I'm feeling fine!
(Maroon 5 - Won't Go Home Without You)
I started walking to work recently. My company office moved closer to my condo and the walk is about 1.6 km each way. I have always hated walking. Walking anywhere seems slow and tedious. I can’t seem to get over the fact that I’m wasting minutes of my life just getting from point A to point B. I think that says a little about my personality in general. I don’t typically stop to smell the roses on any journey. My journey is all about getting to the destination. I realize this has to be a shortcoming of mine or at the very least a failure in my upbringing. Yes, I blame my parents.
I’m looking to change though. I think these extended walks have at least given me some quiet time to contemplate/plot revenge on the world. I find with the daily rigors of life, there isn’t much time to do that. Which by default means that the people who are actually plotting in the world, don’t have lives.
I still don’t really stop to smell the roses. There aren’t many roses on the way to work, both figuratively and literally, just a lot of litter, traffic and smog. I wish people would stop chucking garbage out their car window. Biggest. Pet Peeve. Ever. Just do what I do, chuck it under the seat in your car and wait for the smell to remind you later to throw it out.
All that aside, I’m feeling good about this small change I’ve made in my life. Watch out world, there are more changes to come!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
I've got the vacation Jones
(DCFC - Movie Script Ending)
(DCFC - Movie Script Ending)
I just made this video yesterday...but I've watched it about 10 times already. It just brings a smile to my face remembering the good times.
These are clips from a friend's wedding in Hawaii last year.
I'm headed to Jamaica in 2 weeks with some friends...hopefully we can create some memorable moments like these.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Don't Call It a Comeback
(Jonathan Coulton - Re: Your Brains)
Hello World!
Don't call this a comeback because I'm not sure how long I can keep this up but the gf asked me to revive this blog because she feels like it's some sort of a healthy medium for me to release some of my passive aggression and pent up anger. She also thinks that it shows a softer, deeper side of me that I don't typically show to people.
The question though is, do people in their early 30's really care to meet new people? I'm finding that the older we get, the more we shy away from introducing new people to our close circle of friends. The only exception being new significant others. Which leads me to a new rule I recently came up with for some of the guys in my group.
When you're actively pursuing a girl, you can introduce them to the group but please do not make a habit of bringing them out with the group until you've sealed the deal. Why you ask? Well if the girl becomes a regular at the social events and somehow, you fail in your pursuit, it makes things less awkward when we start avoiding her and not including her in our social festivities.
---
So I just got back from a weekend in Montreal for a friend's bachelor party. Without giving any names of the friends or posting pictures of the events, I think I can go into a little bit of the weekend without incriminating anyone in particular. Besides, who reads this blog anyhow?
So here are a few things I observed from this trip...
1) Strippers are apparently more conscious these days about being sanitary. They actually use hand sanitizer before giving lap dances. The question I have is, what about the rest of their body?
2) When you're drunk, your first instincts are probably a bit off. For example, when a stripper is rubbing clear liquid on her hands, it's probably not lubricant.
3) Paris Hilton has a surprisingly large fan base of teenage girls. What exactly are they looking up to? Is it her credible singing career? Is it her credible work on camera? Someone explain this to me.
4) Driving around Montreal with your window down and blaring old 80's tunes is surprisingly fun.
---
If you're my age, you probably missed most of the crazy internet lingo kids have been creating these days. But if you're interested in keeping up with what's hip and happening online, you can definitely catch up with these websites.
www.lolcats.com
www.lolcode.com
I try to learn one or two new things every week and then completely abuse it with all my friends and coworkers.
Like Rickrolling. I learned about this 2 weeks ago and turned into a Rickrolling machine!
If you're unfamiliar, the art of Rickrolling involves posting a misleading link with a subject that promises to be exciting or interesting, e.g. "World of Starcraft in-game footage!" or "Paris Hilton naked again!" but actually turns out to be the video for Rick Astley's debut single, "Never Gonna Give You Up".
Paris Hilton naked again!
My favourite part is at 2:07 when the black guy jumps on the fence. That's a dance move that only the 80's could invent.
In addition to Rickrolling, I've also added a few new internet words to my vocabulary.
