Len's News, Notes, and Stuff

About The Guy Who Runs This Place

I know a fair bit about a lot of topics.  I once told my young nephew, “I know a lot, but I don’t know everything.”  In his great wisdom, he emphatically replied back, “NO!  You know everything!”  So, you should know that a (then) 5-year-old says I know everything.

I have a formal background in life sciences, IT management, project management, emergency management.  I’ve formally studied photography and have worked professionally as a photographer.  I’ve taken entrepreneurial stabs at businesses of my own – none of which were successful – but I’ll be back at it again.  I currently work in the public sector, paid by the benevolent taxpayers of Ontario.  I’ve worked in the private sector in sales, tech support, and in marketing.

What else?

• I have more books than a small library.  Aside from a half-dozen classic fictional works, everything I’ve got is non-fiction.  Well, at least the topic matter is non-fiction.  Sometimes I have to wonder if the advice people put into business books is actually better categorized as fiction.
• I’ve been a pretty good amateur ballroom dancer.  Rusty now, though.
• I’ve been a NAUI-certified SCUBA diver, and I will probably take it up again in the future.
• I’ll be freefall certified for jumping out of perfectly good airplanes soon, I swear!
• I’ve taken the game of paintball very seriously in the past and still play it from time to time. I have 5 different paintball guns, not a lot comparatively speaking, but that’s more times than I get to play per year now. They’re considered old-school by today’s kids, but I know what works for me.
• I used to ski at a junior competitive level, and to this day still love to hit the slopes on high-end slalom skis.
• I have an avid love of good food and quality cooking knives – in fact, I carry a 9 with me to the office every day (one needs to enjoy a workday snack as much as a proper sit-down meal!), have another 22 at home, and take care of them on 12 different whetstones and a leather honing pad – and have a personal library of cookbooks and continue to take cooking courses.
• If I lived in the United States, I know I’d take up IPSC shooting purely for the fun of it.
• I speak English fantastically well, Cantonese reasonably well, French and Mandarin only partially, and my Italian and Japanese are limited to food-related vocabulary.

I tend to jump into things very wholeheartedly, and each time I pick up a new interest, I dive right into it and end up either with a lifelong interest or, at the very least, a lot of new knowledge and a new perspective on a bunch of other activities, topics, and interests.

I am a ardent believer in the power and importance of exercising one’s democratic rights and responsibilities. I may not agree with your point of view, and you may not agree with mine, but at least having a point of view is important amidst a culture of political apathy and self-centered myopia.

I believe that education is critical, but that our educational institutions completely miss much of what is important to educate kids about. I believe that homework is important and that we don’t push our kids hard enough educationally – but at the same time believe the typical Asian focus on rote memorization and academic achievement above all else to be just as misguided.

I believe learning is a lifelong endeavor that can never be finished and will never be complete. I believe that taking a stand and taking action based on one’s values and beliefs is the only honorable way to live. I believe that helping others and leaving the world a better place for all is the only worthwhile way to live a life.

Though I appreciate what my little nephew said, I certainly don’t know everything. However, I do have a few things to say now and then, and I appreciate your reading my words and thoughts – and if there’s anything you want to add or comment about, please do so!