Cedar Hill Golf Course Restaurant Closed

Stair to the Restaurant

Cedar Hill golf course is one of my favorite places to visit in Victoria. I was running on their trail a lot. I love their restaurant. I always recommend people to have lunch there. With less than $15 for a meal, you can have a good view of blue sky with fantastic green and very relaxing atmosphere inside the restaurant. People who work there are very nice and smile all the time. That's why my wife and I chose here to held our wedding banquet. Dino Clarkson who was the executive chef of the restaurant gave us a lot of advices on our wedding banquet such as decoration, flooring plan, and food selection. Thank you so much Dino Clarkson. My wife, the guests and I were very enjoyed the food, and we had a unforgettable night. 

Recently, I found that the cedar hill golf course projected $820,000 deficit for this year. Closing the restaurant (I didn't know the restaurant called Shank's Pub until I read the news) can save $100,000 for the deficit. It’s sad that my wife and I  didn’t get a chance to object or visit the restaurant again before they closed. The last day for the restaurant was Feb 17, 2012.  Now Cedar Hill Golf Course Restaurant / Shank's Pub is only in our memory. 

I find a history of the Cedar Hill Golf Course on Saanich News.

Looking outside from the restaurant

- The first time a round of golfing was 100 years ago.

- McRae family owned the land of Cedar Hill Golf course until November of 1967.

- 133-acre property was used as a dairy farm.

- The location of Cedar Hill rec center, built in 1972, was the McRae’s old cattle barn

- Cedar Hill Golf Course was a nine-hole course. Until 1951, it expanded to 18-hole course.

- In 1967,  the District of Saanich expropriated the McRae property for 1.2 million.

- Saanich began operating the course in 1971.

- In May 1996, the clubhouse was destroyed by the arson attack from two teens.

- The new clubhouse, cost 1.3 million, opened in 1997 till today.

- The golf course has been getting complaints of errant golf balls damaging surrounding properties from the neighborhood since 1939.  

- By 2008, the golf course and clubhouse began to face deficits.

Photography by - Adrian Lam, Times Colonist

News from CTV regarding to the closing Shank's Pub

Shopping at Costco

In Unite State, they have Sam’s Club, BJ’s wholesale and Costco. However, in Canada, Costco is almost the only choice. Costco is one of the places I like to shop. Mainly, it is because they carry quality products, very good price and awesome refund policy.  Seasonal products and store special events always keep me attractive when I visit Costco. The down side of Costco: easily overspend, only accept American Express credit card, products in large quantities and long line up. Overall, Costco is good especially for family. You will find you can save a lot.

Here is the question. Which type of membership should you join? Executive? Gold Star?

Gold Star membership annual fee is $55; a free spouse card is the almost only feature.

Executive member annual fee is $110 (last year was only $100)

Here is the list of executive member feature:

-       2% Cash back (up to $750) pre tax purchase, not include alcohol cigarettes or other tobacco-related products

-       Exclusive discount booklet for executive member

-       Residential Telecommunications

-       Residential Real Estate Program

-       Mortgages

-       Emergency Roadside Assistance

-       Express Courier shipping

-       Car rentals

-       Life and Health Plans

-       Custom Logo Merchandise

Is it worth to have Costco executive membership?

To answer this question is really depends on how much you spend yearly. The table shown below will give you some idea.

		Executive	Gold Star
Before Tax	Annual Fee	$110.00	$55.00
	Min Annual Spend to cover the Annual Fee	$5,500.00
	Min Annual Spend to match Gold Star Annual Fee	$2,750.00

If you spend at least $2,750 (pre-tax purchase) per year, it’s a good idea go with executive membership.

Since we need to pay the tax to government, I also made another table include tax.

		Executive	Gold Star
After Tax	BC - Annual Fee	$123.20	$61.60
	BC - Min Annual Spend to cover the Annual Fee	$6,160.00
	BC - Min Annual Spend to match Gold Star Annual Fee	$3,080.00
	AB - Annual Fee	$115.50	$57.75
	AB - Min Annual Spend to cover the Annual Fee	$5,775.00
	AB - Min Annual Spend to match Gold Star Annual Fee	$2,887.50

As you see above, if you live in BC, you need to spend $3,080 (pre-tax) yearly to cover extra money you spend on upgrading to executive membership.

Affiliated Credit Card

As I mention above, American Express is the only credit card accept in Costco. Costco offer a True earning American Express card. To be honest, this is not a bad credit card. 

-       Earn up to 1% cash back on everyday purchase

·      0.25% first $1000

·      0.5% from $1001 to $3000

·      1% any amount after passing $3000 purchase

-       Earn 2% cash back on eligible gas purchase, but only up to $3000 annually, 1% after

-       Earn 3% cash back on eligible restaurant 

-       No annual fee

-       Free supplement card

Even though there are many stores or restaurants not accepting AE, I still recommend getting this AE card. First, it has no annual fee. Second, it’s more convenience paying in Costco if you run out of cash. Third, it’s a good cash back credit card.

