Really Bad HP Customer Service...
In my continuing struggle to find out what's happened with my laptop at HP (and get it back!), I haven't found out anything except that they've got really bad customer service.
I called the Canadian number (important to note) again on Wednesday to see what was happening, and where my computer was. I of course got booted around to a bunch of different people, and eventually talked to Kumar. He couldn't help me, and transfered me to some box-store/HP liason lady who was supposed to be able to find my computer in the system. Obviously Kumar didn't know that I was calling from Canada (despite me calling a Canadian number and being offered service in English or French), because he connected me to a lady in the US. After giving her all my info, computer info, store info, etc., she couldn't find my computer in the system. Nothing! I was getting a bit nervous. After 10 minutes of trying every number, product code, and phone number, she asked for my ZIP code. I gave her my postal code. "Your ZIP code sir." "Ah, I'm in Canada." "Well I'm in the States. Sorry sir, but I can't help you. You'll have to call the Canada support number."
Back to square one!
When I called the number "all of our agents are [of course] busy", but I could leave a message and they would respond in 24 hours. I decided it best to hold and wait for an actual person. It's not like I didn't have to write a 10-page paper about medical negligence for the next day on a borrowed computer or anything.
10 minutes of elevator music later and no operator. The system decided automatically to put me through to voice mail where I left an unhappy message with my product details and phone number. The machine said they would respond in 24 hours. It's been 4 days now...
So I went to Staples on the weekend, where I bought the laptop and a 3-year warranty, to see if they could help. The manager photocopied my details, and said she would have the tech department email HP.
October 23, 2007
Procrastination...
It's amazing that when you've got a big essay or paper due, you always find things that "need" to be done more urgently. For example cleaning the oven, blogging, pouring a glass of wine, changing lightbulbs to energy saving ones, or checking your emails every 5 minutes.
Yup, I've got a bigish paper due on Thursday, and instead of writing about medical negligence and signing "Refusal to Permit Blood Transfusion" forms (based on Hobbs v. Robertson [2004] B.C.J. No. 1689 (B.C.S.C.)), I've been cleaning the oven, blogging, pouring a glass of wine, changing lightbulbs to energy saving ones, and checking my emails every 5 minutes.
It's amazing that when you've got a big essay or paper due, you always find things that "need" to be done more urgently. For example cleaning the oven, blogging, pouring a glass of wine, changing lightbulbs to energy saving ones, or checking your emails every 5 minutes.
Yup, I've got a bigish paper due on Thursday, and instead of writing about medical negligence and signing "Refusal to Permit Blood Transfusion" forms (based on Hobbs v. Robertson [2004] B.C.J. No. 1689 (B.C.S.C.)), I've been cleaning the oven, blogging, pouring a glass of wine, changing lightbulbs to energy saving ones, and checking my emails every 5 minutes.
October 18, 2007
Annoying HP...
My Compaq V2000 had to be repaired (i.e. have its hard drive replaced) in August just before I left for Ottawa. I figured that would be fine for a while, but three weeks after arriving in Ottawa Windows wouldn't start. So I took the laptop once again back to Staples, where I have a warranty, to get it fixed. I took it in on the 19th of September, and I'm still waiting. I finally went in, and they said that it was shipped on the 20th of September to HP to have
it fixed and that I'd have to call HP to check on the status.
I tried calling last Friday, and my call was dropped twice. The first time I actually talked to someone, after battling for several minutes with the voice automated system, who transferred my call. After a minute of music it was dropped with the annoyingly familiar 'beep beep beep' noise.
Anyway, I called HP yesterday to try again. A few friends suggesting pressing the '0' key to avoid the voice automated mess. I pressed '0' a whole bunch of times, but an annoying automated female voice replied calmly "I can understand when you speak; you don't need to press numbers".
Ugh. Then she says something like "to help us better serve you, please say 'home, work, or business'."
"Home."
"Sorry, I don't seem to understand you. Let's try this again. Please say 'home, work, or business'." WHAT?! I thought she just said she could understand me and I didn't need to have to press buttons!
