearby bakery known for its pizza bianca, then tried to see if I could get into the cat sanctuary. With the heat so strong and no shade, I decided to return the next day, and instead headed home to rest until the evening. Closer to 7pm, I took the bus to the Aventine Hill to watch the sunset and had dinner in Travestere before heading back. On the way, I stopped by the “Gay Street” near the Colosseum where a crowd had gathered to watch a drag show outdoors. I stayed long enough to sing along to Huntrix’s Golden, and then caught the last metro train home.
By Wednesday I could feel myself running out of steam for doing long distances by foot, so it was a very slow Wednesday. I wandered by the Tiber River from Castel Sant’Angelo to the Vatican, just seeing if I could step foot momentarily in a different country. Alas, the crowd to go through the security screening was too large so I abandoned the idea, instead just admiring St Peter’s Basilica from the Via Della Conciliazione. Around noon, I returned to the Largo Di Torre Argentina cat sanctuary to meet the felines. They house nearly 80 cats, most of them permanently quarantined indoors due to disease and disability. On a blisteringly hot day like this, the cats out in the ruins will usually only be active in the cooler times around dusk and dawn, but there were two hanging around that I got to pet. The rest of the afternoon was spent napping like the cats I’d just seen, but when I woke up, there was a massive downpour and thunderstorm. Thankfully it only lasted less than 15 mins, but it made the city very muggy instead of cooling it down.
I did something wild on Thursday. I took a bus to a tiny town called Rocca Di Papa and hiked up the nearby mountain, Monte Cavo. This time, I was more prepared with the ticketing, and bought one from the ticket office for €1.30 (this is absurdly cheap when you look at how expensive it is in Toronto). The bus took us south for an hour and dropped us at the central plaza, with views of the lake and towns below. I started hiking up the steep, narrow streets, grateful for the shade of the buildings, eventually reaching the path leading to the top of Monte Cavo.
Each step I took sent some lizards scrambling for safety into the nearest rock crevice; meanwhile a myriad of colourful butterflies fluttered aimlessly around me. I reached the first landmark on the trail, some iron-cut silhouettes of animals, presumably ones you can find in the area. Among them were owls, hedgehogs, foxes, wild boar and wolves, which made me slightly nervous. There were a handful of others that I passed by on the trail. I continued to a viewpoint overlooking both lakes, Albano and Nemi, and then to the summit, but there was not much there.
I started back down, reaching the public road going back to Lake Albano, but it seemed too dangerous to walk with no footpath, so I sought an alternative route through the forest. Eventually I managed to cross into the volcanic rim route, which would lead me back to the train station at Castel Gandolfo. This hike was much more rugged, with sheer cliff drops to my left and right. At one point in time, I saw two wild boar on the ledge below, who bolted as soon as they heard me. There was also a wild cat who hopped into the tall grass as I approached. But it felt like the most dangerous points were back on the road after the trail had finished. Weirdly enough, the best views of the lake were from car parks or terraces where the trees had been cleared out. The lake is incredibly scenic, vividly blue with green hues so typical of the Mediterranean. After almost four hours on one hell of a walk, I successfully made it to the train station. It would have been nice to go down to the lakeside to soak my feet in the water, but the next train was in 20 minutes, so I just waited at the station and caught the train back to Roma Termini.
As my time in Rome draws to an end, I feel like I’ve done the Eternal City justice. Not having to bother with all the main tourist sites was a bonus, since I’d done them all before, but it was still nice to revisit the Colosseum, and especially absorb the atmosphere and party vibe around that area. Food was excellent, a huge step up from the last time. Well satisfied with pizza and pasta for a while, but I won’t say no to another gelato and tiramisu!
Posted by Jeremy at 8:43am on Friday June 19, 2026 :: 0 comments ::
Barcelona and Rome I
Wednesday June 17, 2026
I arrived into Ponta Delgada early on Wednesday morning in transit to Barcelona. I was somewhat nervous about whether Europe’s new Entry/Exit System would be functional enough for me to get through immigration on time to catch my connecting flight. The staff at the airport were routing people in different, seemingly random directions - some to the automated kiosks, some to the immigration officers. I got sent to an officer, who took my fingerprints and my photo, and sent me on my way into the Schengen area without any fuss.