If you use AE card with your executive membership, you actually spend less in order to make your executive fee free or equal to Gold Star.  Below tables show the combination of using AE card

		Executive	Gold Star
After Tax	BC - Annual Fee	$123.20	$61.60
	BC - Min Annual Spend to cover the Annual Fee	$4,775.00	$7,910.00
	BC - Min Annual Spend to match Gold Star Annual Fee	$2,805.00

		Executive	Gold Star
After Tax	AB - Annual Fee	$115.50	$57.75
	AB - Min Annual Spend to cover the Annual Fee	$4,580.00	$7,500.00
	AB - Min Annual Spend to match Gold Star Annual Fee	$2,505.00

In BC, if you pay all your Costco purchase with TrueEarning AE card, you will spend $1,385 less in order to make your executive membership free. To equal Gold star annual fee, you spend $275 less.

In AB, if you pay all your Costco purchase with TrueEarning AE card, you will spend $1,195 less in order to make your executive membership free. To equal Gold star annual fee, you spend $382.5 less.

In conclusion, if you join Costco, I highly recommend to apply TrueEarning AE card either you are executive or gold star member. Executive member has some very nice features, and I believe if you use it you can save some money. Also, you can always downgrade to Gold star and get the refund if you are not happy with executive membership.  

The Starry Night

Original

About a month ago, my wife and I bought "The Starry Night" - reproduction. My first impression was good. It's a bit abstract and colourful. I didn't know this paint was from Van Gogh until I paid. Oh.. This paint from famous painter, suddenly I felt we are moving to the upper grade, but of course not. 

Reproduction

After doing some research, "The Starry Night" was drawn by Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent Van Gogh, I know him. He is a famous artist. That's all I know. 

Overview at my sitting room

The Starry Night painting depicts the view outside his sanitorium room window at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence at night, although it was painted from memory during the day.Some analyst said the Starry Night, the blue color theme represent unhappy. The thick and depth brush to paint on the sky represent anxiety. The tree, platycladus, painted like a dark tongues of fire which also gives people discomfort feeling. However, below the rolling hills of the horizon lies a small town. There is a peaceful essence flowing from the structures. Some said swirl cloud in the center similar to V838 Monocerotis. According to Wikipedia, V838 Monocerotis is a red variable about 20,000 light years (6 kpc) from the Sun, and possibly one of the largest known stars. 

In my conclusion, my wife and I like this paint so much. Because it's a reproduction paint, the colour is a bit different than the original. In fact, it is more colourful which we like the most. We can tell people we have a Van Gogh paint at our home, but it's a reproduction. lol

Last I want to share one of my favourite songs. I think it will be great playing this song in my sitting room. 

Vincent (Starry Starry Night) by Don McLean

Starry, starry night.

Paint your palette blue and grey,

Look out on a summer's day,

With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.

Shadows on the hills,

Sketch the trees and the daffodils,

Catch the breeze and the winter chills,

In colors on the snowy linen land. 

Now I understand what you tried to say to me,

How you suffered for your sanity,

How you tried to set them free.

They would not listen, they did not know how.

Perhaps they'll listen now. 

Starry, starry night.

Flaming flowers that brightly blaze,

Swirling clouds in violet haze,

Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue.

Colors changing hue, morning field of amber grain,

Weathered faces lined in pain,

Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand. 

Now I understand what you tried to say to me,

How you suffered for your sanity,

How you tried to set them free.

They would not listen, they did not know how.

Perhaps they'll listen now. 

For they could not love you,

But still your love was true.

And when no hope was left in sight

On that starry, starry night,

You took your life, as lovers often do.

But I could have told you, Vincent,

This world was never meant for one

As beautiful as you. 

Starry, starry night.

Portraits hung in empty halls,

Frameless head on nameless walls,

With eyes that watch the world and can't forget.

Like the strangers that you've met,

The ragged men in the ragged clothes,

The silver thorn of bloody rose,

Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow. 

Now I think I know what you tried to say to me,

How you suffered for your sanity,

How you tried to set them free.

They would not listen, they're not listening still.

Perhaps they never will... 

Smartphone Patent War

Found these two image from PC magazine. Patent war will never stop, and no one will win except for the lawyer.

Continue of Linsanity

I can't believe my eye. Jeremy, you did it again. What a great game! 27pts and 11 assist. All I want to say, I love watching you play basketball. Especially, your path to be a NBA star. It's very true that in every step in your life has the figure prints of the Lord. I am thankful because God uses you to bless other people.

Great game.. Let's make the Linsanity continue...

Just Lin, Baby! 10 Lessons Jeremy Lin Can Teach Us Before We Go To Work Monday Morning

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Lin-sanity has swept up the NBA over the last week.  Now it seems like the phenomenon has gone worldwide.

Friday’s 38 point performance by Harvard grad Jeremy Lin for the New York Knicks against the LA Lakers was his greatest performance yet as a starter, since he burst on to the scene and propelled the team to 4 straight wins.

Lin now has over 200,000 followers on Twitter.  He’s got over 800,000 on Weibo – including 200,000 new ones in the 24 hour period after beating the Lakers.

