Why People aren't more generous..

So I'm guessing that most people would help another human being if they were in trouble and needed some assistance right??? I know I would...but you know what really ticks me off is that there are people out there...really bad people that abuse people's innate generousity to further their own cause. I'm pretty pissed about this so have a read.

Today I went to golf town around 11 am to pick up some golf balls and a new glove because my other one broke. As I was parking this chinese guy comes right up to be before I even turned off my car and asks me if I speak chinese.....I said no and he then proceeded to talk in english...to make a long story short here's the sappy story he told me. He's a new immigrant from China and he just deposited $5000 at the TD bank across the street and wanted to withdraw some money from the bank. Unfortunately the bank said that the cheque requires 5 business days to clear before they can let him withdraw the funds. THe reason why he needs money right now is that his car has no gas and he needs to get to the hospital to see his friend who is at the Whiby hospital.....

So like the gullible idiot that I am, I tried to reason out of it...but he was so persistent and looked so desperate that I decided (against my better judgement) to give him whatever I had in my wallet, which was 20 bucks. He then asked for my name and address so that he could repay me...Who does he think I am??? I'm not that stupid...so I told him I will not give him my name and that he could just keep the money. Then he proceeds to continue the story...he needs apparently at least $40 dollars to buy his friend medicine from the pharamacy and told me to go to the bank and use my card to withdraw it. I had to draw the line there....I told him to drive to the hospital with the gas money I gave him and talk to the doctors there. If his friend really needed the medicine, the hospital would pay for it and he could pay them back....but he wouldn't give up...he proceeded to tell me that we are chinese and are like brothers and that I should help out one of my own....I stopped it there and told him I will NOT go to the bank, that I already gave him $20 freaking bucks and that I had to go because I was very busy.

I get home and tell my mom about this and apparently this guy is going around doing the same thing to everyone he meets. My mom actually turned him away....he told her the same sappy story....I don't know about you but this really turns me off being nice to people. I'm a genuinely nice person deep down but little incidents like these really piss me off. From this point on I will never give any person who asks for money money because every time I give it to them, it turns out to be a scam. I've been HAD at least 6 or 7 times throughout my life where people blatantly scam me for money pretending to really need it. Some people should just stop playing on the decency of people and find a job and start working. I pay taxes for their welfare and unemployment insurance...isn't that enough???

I guess the only way to look at it and not get pissed off is if this guy is that desperate to make up a lie that complicated and big, either he's sick or really does need the money in which case I guess I'm glad to help out. If he needed the money he should just come out and say it...not make up some sappy story about how he's out of gas......

some people just suck!

do you think I'm insensitive???

Me, a Subject Matter Expert????
 
So yesterday I was invited back to the Cognitive Engineering Lab group at U of T to participate in a discussion on how to apply risk management to other engineering disasters around the world.  I didn't really know what I was being asked to contribute but when I got there I found out that all they wanted was my expertise on applying the theoretical frameworkd I used for the Walkerton E Coli Outbreak and the C. Parvuum Outbreak in North Battleford SK.  If you haven't read my paper click here.  I find it amazing how many people have actually read my work.....I mean I guess it's published and all but I didn't expect people to actually use it.....but they do...it's referenced in some Provincial document in Saskatchewan, it was used in analyzing the SARS outbreak...it's been used as a framework for 3 thesis so far and it's influencing the way people design critcal safety systems.....to tell you the truth it's a little scary but also very flattering.  I've been contacted by several people overseas and around the world with PhD's and Master degrees asking about my research and to give them ideas on how to conduct their research.  I just find it amazing how large an influence a small little paper that I wrote could have on the real world...I guess one person really can make their mark on academia =) ...I mean when you type in "Dennis Woo" into google, you actually get my name coming up in research papers.....scary huh??

Hen's B-day!
So over the weekend, we had Henry's 23rd birthday party at Yang's Sushi bar.....it was all you can eat and as you can imagine, things weren't pretty when you eat way to much sashimi......we ordered like nuts.  Over dinner somehow the convo turned to me and how I was the child from hell....they made me tell stories about when I was young.....here's a synopsis of how bad I used to be
 
-My dad threatened to spank me and instead of standing there, I ran....he caught me and tied me to the dishwasher.....I never ran again.
-One year I was so bad that I didn't get anything from Santa Claus.  The letter said "Maybe next year....if you behave, your sister might share her gift with you"....and no, I did not get a lump of coal the following year
-In grade school, I mastered the art of flinging crayons up my teacher's skirt using a complex series of catapults....now don't tell me I wasn't born to be an engineer =)
-I was throwing a tamper-tantrum in Church's Fried Chicken once because I wanted the corn on the cob that was in the store.....(I can't believe I actually wanted veggies...well corn is my fav veg now)...My mom couldn't stand it so she threatened to leave me....I called her bluff...only it wasn't a bluff.....and she actually left...My mom just waited in the car but I thought she actually left me.....I never called her bluffs again.
 