PWN (verb)
An act of dominating an opponent.
e.g. "Oh snap, you got pwned!!" or "I totally pwn your ass in scrabble!"
FTW
"For The Win."
An enthusiastic emphasis to the end of a comment, message, or post. Sometimes genuine, but often sarcastic. Originated from the game show Hollywood Squares where the result of the player's response is expected to win the game.
e.g. "Jabbawockeez FTW!!!" or "Egg McMuffins FTW!!!"
r0x0r
Rocks, very good. Used in place of "that guy rocks".
e.g. "omg he r0x0r!!"
and similarily...
suX0r
Describes something that sucks.
e.g. "this blog srsly sux0r."
And with that...I'm going to bed!
(Jonathan Coulton - Re: Your Brains)
Hello World!
Don't call this a comeback because I'm not sure how long I can keep this up but the gf asked me to revive this blog because she feels like it's some sort of a healthy medium for me to release some of my passive aggression and pent up anger. She also thinks that it shows a softer, deeper side of me that I don't typically show to people.
The question though is, do people in their early 30's really care to meet new people? I'm finding that the older we get, the more we shy away from introducing new people to our close circle of friends. The only exception being new significant others. Which leads me to a new rule I recently came up with for some of the guys in my group.
When you're actively pursuing a girl, you can introduce them to the group but please do not make a habit of bringing them out with the group until you've sealed the deal. Why you ask? Well if the girl becomes a regular at the social events and somehow, you fail in your pursuit, it makes things less awkward when we start avoiding her and not including her in our social festivities.
---
So I just got back from a weekend in Montreal for a friend's bachelor party. Without giving any names of the friends or posting pictures of the events, I think I can go into a little bit of the weekend without incriminating anyone in particular. Besides, who reads this blog anyhow?
So here are a few things I observed from this trip...
1) Strippers are apparently more conscious these days about being sanitary. They actually use hand sanitizer before giving lap dances. The question I have is, what about the rest of their body?
2) When you're drunk, your first instincts are probably a bit off. For example, when a stripper is rubbing clear liquid on her hands, it's probably not lubricant.
3) Paris Hilton has a surprisingly large fan base of teenage girls. What exactly are they looking up to? Is it her credible singing career? Is it her credible work on camera? Someone explain this to me.
4) Driving around Montreal with your window down and blaring old 80's tunes is surprisingly fun.
---
If you're my age, you probably missed most of the crazy internet lingo kids have been creating these days. But if you're interested in keeping up with what's hip and happening online, you can definitely catch up with these websites.
www.lolcats.com
www.lolcode.com
I try to learn one or two new things every week and then completely abuse it with all my friends and coworkers.
Like Rickrolling. I learned about this 2 weeks ago and turned into a Rickrolling machine!
If you're unfamiliar, the art of Rickrolling involves posting a misleading link with a subject that promises to be exciting or interesting, e.g. "World of Starcraft in-game footage!" or "Paris Hilton naked again!" but actually turns out to be the video for Rick Astley's debut single, "Never Gonna Give You Up".
Paris Hilton naked again!
My favourite part is at 2:07 when the black guy jumps on the fence. That's a dance move that only the 80's could invent.
In addition to Rickrolling, I've also added a few new internet words to my vocabulary.
PWN (verb)
An act of dominating an opponent.
e.g. "Oh snap, you got pwned!!" or "I totally pwn your ass in scrabble!"
FTW
"For The Win."
An enthusiastic emphasis to the end of a comment, message, or post. Sometimes genuine, but often sarcastic. Originated from the game show Hollywood Squares where the result of the player's response is expected to win the game.
e.g. "Jabbawockeez FTW!!!" or "Egg McMuffins FTW!!!"
r0x0r
Rocks, very good. Used in place of "that guy rocks".
e.g. "omg he r0x0r!!"
and similarily...
suX0r
Describes something that sucks.
e.g. "this blog srsly sux0r."
And with that...I'm going to bed!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Life In The Fast Lane
(The Stars - Personal)
So I've moved into the new condo with the girlfriend and it's been quite the change. I don't even know where to start. I guess the biggest change for me is slowly figuring out what is acceptable normal behaviour in her presence. I mean is it ok for me to leave the toilet seat up? Fart loudly while watching the football game? Leave my dirty clothes lying on the bedroom floor?