"Just give me an operator."
"Sorry, I don't seem to understand you. Please wait while I transfer you to an operator." Finally.
Music. Then I'm finally talking to a human.
After giving my phone number, product number, ticket number, computer model, name, address, and waiting ages while they try to find the product, the guy says that they haven't done anything with the computer.
"What do you mean that nothing has been done? I sent in the computer on the 20th of September, that's a month ago. Can you please tell me more about what you've done with it and when I can expect to get it fixed?"
"I can't give you that information. I'll transfer you to the Status Department."
More music, more waiting. Then my call gets transferred to India. The lady could hardly understand me, and the connection was awful.
"Hello sir, how can I help you?"
I go through the whole thing again, but this time she can't seem to find the computer! "Kindly wait 2 or 3 minute Sir."
Finally she figures out what's going on and tells me that it hasn't been fixed yet. "What do you mean that nothing has been done? I sent in the computer on the 20th of September, that's a month ago. Can you please tell me more about what you've done with it and when I can expect to get it fixed?" I feel like a parrot.
"Kindly wait 2 or 3 minute Sir." Crackling noises and what I think is Hindi in the background.
"Sorry Sir, I will put in a work order to fix the computer right away."
-OK, so isn't that why I sent the laptop to HP, to have it fixed? Are they now doing a storage system where if you go on vacation they'll hold onto your computer for the fun of it?! If the laptop has been sent in a month earlier for repair, why is the repair order just being made now?
"Well can you at least tell me when it'll be fixed."
"Kindly wait 1 or 2 minute Sir." Crackling noise.
"Hello Sir, maybe the maximum time is 7 or 9 day plus shipping, unless there is a backlog."
"Well can you tell me if there's a backlog?" I asked trying not to sound frustrated.
"Yes, I can find out if there's a backlog. Kindly wait 1 or 2 minute Sir." Crackling noise. "There is no backlog of the parts."
"Well I need the computer to do work, and this will take 6 or 7 weeks, so I'd appreciate it if you can do this as fast as possible."
"Thank you Sir for calling HP. Please have a nice day. If you have any questions you can look at the website www.hp. (long pause, while she's trying to figure out which country I'm in) ca"
Ugh. So now I have to wait another 2 or 3 weeks before I get my laptop back for the second time since August from HP Repair. Hopefully it will last longer than 3 weeks this time before it crashes again!
My Compaq V2000 had to be repaired (i.e. have its hard drive replaced) in August just before I left for Ottawa. I figured that would be fine for a while, but three weeks after arriving in Ottawa Windows wouldn't start. So I took the laptop once again back to Staples, where I have a warranty, to get it fixed. I took it in on the 19th of September, and I'm still waiting. I finally went in, and they said that it was shipped on the 20th of September to HP to have
it fixed and that I'd have to call HP to check on the status.
I tried calling last Friday, and my call was dropped twice. The first time I actually talked to someone, after battling for several minutes with the voice automated system, who transferred my call. After a minute of music it was dropped with the annoyingly familiar 'beep beep beep' noise.
Anyway, I called HP yesterday to try again. A few friends suggesting pressing the '0' key to avoid the voice automated mess. I pressed '0' a whole bunch of times, but an annoying automated female voice replied calmly "I can understand when you speak; you don't need to press numbers".
Ugh. Then she says something like "to help us better serve you, please say 'home, work, or business'."
"Home."
"Sorry, I don't seem to understand you. Let's try this again. Please say 'home, work, or business'." WHAT?! I thought she just said she could understand me and I didn't need to have to press buttons!
"Just give me an operator."
"Sorry, I don't seem to understand you. Please wait while I transfer you to an operator." Finally.
Music. Then I'm finally talking to a human.
After giving my phone number, product number, ticket number, computer model, name, address, and waiting ages while they try to find the product, the guy says that they haven't done anything with the computer.
"What do you mean that nothing has been done? I sent in the computer on the 20th of September, that's a month ago. Can you please tell me more about what you've done with it and when I can expect to get it fixed?"
