Today was amazing. The ceremony this morning for Canada Day was perfect. It was really interesting to hear many of the same words echoed by so many people today. The judge, the mountie, the Honourable Alan Rock, and many other politicians all said basically the same thing - Canada is about tolerance, opportunity, hope and most importantly diversity. Canada is a country chosen by many new immigrants because of all those characteristics. It is the best country in the world to live in - I will never dispute that claim. And to top it off - Suhas got his Canadian Citizenship today so that was fantastic. The judge was so impressed with him that she even read a portion of his "What being Canadian means to me" letter in front of the entire crowd. I reaffirmed my allegiance to Canada today as well by taking the oath (something I've never done so I guess I didn't really reaffirm but instead - I affirmed it). The morning actually started today at about 6:00 am. G picked me up and we went golfing at Don Valley Golf course. I birdied the first hole and thought I was set for an amazing day. I ended up shooting like crap and only had some amazing putts on 4 other holes to save me. The score was dirty and totally not like how I remember the game when I last played on May 2-4 weekend. That is the whole problem with my golf game - consistency.

So I was talking to Suhas today about a lot of stop - job, happiness, relationships, family, friends, etc. He is an amazing person to speak with because he is so patient, intelligent and genuine. One thing he told me to start doing was really analyze what it is about my job that I am not currently enjoying. It's easy to just say - I am not satisfied right now. It's much more difficult to really dive in and figure out what you are missing or what you don't like. Am I wanting more people contact? What kind of people? What kind of contact? Are the targets and numbers getting to me? Why? Are they stressful? Is it too cutthroat? These are all questions I have to find the answers to. And, more importantly - once those answers are found...what needs to change to make me happy and satisfied. That will really make the difference. So, here's to some long and hard thinking over the next few days. He was also suggesting that I look into alternative things in my spare time to cater to my interests of people, cooking and travelling. Perhaps there are ways to cater to those needs and still learn and grow as a person. One awesome suggestion was more directed volunteer work or community service. I need to look into opportunities available that I can really add to and make a difference with. I was planning on looking into Big Brothers for the past couple of years - perhaps that is something I should look into re-exploring.

Today ended off great as well. Went for a nice 40 minute jog on Warden, Steeles, Birchmount and Finch. I have to do one of two things (and hopefully both over time). I have to increase my pace and/or increase my distance. That is the only way I am going to shed significant pounds where it matters. That being said - I have lost 5 pounds since being back from Milwaukee (I am less than 30% of the way towards my target so I gotta keep working harder). Also went out for coffee with KB and Suhas tonight - we caught up on old times and talked about the future as well...was a nice (and interesting) evening.

I'll make it official now as well. I AM GOING TO LONDON, ENGLAND!!! I leave on July 24 and I'm gone until August 8. I am so stoked for this trip and can't wait to explore London, Scotland and wherever else I go. It's going to be awesome.

Night folks,
Goks