It's not only in regards to general annoying habits but also has to do with how much of "myself" do I now reveal? We've dated for 4+ years now and by no means was I pretending to be anyone else for all of that time (maybe just the first month during the chase :P), but now that we see each other 7 days a week, is anything going to surprise her? I guess that's the real test. One month in and I think so far I'm passing. I could be wrong.
We haven't had too many disagreements and we've been able to compromise on most things. I'm getting used to being clean around the condo and not leaving dirty dishes in the sink too long. It's not too tough when you live near your friends and you have guests over at least once a week.
Budgeting is a new concept to me now. I've never had to worry about 1/3 of my income going to a mortgage and utility bills. So far I think I've dealt with that pretty well. I don't eat out as much as I used to, especially at lunch. I don't go on frivolous spending sprees anymore. I now understand that being budget conscious doesn't mean I'm cheap.
Working 40-50 hours a week and coming home to make dinner is tougher than it looks and I don't think I've ever given my parents enough credit. I don't even have any kids to worry about at this point either. I don't know if I've found my calling yet in terms of a career but I know that work is challenging for me at this point. At times it's overwhelming but I take it in stride.
I've gotten back into playing tennis a lot more lately and trying hard to keep up with it. Balancing it with my other sports, work and my new condo life has been a nice exercise in time management and the increase in activity is keeping me from putting on 40 lbs and auditioning for the Biggest Loser reality show. I think my next step is starting to eat healthier. That's going to take some time.
Everything is moving so fast...my head is spinning...I hope I don't get sick of this ride and puke.
Talk to you next time I can find 15 min of time from my life to document it.
(The Stars - Personal)
So I've moved into the new condo with the girlfriend and it's been quite the change. I don't even know where to start. I guess the biggest change for me is slowly figuring out what is acceptable normal behaviour in her presence. I mean is it ok for me to leave the toilet seat up? Fart loudly while watching the football game? Leave my dirty clothes lying on the bedroom floor?
It's not only in regards to general annoying habits but also has to do with how much of "myself" do I now reveal? We've dated for 4+ years now and by no means was I pretending to be anyone else for all of that time (maybe just the first month during the chase :P), but now that we see each other 7 days a week, is anything going to surprise her? I guess that's the real test. One month in and I think so far I'm passing. I could be wrong.
We haven't had too many disagreements and we've been able to compromise on most things. I'm getting used to being clean around the condo and not leaving dirty dishes in the sink too long. It's not too tough when you live near your friends and you have guests over at least once a week.
Budgeting is a new concept to me now. I've never had to worry about 1/3 of my income going to a mortgage and utility bills. So far I think I've dealt with that pretty well. I don't eat out as much as I used to, especially at lunch. I don't go on frivolous spending sprees anymore. I now understand that being budget conscious doesn't mean I'm cheap.
Working 40-50 hours a week and coming home to make dinner is tougher than it looks and I don't think I've ever given my parents enough credit. I don't even have any kids to worry about at this point either. I don't know if I've found my calling yet in terms of a career but I know that work is challenging for me at this point. At times it's overwhelming but I take it in stride.
I've gotten back into playing tennis a lot more lately and trying hard to keep up with it. Balancing it with my other sports, work and my new condo life has been a nice exercise in time management and the increase in activity is keeping me from putting on 40 lbs and auditioning for the Biggest Loser reality show. I think my next step is starting to eat healthier. That's going to take some time.
Everything is moving so fast...my head is spinning...I hope I don't get sick of this ride and puke.
Talk to you next time I can find 15 min of time from my life to document it.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Growing Up Is a Bitch
(Peter, Bjorn & Paul - Young Folks)
Last week I bought a condo with my trusty sidekick. I'll tell you now, there hasn't been a moment in my life up to this point that has been bigger. Yet, if you were to take a closer look, I haven't flinched. Odd. I've been scared to grow up all my life. I don't know what's different about this moment but I just know that I'm ready. Hello independence, goodbye cold feet.