Arrival in Barcelona was smooth. I took the metro to Sant Marti and met up with Owen, somewhat impressed that I had managed to do this without GPS. After talking and catching up for a bit, we headed out for a stroll to the beach, before circling back to the Clot area for some tapas for dinner. We got some gelato from the market and we headed back for the night.
I tried to force myself to wake up early the next day, even though I had been awake from 3am to about 6am. Bea and Owen had been talking about a fancy new restaurant that opened up last week in Tibidabo, and I was super keen, so we made a booking and headed off soon after. We stopped by Sagrada Família for a quick photo; the reflecting lake was unfortunately fenced off due to the pope’s visit the day before, but it was still impressive to see the completed exterior with the Tower of Jesus Christ.
I’ve been to Tibidabo a few times and I love the view of the city from there, and I was looking forward to trying some great Catalan food. It was indeed phenomenal, with several of the waitress’s recommendations on point. We were both stuffed. We made our way back down the mountain on the funicular and I stopped by at the big supermarket to grab some ingredients for lunch the next day, since I would need to be at the airport at that time. At night, we grabbed some light Galician tapas and headed to the Montjuic Fountain for their music and light show. I swear the timing could not have been more perfect - as we arrived, they started playing Circle of Life with some beautiful sunrise colours being projected on the water, and this launched into a ten minute Disney medley including A Whole New World, Colours of the Wind, Beauty and the Beast, Under the Sea, Be Our Guest and the Bare Necessities. On our way home, we stopped by Sagrada Família again, just to take some photos at night.
The next morning, I followed Owen to his office and dropped my luggage with him, then promptly made my way to my favourite chocolate cafe in the Gothic Quarter for a suizo and a xuixo. I was completely over saturated with sugar so I decided to skip the gelato and instead went back to Montjuic to admire the views of the city. I went back to pick up my luggage, said my goodbyes to Owen, and went to the airport. I cleared security in under 20 minutes and I was off in the air to Rome.
As I exited Rome Fiumicino Airport, I was greeted with a horde of people at the train station to the city. I overheard a lady say that nothing was operating due to fire on the tracks. I looked at Uber pricing; it had surged to over €100. Next option was the bus. I managed to find a ticket for €4 so I quickly bought it and set out to find the departure point. The bus station was equally as chaotic as the train station, but eventually my bus arrived and I made it to the guest house, almost four hours after landing at the airport.
Dinner was simple. I just wanted something quick so I could crash out for the night, so ended up with some Roman-style pizza. On Saturday, I began my day at the Spanish steps, which I had missed the last time. It was busy, with tons of people posing and snapping photos, so I left pretty soon after. I continued on to Villa Borghese, which was a nice area to walk around, but not particularly interesting to me. From there, I took the metro to Cipro to grab some lunch from Bonci Pizzerium, then to Valle Aurelia for a short walk up to Monte Ciocci to burn off all those carbs and for a nice view of St Peter’s Basilica.
After resting a bit at the guest house, I went for dinner, and afterwards to the Colosseum to take some night pictures. I managed to capture Venus and Jupiter in frame, it seemed somewhat poetic that these Roman Gods were looking down on the city at this time. People had gathered in the plaza overlooking the area, listening to a busker singing karaoke. At first I heard him sing Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You, but then he loudly announced to the cheers of the largely Spanish crowd that they should join him in singing Alvaro Soler’s Sofia! It was meant to be. What a fun time.
On Sunday I was up early to get to the Appian Way before the crowds. There were some others on the walk with me, mostly older locals who had come to enjoy the serenity of a Sunday morning. The road is paved in typical cobblestone fashion, with fields, houses, forts, catacombs and ancient structures dotted along the path that I walked. I ended up going for 90 minutes before taking the bus to the Park of the Aqueducts. In the afternoon, I visited Villa Doria Pamphili and then got some delicious gelato near Flaminio station.