"I can't give you that information. I'll transfer you to the Status Department."
More music, more waiting. Then my call gets transferred to India. The lady could hardly understand me, and the connection was awful.
"Hello sir, how can I help you?"
I go through the whole thing again, but this time she can't seem to find the computer! "Kindly wait 2 or 3 minute Sir."
Finally she figures out what's going on and tells me that it hasn't been fixed yet. "What do you mean that nothing has been done? I sent in the computer on the 20th of September, that's a month ago. Can you please tell me more about what you've done with it and when I can expect to get it fixed?" I feel like a parrot.
"Kindly wait 2 or 3 minute Sir." Crackling noises and what I think is Hindi in the background.
"Sorry Sir, I will put in a work order to fix the computer right away."
-OK, so isn't that why I sent the laptop to HP, to have it fixed? Are they now doing a storage system where if you go on vacation they'll hold onto your computer for the fun of it?! If the laptop has been sent in a month earlier for repair, why is the repair order just being made now?
"Well can you at least tell me when it'll be fixed."
"Kindly wait 1 or 2 minute Sir." Crackling noise.
"Hello Sir, maybe the maximum time is 7 or 9 day plus shipping, unless there is a backlog."
"Well can you tell me if there's a backlog?" I asked trying not to sound frustrated.
"Yes, I can find out if there's a backlog. Kindly wait 1 or 2 minute Sir." Crackling noise. "There is no backlog of the parts."
"Well I need the computer to do work, and this will take 6 or 7 weeks, so I'd appreciate it if you can do this as fast as possible."
"Thank you Sir for calling HP. Please have a nice day. If you have any questions you can look at the website www.hp. (long pause, while she's trying to figure out which country I'm in) ca"
Ugh. So now I have to wait another 2 or 3 weeks before I get my laptop back for the second time since August from HP Repair. Hopefully it will last longer than 3 weeks this time before it crashes again!
October 08, 2007
Gobble, Gobble...
I thought it might be nice to have a bit of a Thanksgiving dinner for some of the stragglers who were left behind here in Ottawa over the long weekend, so I did up a big turkey meal today. I was a bit worried about under cooking the turkey, so I got a meat thermometer and put the turkey in the oven early just to be safe. It turned out perfectly, as you can see below. It wasn't dry, and had a great browned skin. (We had taken off the wings and drumsticks when we realised we should take a photo, so I held them back on the turkey)
I also did up a green salad, got some buns, made garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing, broccoli and onion bake, gravy out of the drippings, and even had pumpkin pie and ice cream for dessert, with a decent white wine. I think it went pretty well, and even had a friend ask for the broccoli and onion bake recipe.
Of course I spent most of the day in the kitchen and at the table eating, but it was nice to take a break from some of those big law textbooks.
Now I'm stuffed with turkey and wine, and a bit sleepy... Time to read my Criminal Law & Procedure text.
I thought it might be nice to have a bit of a Thanksgiving dinner for some of the stragglers who were left behind here in Ottawa over the long weekend, so I did up a big turkey meal today. I was a bit worried about under cooking the turkey, so I got a meat thermometer and put the turkey in the oven early just to be safe. It turned out perfectly, as you can see below. It wasn't dry, and had a great browned skin. (We had taken off the wings and drumsticks when we realised we should take a photo, so I held them back on the turkey)
I also did up a green salad, got some buns, made garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing, broccoli and onion bake, gravy out of the drippings, and even had pumpkin pie and ice cream for dessert, with a decent white wine. I think it went pretty well, and even had a friend ask for the broccoli and onion bake recipe.
Of course I spent most of the day in the kitchen and at the table eating, but it was nice to take a break from some of those big law textbooks.
Now I'm stuffed with turkey and wine, and a bit sleepy... Time to read my Criminal Law & Procedure text.
October 05, 2007
Censorship and Privacy...