So call this Shaky's world wind tour before he truly becomes an adult. Feel free to stop in and say hi at any one of these events.
May 19-22 - Kissimmee/Orlando, FL
May 25 - Feist concert at Massey Hall in Toronto
June 22-25 - Camp trip to Killbear Provincial Park (24 confirmed, 11 spots left)
Aug 3-6 - Cottage trip to Springwood
Sept 9 - Virgin Festival Toronto (Smashing Pumpkins, The Killers, Metric, The Hives, Tokyo Police Club, Peter Bjorn and John)
Add to that a few long weekends at the beach and you've got the makings of a great summer. I officially declare this the summer of Khiem.
(Peter, Bjorn & Paul - Young Folks)
Last week I bought a condo with my trusty sidekick. I'll tell you now, there hasn't been a moment in my life up to this point that has been bigger. Yet, if you were to take a closer look, I haven't flinched. Odd. I've been scared to grow up all my life. I don't know what's different about this moment but I just know that I'm ready. Hello independence, goodbye cold feet.
So call this Shaky's world wind tour before he truly becomes an adult. Feel free to stop in and say hi at any one of these events.
May 19-22 - Kissimmee/Orlando, FL
May 25 - Feist concert at Massey Hall in Toronto
June 22-25 - Camp trip to Killbear Provincial Park (24 confirmed, 11 spots left)
Aug 3-6 - Cottage trip to Springwood
Sept 9 - Virgin Festival Toronto (Smashing Pumpkins, The Killers, Metric, The Hives, Tokyo Police Club, Peter Bjorn and John)
Add to that a few long weekends at the beach and you've got the makings of a great summer. I officially declare this the summer of Khiem.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Monday, December 18, 2006
Saturday, December 09, 2006
I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.
(The Fray - How To Save a Life)
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
...
Highlights from week 1 at the new job...
- It doesn't matter where I am, if I'm sitting idle in a moving vehicle, my super powers of sleep start to kick in. If someone is driving and I am the passenger, my eyes will be shut by the time the car is moving. During my commute this week, I overslept my subway stop twice. On Monday, I overslept by about 4 stops. Luckily I planned to get to work 30 minutes early to make a good impression. As it turns out, I got to work 5 minutes early. On Friday, I overslept my commute by about 8 stops. When I had woken up, the subway car was completely empty and the next stop read "Greenwood". I've lived in the Toronto area for the past 20 years and I've never even heard of Greenwood. I hope Santa gives me an alarm clock for Christmas so I can use it for my commute.
- I work in a sausage factory. Of the 30 or so employees at my new company, there are exactly 2 women. One is the company controller and the other one is the vp of marketing.
- I've decided that this 1.5 hr commute to work is good for me. I need to get more exercise. If my tummy gets any bigger, I might not be able to see my penis in the shower. Which makes it hard to wash. No one wants a dirty penis.
- The good thing about working for a company that has so many male workers is that the company Christmas party is at the Toronto Raptors basketball game. That would only fly with the coolest of women.
- There is no dress code at my office. The CEO walks around in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt.
- The management group are all under 40 years old. My boss is 2 years younger than me.
- Here's something to scare you. For the 10 new business consultants they just hired including me, they had to interview 100 people. 9 out of 10 failed the technical interview. Which means that 9 out of 10 people are dumber than me.
(The Fray - How To Save a Life)
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
...
Highlights from week 1 at the new job...
- It doesn't matter where I am, if I'm sitting idle in a moving vehicle, my super powers of sleep start to kick in. If someone is driving and I am the passenger, my eyes will be shut by the time the car is moving. During my commute this week, I overslept my subway stop twice. On Monday, I overslept by about 4 stops. Luckily I planned to get to work 30 minutes early to make a good impression. As it turns out, I got to work 5 minutes early. On Friday, I overslept my commute by about 8 stops. When I had woken up, the subway car was completely empty and the next stop read "Greenwood". I've lived in the Toronto area for the past 20 years and I've never even heard of Greenwood. I hope Santa gives me an alarm clock for Christmas so I can use it for my commute.