Posted by Jeremy at 12:14pm on Wednesday June 17, 2026 :: 0 comments ::
It Did Not Turn Out Okay
Tuesday June 9, 2026
In my last post, I expressed some optimism for how the year was going to turn out. Well, We Gotta Go! didn't meet performance expectations and as a result, we're all back on the job market. It was pretty crushing for us; we'd put our heart and soul into making the game quirky and full of character. Everyone contributed a bit of their personality; for me, the inclusion of the Explosive Durian and the King Durian items were a real treat, but Art Director Noah also made us graffiti tags in the gas station bathroom, so I used it as an opportunity to sneak in a Kiwi reference.
I think this one was particularly sad because the small group of us were so talented as a team. I will miss working with each and everyone of them dearly. In the meantime, the weather has improved and it's no longer consistently below zero, and the sun sets after 8pm now, so there's plenty of things to look forward to in the coming months. Over the past month or so, Toronto's trees have burst into life with the cherry blossoms hitting peak bloom, along with the magnolias and tulips. It's truly a lovely time to be out and about in the city.
I was in Ottawa for Victoria Day weekend to catch the annual Tulip Festival, which I had last seen in 2018. Saturday was spent driving most of the time. We wanted to get up early to head down to Dow’s Lake before the big crowds, and had originally planned to be there at 8am, but instead my brain decided to wake me up at 4am and I couldn’t get back to sleep. So, we headed down at 6.30am and it was so peaceful and serene, barely any people at all. We met up with some friends later and went kayaking on the lake, then headed up to Parliament Hill and later to Gatineau Park for a short hike. Traffic heading back to Toronto was really bad on Monday, though we still managed to catch the usual fireworks down by Woodbine Beach.
We also went to Vancouver for a week. The weather was phenomenal - it only rained for 2 hours the entire time we were there. And of course the scenery was absolutely stunning. We did three hikes in the time we were there; the first was Joffre Lakes, an hour north of Whistler - three glacial lakes that flow into each other with that beautiful green colour and the stillness providing an amazing reflection of the mountains and the forests behind. We were there early before the crowds, and it was well worth it. The second was St Mark's Summit in Cypress Mountain, which took us up past the ski fields and over to the west side overlooking Howe Sound. The final one, the most brutal, was the Stawamus Chief in Squamish, a trio of mountain peaks overlooking the town next to the Sea to Sky Gondola. The initial climb was a 600m elevation of literally just stairs, worse than the Grouse Grind, but the view at the top was incredible. We covered many parts of town as well - biking around Stanley Park, exploring Steveston and Fisherman's Wharf, absorbing the ocean breeze from Spanish Banks and watching the sunset from Queen Elizabeth Park. I got to meet up with a few ex-colleagues as well, and as always, the food was excellent throughout the week.
Today I'm off to Europe. It’s a nice time to travel and it feels like a while since I’ve been overseas - New Zealand doesn’t really count as a foreign adventure. I’ll be heading to Barcelona for a few nights, running to my favourite cafe in the Gothic Quarter for a Suizo and Xuxo, then consuming as much tapas and alioli as I can, then I’m over to Rome for a week. The last time I was there, I had food poisoning, so I’m keen to rewrite those memories and properly visit the city and all its history. Then to Frankfurt where I’m meeting up with a Kiwi friend who’s living in the Netherlands, and we’ll road trip to Luxembourg, Brussels and The Hague and end up in Amsterdam where I’ll fly back to Toronto.
Posted by Jeremy at 5:11pm on Tuesday June 9, 2026 :: 0 comments ::
Definitely the Shittiest Game I've Ever Worked On
Friday March 6, 2026
After being laid off last October, I knew I was unlikely to land a job that side of the new year, so I decided to just relax for a few months. I played a lot of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and purchased the Mega Dimension DLC to go with it. While it wasn't a particularly standout game - in fact, a lot of the gameplay in the DLC felt like chores - the active battle system was a fresh take on a very old formula. Still, it was a good way to pass the time, especially with the days growing darker and darker. We had a nice gathering at Asian Dragon Buffet with my friends from the badminton group for our end of year do, and then another buffet at Spring Garden for Izzy's birthday, but otherwise most of my days were spent playing on my Switch and cleaning up 20 year old PHP code for Psypoke.
