Kevin Correia

Over the 2016 Christmas break I visited Japan for the first time with my girlfriend. There are many places to visit in Japan, since it is an old civilization with rich history, but there was one place I wanted to visit above all to learn more about an important event in world history. Hiroshima. Growing up in Canada I vaguely recall making paper cranes for Hiroshima in elementary school and discussing atomic weapon’s in Mr. Venier’s Grade 10 history class. Other than these two moments in my life, …

Within the course of my PhD I have seen the dollar go from just above parity at 1.0297 on September 14, 2012 to a low of 0.6865 USD per CAD on January 19th, 2016 – a 33% decline in value. I’m not sure if it says more about the state of the Canadian economy or just how long I’ve been doing this PhD gig.
The faltering loonie rate has a lot of implications for different Canadians:

The grocery shopper sees higher prices for imported fruits and vegetables – most notably expensive cauliflower.
…

It’s a typical November rainy day in Vancouver. But it doesn’t feel like it. Something feels out of place. Actually, everything feels out of place. I approach my apartment building near Metrotown and notice there is a (1) grizzly bear passed out next to the apartment entrance. His thick fur is soaked from the rain. I can see that he tried to claw his way into my building to seek shelter from the rain. He probably gave up as he grew tired. I sneak my way into …

When I was living in BC I remember getting an email from Whistler-Blackcomb promoting their EDGE card before the ski season had even begun. It’s almost expected they would send an email to me, as I went the year before, but the unexpected thing about this email was they referenced the La Nina phenomena as reason to expect more-than-average snow fall for the season. I always thought the El Nino/La Nina climate phenomena was unknown to most people, but here was a ski resort trying to profit off …

Sometimes I get tempted for an afternoon snack and find myself struggling to choose ONE chocolate bar in a convenience store. I want them all. Mars bar, Caramilk, Wunderbar, Coffee Crisp. Choosing a chocolate bar is usually the most difficult decision I face everyday.
I decided to buy a slew of chocolates and analyse them to eliminate the anguish I get when buying chocolate bars. Here is what I think…
The Analysis

Bounty is a sweet full …

Russian economist Nikolai Kondratiev was the first to observe major reoccurring supercycles in Western capitalism. The main idea behind his theory is that every 50-60 years the economy goes through a series of phases in a certain technology: prosperity, recession, depression, and finally improvement. The lasting output from the supercycle is often companies and the infrastructure we use in our everyday lives. Think of railways. The railways we use are essentially from a hundred years ago. There are no ambitious plans to expand the current railway network in …

Now that I am a student again I have a compulsive need to print things. A professor sends out class notes in pdf? I need to print it. Solutions to assignments? I need to print it. An email sent out saying this week’s class is cancelled? I need to print it. The digital world only exists to please the senses of the analog world.
I previously owned an inkjet printer from high school through undergrad, but later sold it once I started working full-time at BC Hydro. This time around …

Divergence has been the theme of my life since graduating from university in 2009. In a matter of two years, I’ve had classmates secure engineering jobs in AB, ON, and NL. Others took up graduates studies. Some became engaged/married. And finally, some friends have became homeowners.

The spate of adult-like behaviour got me thinking of a timeless question: should I buy or rent?
The common argument I hear for buying a property is that you are wasting your money when you rent. In other words, your monthly …

Have you ever seen a picture of the back of your head? Or seen yourself in a video? Chances are the voice you hear in a recording does not match the voice you think you have. The same goes for our appearances. The problem is we cannot answer questions about physical appearances, even though we think we can.
We perceive the world with our senses, like everyone else, but we inherently subjective when we try and answer questions like:

Do I look like Steve Carell?
Do you think I look fat?

The Question …

I will admit that I love elections. In the last 5 years, we’ve been privileged enough to have 3 general elections. Do you realize how lucky we are to have this opportunity? Most Canadians have only been lucky enough to an election every 5 years. What do I love about elections? The maps, the debates, the rescheduling of debates to allow Canadians to watch the debate and playoff hockey games, the zingers, the campaign promises which are like an early Christmas present.
What do I dislike? When people have an …