[dba-Tech] Languages, Thoughts and Realities

Well, since we're all volunteers to some org or other, I am compelled to
relate a funny story. I do volunteer work at a place called St. John's
Mission, which is a modest church and shared by Greek Orthodox and Coptic
Christians. Way back when, I majored in Philosophy with a minor in
Religious Studies, and consequenly know a little about a lot of religions.
In St. John's Mission I have found some excellent company among the Fathers
of both sects, and frequently enjoy sharing meals with them, once the
volunteer part of it is done.

A week ago I shared a meal with two Chinese people, one white Canadian, one
Metis, and Father Roberto. I was chatting with the Chinese people in
Mandarin. Father Roberto was amazed. So also, I think, were the Chinese
couple: it's not to be expected that a guailo (uncivilized person) can
speak Cantonese and/or Mandarin. But anyway, that's not the point of this
story. Father Roberto, a genuinely beautiful man, asked me to teach him and
the other Fathers some basic Cantonese and Mandarin (well, actually, his
request was "Can you teach us some Chinese?", at which point I had to point
out that there are about 250 dialects, but for the most part in Toronto we
can reduce it to three: Cantonese, Mandarin and Hakka.

So anyway, here I am, a white boy from Winnipeg, teaching Greek Orthodox
and Egyptian Copts the basics of Mandarin and Cantonese. Only in Canada,
you might say. And I had this vision of going into a graceful retirement.
LOL.

As Michael Corleone said, "I keep trying to get out, but they keep dragging
me back in."

I guess that there's just no chance of retiring. Gonna work until I can't
work any more, and that's that.

And to make matters worse, now I've got teenage puppies asking me about
HTML5.

I need a new pharmaceutical called DamnItol.

A.

-- 
Arthur