In the weeks before Christmas, I had some interviews with a Vancouver company that looked really promising. The recruiter was a Kiwi - immediately putting me at ease. Real nice guy to chat to, and just wonderful hearing someone else that sounded like me. The technical test wasn't too difficult, apparently I had one of the quickest solves, and the cultural fit interview was also smooth. After finishing the two rounds of interviews with them, I was waiting to see if they would offer me a position, when surprisingly I received an offer from the last place I expected to - FuzzyBot. Someone was leaving and they needed extra hands to help ship the game. It was a no brainer. I loved working with the people there and I loved the work I did, so I had to turn the Vancouver company down. On January 5th, I started working for FuzzyBot again, on the shittiest game I have ever worked on.
We Gotta Go is a "friendslop" game - games designed to be played with friends, where the intent is to pull people in and go viral. In our game, you are the embodiment of poop, trying to find a toilet in a haunted mansion where everything scares the shit out of you, literally. There's so much room for humour and though it's not the kind of game I love playing, I have been having an incredibly fun time working on it. Turns out toilet humour is extremely popular.
The period between Christmas and New Years was nice. I cooked a big Christmas brunch with bacon, eggs, avocado and sourdough, and then an even bigger Christmas dinner with wasabi mayo prawns, and herb-crusted lamb cutlets, roast vegetables and purple yam mash. We finished the dinner with Costco tiramisu and hot chocolate! On Boxing Day, we had planned to go to Niagara Falls to see if they were frozen over, but the weather was so bad that we decided to stay in Toronto and have hotpot for dinner. For New Years Eve, we had another hotpot and then we went down to Billy Bishop Airport and braved the -10C weather to watch the fireworks over the waterfront in front of the CN Tower. New Years Day had nicer weather, so we drove to Missisauga to have IHOP and then to Tiffany Falls and Niagara Falls to see all the ice. It wasn't cold enough for everything to properly freeze over, but there's still beauty in the ice formations that we did see.
January and February have gone by reasonably quick, although there was a period of 11 days where I absolutely did not leave my building at all. The snowstorm during that time was so severe that both badminton and church on Sunday were cancelled. 60cm of snow was recorded at Toronto Pearson Airport. The piles of snow from that storm are still visible almost 6 weeks later, though we are getting False Spring 1 this weekend and that should melt away a bunch of the ice. Probably the highlight of January was seeing Rob Paulsen (voice of Yakko and Pinky), Maurice LaMarche (voice of The Brain) and Randy Rogel (songwriter) perform at the Flato Theatre in Markham. It was a night of 90s nostalgia, with plenty of laughs and humour. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to sing along to Yakko's Nations of the World song with Rob. United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Haiti, Jamaica, Peru... 🎶 After the show, I got to chat with them a little bit and take a photograph with them, and mentioned that they had worked for Steven Spielberg, and I work for Max Spielberg, so at some point in time we've all had a Spielberg for a boss.
For Chinese New Year, I cooked up another massive dinner. I don't know what I was thinking - my place can only hold five people but for some reason I ended up cooking for like, eight people. I guess that fear of not having enough food was real. The yee sang turned out super well, and in addition to being immaculately presented, it tasted excellent as well, perfectly balanced in sweetness, saltiness, freshness and sourness. So many ingredients went in - the base of cucumber, carrots and radish, and then mango, pomelo, red capsicum, smoked salmon, salted egg fish skin and abalone - the premium ingredients inspired by the yee sang I had in Malaysia two years ago.
In addition to this, there were prawns, duck and lettuce wrap, roast pork, barbeque pork, stuffed tofu and fried rice. Phoebe had brought some famous Chinese New Year snacks as well as some of the selection of treats I had bought for dessert.
And now that it's March, and the Nondescript March Event has passed, I've felt a lot more reflective and introspective than usual. What I've achieved with my life, where I am now, what I want to happen in the future. Things have largely gone very well for me in my life, despite one very marked tragedy early on, and more recently, two layoffs in two years. I still feel uncertain about this year and how it will unfold, but hopefully things will turn out okay.
Posted by Jeremy at 3:54am on Friday March 6, 2026 :: 0 comments ::