I was reminded of a post that I wrote a while back this week during my Torts class when we were talking about the alleged tort of Invasion of Privacy (it's recognised in some jurisdictions under Common Law). I didn't want to post this until after I left China for obvious reasons, so here's the post more or less in its entirety.
It's well known around the world that China has a lot of censorship in many areas and it's been evident living here. It's been rated in the bottom 10 countries for censorship. Even this blog is blocked from time to time by the Great Firewall of China. There seem to be two types of blocks in China -soft blocks and hard blocks. Soft blocks are easy enough to get around using an anonymous proxy (i.e. to read my blog when it's blocked), but hard blocks are pretty much impossible to get around.
Starting off with personal anecdotes, I have friends and have met travellers who have had their Lonely Planet China guides confiscated at overland border crossings, but not when entering by air, with the excuse from the border guards that the books are "wrong". They have a map of China which doesn't include a certain highly-disputed island/province. You can't buy Lonely Planet China in bookstores that sell LP for every other country, but there are a few places in Beijing with secret imports.
A friend of mine was entering the country overland from Vietnam when the border
guards went through her bag. They of course removed her LP China, but also a history book she had about China. When asked why they confiscated it, the border guard said "it contains 'wrong' history" and that "maybe [she] should buy a book with 'correct' history at the government controlled XinHua Bookstore". The real reason for confiscation? The book had a photo of a man in front of a tank from a certain 'incident' in 1989.
I've been reading an interesting blog lately called Truth About China, which has as itstagline "Truth About China, for people who want the truth". They recently ran a story about a French website blocked for warning of risks of investing in China. A section of the report that gets the site hard blocked in China is:
Another example is Google.cn, the site that you get redirected to after typing Google.com within China. Massive amounts of information are directly censored, and some of the sites listed end up being blocked anyway. For example, even though Wikipedia.org comes up in some searches, it's always blocked (some pages about China are hard blocked, the rest is soft blocked). A funny joke I found referring to Wikipedia and China goes like this:
The perfect example though is in the image section of Google. Go to
Google.com and type in Tiananmen Square. What's the image that appears? Now check out Google.cn's versions of Tiananmen Square. At the time of writing this there are apparently only a few photos of Tian'anmen Square on the internet, showing photos of happy soldiers, ethnic minorities, and tourists.
There was an interesting article on Yahoo!news not too long ago about blogging in China, and how it scares the Central Government. They're worried in part because "blogging is a disruptive technology that helps open up people's minds". I keep reading that in the near future China will make it necessary forbloggers to register with their real ID before they can post.
All in all though, things are much better than they were just a few years ago. Here are a few more links in case you're interested:
Danwei on Television censorship in China
Business Week: The Great Firewall of China (2006)
CNN: Tech execs get grilled over China business (2006)
CBS: China's Internet Censorship (2002)
I was reminded of a post that I wrote a while back this week during my Torts class when we were talking about the alleged tort of Invasion of Privacy (it's recognised in some jurisdictions under Common Law). I didn't want to post this until after I left China for obvious reasons, so here's the post more or less in its entirety.
It's well known around the world that China has a lot of censorship in many areas and it's been evident living here. It's been rated in the bottom 10 countries for censorship. Even this blog is blocked from time to time by the Great Firewall of China. There seem to be two types of blocks in China -soft blocks and hard blocks. Soft blocks are easy enough to get around using an anonymous proxy (i.e. to read my blog when it's blocked), but hard blocks are pretty much impossible to get around.
Starting off with personal anecdotes, I have friends and have met travellers who have had their Lonely Planet China guides confiscated at overland border crossings, but not when entering by air, with the excuse from the border guards that the books are "wrong". They have a map of China which doesn't include a certain highly-disputed island/province. You can't buy Lonely Planet China in bookstores that sell LP for every other country, but there are a few places in Beijing with secret imports.
A friend of mine was entering the country overland from Vietnam when the border
guards went through her bag. They of course removed her LP China, but also a history book she had about China. When asked why they confiscated it, the border guard said "it contains 'wrong' history" and that "maybe [she] should buy a book with 'correct' history at the government controlled XinHua Bookstore". The real reason for confiscation? The book had a photo of a man in front of a tank from a certain 'incident' in 1989.