So yeah I guess i was a pretty naughty kid....the guys likened it to Ned Flanders =).....now they are determined to get the "bad kid" out of me again......I tried to tell them...I'm a nice guy.....=) oh well =)
 
So after we went out for drinks in Unionville...and I got to pay Hen back for forcing me to drink 3 shots of tequila during my b-day dinner back in May......now he knows my pain and he promises never to bring that upon anyone every again =)...I highly doubt that =)
 
here's my weekend in a nutshell
-watched Eurotrip....good movie..."I think you have tree sap over there..."  must see Road Trip now.....
-went golfing at Derrydale....got schooled but I love that sport...too expensive though
-Auntie Elizabeth and Uncle John's 25th Wedding aniversary
-Hen's bday...see above
-Got lenses changed on glasses and starting to wear contacts again for beach v-ball
-Chinatown shopping with dad
-watched Mothman Prophecies.....bad movie....lost 2 hours of my time.....
-sleep because I was exhausted...
 
What did you do this weekend?

Spiderman 2!
So yesterday, Selene and I finally went to see Spiderman 2 =)....it was my choice...Selene actually wanted to see Dodgeball or Anchorman but since I was paying I got to choose the movie hehehehehe =)...note to all the guys....because you pay, you can choose to be movie =)....Anyways Spiderman 2 was awesome...I really liked the story and it was full of action. It was funny though because everyone's be saying the Toby McGuire and Kristen Dunst are ugly...which I totally agree...I guess Toby needs to be super geeky but I don't know why they choose Kristen Dunst...I mean she does absolutely nothing for me....Actually I don't think I know one person that thinks either Toby McGuire or Kristen Dunst are hot.....but correct me if I'm wrong....with that said the movie was very well put together although they did break several super hero rules:

1. People are never suppose to know the identity of the hero
2. Heroes never get the girl they love

etc.

Oh yeah if any of you guys are going to see movies, Hbc has this awesome deal for associates that for 23 bucks you get two tickets to any movie, 2 regular pops, and 1 regular bag of popcorn......and there are not restrictions on it....so you want to take advantage of this awesome deal just let me know...oh yeah it only works for famous players =)

I'm going golfing with work today...hopefully it stops raining and I don't suck too badly on the course =)

Farmer's Tan!
So I got a lot of sun this weekend....Selene and I went golfing at Unionville on Saturday and then I helped my dad make concrete to patch up our driveway......I just realized that I have a really nasty farmer's tan on my arms.....*sigh*.....and there's no real way to get rid of it......I'm open to suggestions if anyone knows how to get rid of a farmer's tan......I'm black as black can be on the lower parts of my arms but white as a raw chicken on my shoulders =)....*sighage* =)

Let me know what you did over the weekend =)....

Good times at OSC
Yesterday I went to the science centre and caught up with Vaness, Bronwen and the rest of the crew...I didn't get to see everyone there but it was good to be back. Bronwen and Vaness were doing after hours and just being there bought back a lot of good memories and good times =). When you actually come to sit down and think about it I've been part of the OSC for such a long time. We counted it....6 years!!!....my god....I could start a Pension Fund there =) The strange thing is that I love that job so much that I would actually do it for free....well...almost for free....Just being around kids makes you feel energetic and free. They have just an amazing amount of imagination and energy...sometimes I wonder where that all goes when we grow up. The ability to dream, to not care what others think. I was reading a business journal the other day that showed some pretty amazing young scientists and what they were coming up with....and when I say young I mean young...like 10-15 years old...it's really quite amazing the things they dream up.

The science centre is just a place where I go to have fun and to catch up on old times...it keeps me young at heart =)

I thought about it later that nite, I have very distinct groups of friends that I still keep in touch with, and here they are:

-SMCS high school friends
-OSC Friends and friends of friends
-Engineering Friends
-SHAD Acadia 2000 Friends
-Hbc Work Friends

All those groups of people all summed together basically describe who I am....I'm a firm believer that you are defined by the friends you have and the lives that you've touched. I just wanted to say to all my friends, thank you for always being there for me and for making my life so rich!

Long Weekend Fun
So this long weekend was a pretty good one. Things at work are pretty busy and boy did I welcome a few extra days off...well I only had 1 extra day but it was all good. Did quite a bit of golfing over the weekend once at Dentonia and once at Bathurst Glen...I must say though I'm quite tanned because I didn't put any suntan lotion on...simply because I hate that stuff =). I didn't burn but I'm really dark =)

So what an excellent sports weekend huh? One for the books. First of all that Maria Sharapova...isn't she amazing...she's hot and she's an awesome tennis player. Well congrats....kinda makes me want to start playing tennis again =)
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And what about the Greeks???...would anyone have thought they could take out Portugal. I know Tiago and Matt and probably crying right now but the Greeks deserved to win...they were the little team that could and it's definitely a story for the books. Boy I wish I was a gambling man...I would have made quite a bit of money with the 1:80 odds.

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Anyways, let me know how you're long weekend went. Hopefully you all had a chance to enjoy the outdoors =)