- I work in a sausage factory. Of the 30 or so employees at my new company, there are exactly 2 women. One is the company controller and the other one is the vp of marketing.
- I've decided that this 1.5 hr commute to work is good for me. I need to get more exercise. If my tummy gets any bigger, I might not be able to see my penis in the shower. Which makes it hard to wash. No one wants a dirty penis.
- The good thing about working for a company that has so many male workers is that the company Christmas party is at the Toronto Raptors basketball game. That would only fly with the coolest of women.
- There is no dress code at my office. The CEO walks around in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt.
- The management group are all under 40 years old. My boss is 2 years younger than me.
- Here's something to scare you. For the 10 new business consultants they just hired including me, they had to interview 100 people. 9 out of 10 failed the technical interview. Which means that 9 out of 10 people are dumber than me.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
I'm so hard for the rich girl...
(Stars - Elevator Love Letter)
Her heels are high and my hope's so low
'cause I don't know how to love
...
So I read somewhere that you can tell a lot about a person through their handshake. I don't know exactly what you could tell or how you would tell it but I think it'd be a great leap over the communication gap of our society. You could bypass all the small talk you do when you first meet someone through a simple handshake. Determine instantly if that person would even be worth conversing with or whether it'd be a waste of your breath. I think too much of our time is wasted on figuring people out and trying to understand them. Let me rephrase that. I think too many people waste our time by hiding behind personality curtains because their real personalities scare people away. People like this should be looking for help. Seeking out some personality therapy. Do personality therapists even exists? I think I'd be the first one in the line to see the personalapist.
I'm rambling.
So the big news in my world lately is that I resigned from my old job 2 weeks ago. About 4-5 months back, I had told my new boss that I needed them to hire some help to offload some of the IT functions that they had me doing that wasn't related to my career objectives. It's not that I was too important or too cool to do them, they were just taking up too much of my time and I was losing focus on my own personal development within the company. My boss replied that we didn't have the budget to add another head in my department and that they would revisit the issue in 2007. A few months later, they hired 2 new executive assistants. One executive assistant for my boss and one for the general manager. After a few other annoying incidents, I came to the conclusion that the new management team there was full of shit, so I got a new job. It's a new adventure for me. I'll be working in the heart of downtown Toronto for the first time. I'll be one of those people sleeping on the subway in the mornings; sliding in and out of the crowds on the street as I make my morning commute. Being a suburbs boy, I'm not sure if I'm ready for this but it was definitely time for a change, a welcomed change.
Watch out big city, here I come.
(Stars - Elevator Love Letter)
Her heels are high and my hope's so low
'cause I don't know how to love
...
So I read somewhere that you can tell a lot about a person through their handshake. I don't know exactly what you could tell or how you would tell it but I think it'd be a great leap over the communication gap of our society. You could bypass all the small talk you do when you first meet someone through a simple handshake. Determine instantly if that person would even be worth conversing with or whether it'd be a waste of your breath. I think too much of our time is wasted on figuring people out and trying to understand them. Let me rephrase that. I think too many people waste our time by hiding behind personality curtains because their real personalities scare people away. People like this should be looking for help. Seeking out some personality therapy. Do personality therapists even exists? I think I'd be the first one in the line to see the personalapist.
I'm rambling.
So the big news in my world lately is that I resigned from my old job 2 weeks ago. About 4-5 months back, I had told my new boss that I needed them to hire some help to offload some of the IT functions that they had me doing that wasn't related to my career objectives. It's not that I was too important or too cool to do them, they were just taking up too much of my time and I was losing focus on my own personal development within the company. My boss replied that we didn't have the budget to add another head in my department and that they would revisit the issue in 2007. A few months later, they hired 2 new executive assistants. One executive assistant for my boss and one for the general manager. After a few other annoying incidents, I came to the conclusion that the new management team there was full of shit, so I got a new job. It's a new adventure for me. I'll be working in the heart of downtown Toronto for the first time. I'll be one of those people sleeping on the subway in the mornings; sliding in and out of the crowds on the street as I make my morning commute. Being a suburbs boy, I'm not sure if I'm ready for this but it was definitely time for a change, a welcomed change.
Watch out big city, here I come.
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