I've been reading an interesting blog lately called Truth About China, which has as itstagline "Truth About China, for people who want the truth". They recently ran a story about a French website blocked for warning of risks of investing in China. A section of the report that gets the site hard blocked in China is:
"The Middle Kingdom has managed to divert international investments for its benefit, obtain technologies without anything in return other that the promises arising from our own imagination, gag its dissidents - including those abroad - and ensnare the west in its golden clutches (...) Perhaps it is time to realise this before we are closed in the Chinese trap for good"Supposedly you can read the whole story, but it's hard blocked in China.
Another example is Google.cn, the site that you get redirected to after typing Google.com within China. Massive amounts of information are directly censored, and some of the sites listed end up being blocked anyway. For example, even though Wikipedia.org comes up in some searches, it's always blocked (some pages about China are hard blocked, the rest is soft blocked). A funny joke I found referring to Wikipedia and China goes like this:
Question: What do you call a cooperative community of individuals, each granted use of the means of production, working as equals not for profit but to produce something that is collectively owned by all?
Answer: A threat to Communism.
The perfect example though is in the image section of Google. Go to
Google.com and type in Tiananmen Square. What's the image that appears? Now check out Google.cn's versions of Tiananmen Square. At the time of writing this there are apparently only a few photos of Tian'anmen Square on the internet, showing photos of happy soldiers, ethnic minorities, and tourists.
There was an interesting article on Yahoo!news not too long ago about blogging in China, and how it scares the Central Government. They're worried in part because "blogging is a disruptive technology that helps open up people's minds". I keep reading that in the near future China will make it necessary forbloggers to register with their real ID before they can post.
All in all though, things are much better than they were just a few years ago. Here are a few more links in case you're interested:
Danwei on Television censorship in China
Business Week: The Great Firewall of China (2006)
CNN: Tech execs get grilled over China business (2006)
CBS: China's Internet Censorship (2002)
September 29, 2007
Head-in-Vice...
Another good expression I heard about law school was from the lady in charge of student programs at one of the big firms in Ottawa.
She said something like "first year law school is where they put your head in a vice, and crank it around until your view of the world is never the same again."
I've mentioned this to a few of my "collegues" (i.e. fellow law students) and I don't think that any of them have disagreed with me.
(Photo from this site.)
Another good expression I heard about law school was from the lady in charge of student programs at one of the big firms in Ottawa.
She said something like "first year law school is where they put your head in a vice, and crank it around until your view of the world is never the same again."
I've mentioned this to a few of my "collegues" (i.e. fellow law students) and I don't think that any of them have disagreed with me.
(Photo from this site.)
September 27, 2007
Like Undergrad on Steroids...
One great quote that I heard or read somewhere this past week is that "law school is like undergrad on steroids". I couldn't agree more!
There are way more readings, way more activities (clubs, moots, speakers, wine & cheeses), and way more stress (I already have to think about finding a job this summer, and hand out CV's in 2 weeks!) than in undergrad. It's fun and exhilerating, but at the same time it can really wear you down. At some point you just have to say "OK, enough reading, time to go to bed". I'll make it through, just like everyone else, I just have to take it one day at a time. Yesterday in Constitutional Law the prof asked "is anyone feeling overwhelmed by the whole law school thing?" Almost everyone put up their hands, and I'm sure that those who didn't were so overwhelmed they didn't hear/understand the question or were lying.
And my picture (along with a few friends) is on the front of the law student newspaper! I'll post a link when the newspaper updates their webpage.
One great quote that I heard or read somewhere this past week is that "law school is like undergrad on steroids". I couldn't agree more!