Jeremy Lin Puts Pressure On Time Warner To Settle With MSGMike OzanianForbes Staff

Lin Gives an Assist to NBA in ChinaTom Van RiperForbes Staff

Lin-finite Endorsement Potential: Jeremy's Spoken...To Advertisers WorldwidePatrick RisheContributor

But there’s more to this story than basketball.  This isn’t just a modern-day, real-life version of the Hoosiers movie.  The Jeremy Lin story is incredibly popular because we can all see a little bit of ourselves in this man’s struggles and now successes.

What can all of us learn from this young man — and how can we apply these same lessons to our own lives when we go back to work on Monday morning?

1. Believe in yourself when no one else does.Lin’s only the 3rd graduate from Harvard to make it to the NBA.  He’s also one of only a handful of Asian-Americans to make it. He was sent by the Knicks to play for their D-League team 3 weeks ago in Erie, PA.  He’d already been cut by two other NBA teams before joining the Knicks this year.  You’ve got to believe in yourself, even when no one else does.

2. Seize the opportunity when it comes up. Lin got to start for the Knicks because they had to start him.  They had too many injuries.  Baron Davis was gone.  The other point guards were out.  Carmelo Anthony was injured.  Amare Stoudemire had to leave the team because of a family death.  Lin could have squandered the opportunity and we would have never have noticed.  But he made the most of it.  You never know when opportunities are going to arise in life.  Often, they’re when you least expect them.  Make the most of them. Don’t fritter them away.

3. Your family will always be there for you, so be there for them. It wasn’t until a few days ago that Lin got his contract guaranteed by the Knicks for the rest of the season.  Before that, he could have been cut at any time.  He had to sleep on his brother’s couch on the Lower East Side to get by.  His family always believed in him and picked him up when he could have gotten down on himself.  That made him continue to believe.  If you want your family to believe in you like that, you’ve got to be there for them too when they need it.

4. Find the system that works for your style.Lin isn’t Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.  He’s not a pure scorer.  He’s a passer and distributor – who can also score very well.  It didn’t work for him in Golden State or Houston – where he was before landing at the Knicks.  But Mike D’Antoni’s system at the Knicks has been perfect for him to show off his strengths.  You’ve got to do your best to understand what your strengths are and then ensure that you’re in a system (a job or organization or industry) that is a good fit for those strengths.  Otherwise, people overlook the talents you bring to the table.

5. Don’t overlook talent that might exist around you today on your team. You probably manage people at your own company today.  Are you sure you don’t have a Jeremy Lin living among you now?  How do you know that “Mike” couldn’t do amazing things if you gave him a new project to run with?  How do you know “Sarah” isn’t the right person to take the open job in London that you’ve been talking over with your colleagues?  We put people around us in boxes.  He’s from Harvard.  He’s Asian-American.  Not sure he can play.  How many assumptions have you made about talent around you?  Don’t be like the General Managers in Golden State and Houston, and let talent slip through your fingers.  With all their money, scouts, and testing, they didn’t have a clue what they had in their hands.  Do you know what your people (or even yourself) is really capable of?  Take off the blinders of assumptions you wear when you look at the world.

6. People will love you for being an original, not trying to be someone else. You’ve got to be you.  You can’t be some 2nd rate copy of Michael Jordan.  There will never be another Michael Jordan.  Just be Jeremy Lin — yourself.  Whatever that is.  That doesn’t mean you don’t work hard — it just means you find what you’re good at and do it.  Fans will love you for being you, just like they love Jeremy Lin.  Judy Garland said it best:

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”

7. Stay humble. If you one day are lucky enough to have newspapers want to put you on the cover in order to sell more, don’t let it get to your head.  It’s been remarkable watching how humble Lin remains through all this media frenzy.  It makes his teammates and fans love him that much more.

8. When you make others around you look good, they will love you forever. I didn’t know how good Tyson Chandler was, until I saw him playing with Jeremy Lin.  Lin has set Chandler up many times over the last week for easy dunks because he drew the defense and then passed the ball.  That’s partly why the Knicks are playing so well.  They are all working harder to share the ball with others.  And it’s beautiful to watch.  And when the media swarms Lin, he tells them how good his teammates are.  Do the same with your peers and reports.

9. Never forget about the importance of luck or fate in life. Some people believe in God, some in destiny, some in luck.  Whatever you believe in, be grateful for it.

10. Work your butt off. Lin couldn’t have seized his opportunity if he hadn’t worked like crazy for years perfecting his skills.  There are no short cuts to hard work.  Success is a by product of that.  If you’ve got a Tiger Mom who’s always pushed you to work hard, great.  If not, let your conscience be your own Tiger Mom!  Get up early, stay up late.  Nobody gave Lin any free passes. Why should you get any?  You can only control what you control and that means you’ve got to work harder than anyone else you know.

I hope the Lin-sanity continues.  And I hope we all can apply these lessons to our own work and family life.

There’s a great line from a New York Times article on Lin and his faith which is worth it for all of us to remember:

“suffering produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us.”

Article from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2012/02/11/9-lessons-jeremy-lin-can-teach-us-before-we-go-to-work-monday-morning/