The Cra

For the last few days, I’ve been on the phone with the CRA.

And at first I hated it. Being on hold. Waiting… waiting…

But then something shifted. And I realized I can make the CRA wait.

I slowly learned that I could turn the tables.

And I genuinely started enjoying my phone calls with them.

It’s honestly kinda easy hacking the system.

It’s not that hard if you have any sort of minor intelligence, infinite patience, and a small understanding of technology to get through to them.

A small sprinkling of human psychology and boom.

My conversations usually go like this:

“So how much do I owe now?”

‘ oh around 38,000 dollars sir.’

“AH. And I have to pay that?”

‘ yes sir! we will calculate and let you know in 6 months.’

“And I should jump off a bridge? Then will the loan dissappear?”

‘Well yes. but so will your life.’

“Ah. But do you think this is fair? What’s going on? Don’t you think this is a tax on the Poor? While the rich hire fancy accountants to deal with this all?”

‘Oh no sir. This applies equally to all people. You see rich or poor we have the same rules for everybody.’

“But don’t you think that the rules are so complex. That only the rich can properly navigate them? And they stay rich because they can actually know which rules apply to them. And are actually less likely as a percentage of their net worth to keep a higher percentage?”

‘Sir you have to pay your taxes.’

“But I’m trying! Its just your charging me for money I didn’t even make.”

‘Its 1% per month for every dollar extra you put in this type of account.’

“Okay I’m gonna put you on hold.”

‘Sir you can’t put us on hold.’

“i’m gonna make you wait a minute while I get this form. hold on okay?”

‘Sure. Sir how much longer until you get the form.’

“Oh just a minute longer. I have to get wifi you see.”

‘Please hurry. I finished work 5 minutes ago I’m going to have to send you to a colleague.’

“no no just wait one more minute please.”

This makes me believe further that the breakout is further and further. And I might be impoverished forever. However. I can at least change my attitude. My external circumstances can be whatever they may. But I truly. Genuinely. Enjoyed the last couple days. Sparring can be fun. Waiting patiently can be fun too. As long as you see upward momentum change, and positive movement in a good direction. Seriously. Having a positive attitude really does change things. I will make it out of this mess. I promise.

Diary entry Wednesday November 19th 2025 - Shayan Arman - Chinatown

Oh one last thing. I finally hung up those posters around Chinatown today. I’ll try hitting up a different neighborhood tomorrow. The dream is still alive!