There are way more readings, way more activities (clubs, moots, speakers, wine & cheeses), and way more stress (I already have to think about finding a job this summer, and hand out CV's in 2 weeks!) than in undergrad. It's fun and exhilerating, but at the same time it can really wear you down. At some point you just have to say "OK, enough reading, time to go to bed". I'll make it through, just like everyone else, I just have to take it one day at a time. Yesterday in Constitutional Law the prof asked "is anyone feeling overwhelmed by the whole law school thing?" Almost everyone put up their hands, and I'm sure that those who didn't were so overwhelmed they didn't hear/understand the question or were lying.
And my picture (along with a few friends) is on the front of the law student newspaper! I'll post a link when the newspaper updates their webpage.
September 21, 2007
First Week (or Two)...
I was hoping to make a post at the end of my first week, but it's been so crazy busy that I just haven't had time. The first week of classes was a bit of a shock, just in the amount of legal readings we had to do right off the bat. OK, I know that I'm in law school, but I figured they'd explain some of the terms, or tell you how to write a case brief before they tell you to actually do it. A steep learning curve might be
the way to put it.
This week has been better. More free food as the different student clubs and associations start up -I've attended a few info sessions, but I don't want to commit too much because I know that things can get busier than they are now. I did get to attend a session
by the US Navy Defense Counsel in the case of U.S. v. OmarKhadr, the 21 year old Canadian who has been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay since he was 15. The speech was really insightful, and makes you wonder why the Canadian government hasn't done as much as the Afghan government to secure the release of one of their nationals. It also reaffirmed everything I've heard about the conditions in Guantanamo and the way the US has gone about ignoring international law, and making up rules that it sees fit for itself only.
In addition to all the uni work, my laptop broke again (I just had the hard drive replaced 3 weeks ago!), so it's now at Staples again getting fixed again. But the police did find the guy who broke into the house, which is good news even if they can't recover what was stolen. At least he won't be out and about still breaking into other places (he broke into more houses after).
And tonight is the annual boat cruise on the Ottawa River. Should be lots of fun!
I was hoping to make a post at the end of my first week, but it's been so crazy busy that I just haven't had time. The first week of classes was a bit of a shock, just in the amount of legal readings we had to do right off the bat. OK, I know that I'm in law school, but I figured they'd explain some of the terms, or tell you how to write a case brief before they tell you to actually do it. A steep learning curve might be
the way to put it.
This week has been better. More free food as the different student clubs and associations start up -I've attended a few info sessions, but I don't want to commit too much because I know that things can get busier than they are now. I did get to attend a session
by the US Navy Defense Counsel in the case of U.S. v. OmarKhadr, the 21 year old Canadian who has been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay since he was 15. The speech was really insightful, and makes you wonder why the Canadian government hasn't done as much as the Afghan government to secure the release of one of their nationals. It also reaffirmed everything I've heard about the conditions in Guantanamo and the way the US has gone about ignoring international law, and making up rules that it sees fit for itself only.
In addition to all the uni work, my laptop broke again (I just had the hard drive replaced 3 weeks ago!), so it's now at Staples again getting fixed again. But the police did find the guy who broke into the house, which is good news even if they can't recover what was stolen. At least he won't be out and about still breaking into other places (he broke into more houses after).
And tonight is the annual boat cruise on the Ottawa River. Should be lots of fun!
September 14, 2007
The Break In...
The guy sliced open the screen on the back window, which we had left open because it was still rather warm, then pushed it in. I was home in my room studying, but didn't notice anything. Then I heard a cell phone ring, which sounded really loud, and the guy answered his phone. At first I assumed it was one of the roommates and her boyfriend who were back, but then I heard a few steps and the back door closing shut. He must have been in and out in only 2 or 3 minutes.
I walked out of my room to see letters on the floor, and what looked like stuff that had been rummaged through. I went downstairs to get the roommate who was still home, and we went through the stuff. We quickly found that the thief had taken my roommate's Nintendo DS, and later that he had taken the other roommate's iPod and bankcard. But he left the laptop and Wii on the living room table, which were right in front of him. He also went through a basket of bank/financial letters, ripped open, but left it on the floor.
We called the police, and they arrived a short time later (luckily!). Apparently the conditions were good, so they brought in a sniffer dog because they figured he might still be in the area, and took a few things (including the letter) for fingerprinting. Apparently the street behind ours was hit last week with a few break ins.
The guy sliced open the screen on the back window, which we had left open because it was still rather warm, then pushed it in. I was home in my room studying, but didn't notice anything. Then I heard a cell phone ring, which sounded really loud, and the guy answered his phone. At first I assumed it was one of the roommates and her boyfriend who were back, but then I heard a few steps and the back door closing shut. He must have been in and out in only 2 or 3 minutes.
I walked out of my room to see letters on the floor, and what looked like stuff that had been rummaged through. I went downstairs to get the roommate who was still home, and we went through the stuff. We quickly found that the thief had taken my roommate's Nintendo DS, and later that he had taken the other roommate's iPod and bankcard. But he left the laptop and Wii on the living room table, which were right in front of him. He also went through a basket of bank/financial letters, ripped open, but left it on the floor.
We called the police, and they arrived a short time later (luckily!). Apparently the conditions were good, so they brought in a sniffer dog because they figured he might still be in the area, and took a few things (including the letter) for fingerprinting. Apparently the street behind ours was hit last week with a few break ins.
September 08, 2007
Orientation Week...
This past week has been my official "Orientation Week" at UOttawa. In brief it's been a very busy week -I've met a lot of new people, been given a lot of free stuff and free food, and haven't had enough sleep.
Since Monday was Labour Day, the official activities didn't start until Tuesday morning. However, there were bar nights organised on the Sunday and Monday nights before it started. It was good to meet some people that would be in the program in a less formal setting, and to at least recognise some faces on Tuesday morning!
Tuesday activities included a free breakfast, a bag of free stuff (including a slinky!) from different law firms, a few speeches, the Dean's BBQ (free of course), and free nachos at a pub in the evening with the new students. But the highlight was probably Maher Arar and Monia Mazigh's presentation. Maher Arar is the Canadian who was deported by the Americans to and tortured by Syria. Instead of being bitter, he and his wife instead encouraged us to stick to our guns, become good lawyers, and to stand up for justice. Monia Mazigh said something like "law is not justice, but justice needs the law".
The next day was another early, but free, breakfast, followed by speeches about faculty specialties and small group meetings. My small group and prof seem really cool -there are actually quite a few science students in it! The prof is even planning on having us over to her place for a pot-luck once she's got all her furniture moved in. Then we had an 'image consultation', which was mostly about how to shake hands and what is appropriate clothing/colours for a business casual reception in the legal field. The reason for the consultation is that evening we had a Wine & Cheese reception at the Ottawa Court House. There were a number of judges there, a live jazz band, and some really good food. Another chance to meet the almost 300 students in both the English and French Common Law programs (the Civil Law students always seemed to do their own thing). I got to meet a really nice judge who was encouraging, and gave us students a few tips for law school!
Thursday was a bit more relaxed. We had a few short speeches, and 300 large pizzas for lunch (sponsored by a law firm). Needless to say I filled up on free food once again! In the evening the CLSS sponsored us to go on the Crime & Punishment Jail Tour of the old Ottawa jail (now a youth hostel!). Then we had a bit of a pub crawl through ByWard Market in the evening. Yet another late night, but another great oportunity to meet people in my program. I was actually surprised a few times that people in the program know other friends of mine from here and there. Such a small world.
Friday morning we had another free breakfast, quickly followed by an Algonquin Smudge Ceremony led by Elder William Commanda, who is the Supreme Chief of all the North American Territory, carrier of the Sacred Wampum Belt (including the Seven Fires Prophecy belt telling of the arrival of pale-faced people and the destruction of native lands, and the 1793 Jay Treaty Border Crossing Belt), and who has led smudge ceremonies at the UN. It was an interesting ceremony meant to purify/cleanse the profs and students and law building before the start of the school year. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to be part of it. After the ceremony was another free BBQ sponsored by another law firm at a park near the river. Unfortunately it was really hot and humid (30C plus humidity), so most people just sat under the trees and talked. I ended up with a bag of 24 extra hamburger buns though!
This past week has been my official "Orientation Week" at UOttawa. In brief it's been a very busy week -I've met a lot of new people, been given a lot of free stuff and free food, and haven't had enough sleep.
Since Monday was Labour Day, the official activities didn't start until Tuesday morning. However, there were bar nights organised on the Sunday and Monday nights before it started. It was good to meet some people that would be in the program in a less formal setting, and to at least recognise some faces on Tuesday morning!
Tuesday activities included a free breakfast, a bag of free stuff (including a slinky!) from different law firms, a few speeches, the Dean's BBQ (free of course), and free nachos at a pub in the evening with the new students. But the highlight was probably Maher Arar and Monia Mazigh's presentation. Maher Arar is the Canadian who was deported by the Americans to and tortured by Syria. Instead of being bitter, he and his wife instead encouraged us to stick to our guns, become good lawyers, and to stand up for justice. Monia Mazigh said something like "law is not justice, but justice needs the law".
The next day was another early, but free, breakfast, followed by speeches about faculty specialties and small group meetings. My small group and prof seem really cool -there are actually quite a few science students in it! The prof is even planning on having us over to her place for a pot-luck once she's got all her furniture moved in. Then we had an 'image consultation', which was mostly about how to shake hands and what is appropriate clothing/colours for a business casual reception in the legal field. The reason for the consultation is that evening we had a Wine & Cheese reception at the Ottawa Court House. There were a number of judges there, a live jazz band, and some really good food. Another chance to meet the almost 300 students in both the English and French Common Law programs (the Civil Law students always seemed to do their own thing). I got to meet a really nice judge who was encouraging, and gave us students a few tips for law school!
Thursday was a bit more relaxed. We had a few short speeches, and 300 large pizzas for lunch (sponsored by a law firm). Needless to say I filled up on free food once again! In the evening the CLSS sponsored us to go on the Crime & Punishment Jail Tour of the old Ottawa jail (now a youth hostel!). Then we had a bit of a pub crawl through ByWard Market in the evening. Yet another late night, but another great oportunity to meet people in my program. I was actually surprised a few times that people in the program know other friends of mine from here and there. Such a small world.
Friday morning we had another free breakfast, quickly followed by an Algonquin Smudge Ceremony led by Elder William Commanda, who is the Supreme Chief of all the North American Territory, carrier of the Sacred Wampum Belt (including the Seven Fires Prophecy belt telling of the arrival of pale-faced people and the destruction of native lands, and the 1793 Jay Treaty Border Crossing Belt), and who has led smudge ceremonies at the UN. It was an interesting ceremony meant to purify/cleanse the profs and students and law building before the start of the school year. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to be part of it. After the ceremony was another free BBQ sponsored by another law firm at a park near the river. Unfortunately it was really hot and humid (30C plus humidity), so most people just sat under the trees and talked. I ended up with a bag of 24 extra hamburger buns though!
September 01, 2007
In Ottawa (again)...
I'm back in Ottawa again, but this time for school and not for work. I arrived a few days ago, to settle in and visit a few friends before orientation and uni start next week. One nice thing about having a small room is that there isn't much to set up or to clean.
It's been nice to wander around the city -apart from when I arrived during a thunder storm the weather's been great- and to have coffee and meals with friends I haven't seen in a few years. I've even randomly ran into people that I worked with a few years back. I can't forget to say thanks to "Winston" for the gift.
I'm back in Ottawa again, but this time for school and not for work. I arrived a few days ago, to settle in and visit a few friends before orientation and uni start next week. One nice thing about having a small room is that there isn't much to set up or to clean.
It's been nice to wander around the city -apart from when I arrived during a thunder storm the weather's been great- and to have coffee and meals with friends I haven't seen in a few years. I've even randomly ran into people that I worked with a few years back. I can't forget to say thanks to "Winston" for the gift.
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