I guess this was one of those random things sports related that I sometimes randomly think about and I am actually blogging about it because I'm not putting it off.
People who become rich/famous (or whatever social status you want to apply here) reaches their status often times do not get to where they are without some sort of (or in some cases, ALOT of) luck along the way. That is not to say or take away any of their hard work to get to where they are along the way, but even with hard work, you got to get lucky, have the right break here or there in order to reach where you are. This don't strictly apply to those who reach the plateau of society, but also applies in different walk of life.
I think the prime example of this would be athletes in their sport. Would Tiger Woods have reached his current height of popularity had he been born 30 years ago when gold was still a sport dominated by Caucasians (or it can be said whether he would even get into golf as a whole)? How many titles would Rafael Nadal have won if he was born a few years later than he was once Roger Federer starts to slowdown as a player?
I don't really know where I'm going with this..just random thoughts that I actually recorded down for once.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
End of one season, beginning of the next
September has come and gone, which leads us into October. And beginning of October also means the end of the regular season for MLB baseball, and the start of the regular season for NHL hockey.
Fantasy baseball wise, the last week of the season really sucked. I went from having 3 out of 4 teams finishing in the top 3 of my leagues (would've had a first, second, and third), to only having a team in second. The other two ended up dropping to fifth and fourth respectively.
I'm not really in the mood to really update...so going to leave it at that for now. Will get to other stuff later on.
Fantasy baseball wise, the last week of the season really sucked. I went from having 3 out of 4 teams finishing in the top 3 of my leagues (would've had a first, second, and third), to only having a team in second. The other two ended up dropping to fifth and fourth respectively.
I'm not really in the mood to really update...so going to leave it at that for now. Will get to other stuff later on.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Wake me up when September ends
Holy batman September creeped up this year like a spider hanging from the ceiling. I cannot believe it is already September and the summer is "over". I guess with the Labour Day being on the last day possible, and school starting on the latest day possible, this is bound to happen.
Time to continue to clean up the house!
Time to continue to clean up the house!
Monday, August 31, 2009
New Idea
So I guess this has been an idea that's floating around my head for a little while, and recently talked to a couple of people just to gauge how feasible this may be. The reception of it has been a mixture of warm/hot, but so far have not received a negative feedback, so maybe this could be a project that I may pursue in the future? Although I would definitely like to receive more feedback before even considering pursuing this.
Here is the idea - instead of having a league with strictly one sport, a league is created with a rotation of sports. This is to encourage participants to not only play a sport they might be good at (or play the one sport they have played all their lives), but to encourage participants to broaden out their interest. The goal is to strive to improve at a sport they rarely play, or try out a new sport the participants have yet to experiment playing.
I know the initial concept will run into many problems, which includes (but not limited to) things like disparity between skill levels of the participants, how to go about introducing a sport to those new to it while keeping those who have experience playing interested. Still needs some more thinking.
For the record - I know there is something like this out there (a multi-sport league). I'm just throwing around the idea of possibly starting one up within/for the community that I'm currently involved with - basically just getting it off the ground.
Here is the idea - instead of having a league with strictly one sport, a league is created with a rotation of sports. This is to encourage participants to not only play a sport they might be good at (or play the one sport they have played all their lives), but to encourage participants to broaden out their interest. The goal is to strive to improve at a sport they rarely play, or try out a new sport the participants have yet to experiment playing.
I know the initial concept will run into many problems, which includes (but not limited to) things like disparity between skill levels of the participants, how to go about introducing a sport to those new to it while keeping those who have experience playing interested. Still needs some more thinking.
For the record - I know there is something like this out there (a multi-sport league). I'm just throwing around the idea of possibly starting one up within/for the community that I'm currently involved with - basically just getting it off the ground.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Do you really know someone?
It's been a funny few days the last little while. While dealing with some relationship issues either between friends, it came to my attention that there were a certain few individuals who claims to know how I feel and what not. It was just one of those random casual conversation over msn, but somehow became a discussion about the perceptions some people have about certain individuals/things.
I'll just be using myself as an example here as I don't feel like it is in my place to comment on others. I've had a couple of individuals come up to me, telling me that certain individuals that are close to me (or at least I hang around alot), have been saying certain things about me to them whether it's directly, or indirectly. Not necessarily gossip, but just general comments regarding my state-of-mind/well-being, essentially just pretending as though they understand me very well. It turns out that most of what this individual has said were merely bull-crap pulled from thin-air. I truly believe that the statements made by this certain individual has no real backing, and is just either assumptions that has been made, or merely this individual's attempt to pretend like he/she understands me. I have no idea what the intention of this individual has to do what he/she is doing, but I can only guess it is either due to the lack of maturity this person possesses, or this individual just needs better things to do with his/her time.
Am I pissed/angry? I don't know, I guess I can't really say I am. If anything, I feel frustrated and annoyed as a result of this, as I feel like it has affected how others interact with me due to this person's assumption of who I am and how I feel.
Edit: One last thought that crossed my mind - I think it's stuff like this, that really discourages accountability, and being open to others in general. As someone whom has never been too comfortable with opening up, it's stuff like this which makes it even harder to have the willingness to openly share about thoughts in general.
I'll just be using myself as an example here as I don't feel like it is in my place to comment on others. I've had a couple of individuals come up to me, telling me that certain individuals that are close to me (or at least I hang around alot), have been saying certain things about me to them whether it's directly, or indirectly. Not necessarily gossip, but just general comments regarding my state-of-mind/well-being, essentially just pretending as though they understand me very well. It turns out that most of what this individual has said were merely bull-crap pulled from thin-air. I truly believe that the statements made by this certain individual has no real backing, and is just either assumptions that has been made, or merely this individual's attempt to pretend like he/she understands me. I have no idea what the intention of this individual has to do what he/she is doing, but I can only guess it is either due to the lack of maturity this person possesses, or this individual just needs better things to do with his/her time.
Am I pissed/angry? I don't know, I guess I can't really say I am. If anything, I feel frustrated and annoyed as a result of this, as I feel like it has affected how others interact with me due to this person's assumption of who I am and how I feel.
Edit: One last thought that crossed my mind - I think it's stuff like this, that really discourages accountability, and being open to others in general. As someone whom has never been too comfortable with opening up, it's stuff like this which makes it even harder to have the willingness to openly share about thoughts in general.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
2009 Rogers Cup
Just came back from the first day I've attended, and let's just say I'm pretty disappointed with their camera policy. I guess I have come to expect a wide spectrum of leniency towards the use of "professional grade" camera across various professional sports venue, but it was just disappointing to see that even within a single venue, the staff members whom makes the decisions on whether a camera/lense is allowed into a venue is as un-educated as they are.
What I mean is, I understand the whole situation with tennis being an accessible sport, and Tennis Canada wants to protects the rights of images to players to accredited media by limiting the use of "professional grade" cameras and lenses. At the same time, if you have one "go-to" person at the gate who makes the decision on whether a camera and/or lense is permitted into the venue, is it not advantageous to have someone who is at least semi-knowledgeable? It is not a very valid and convincing argument when the reasoning behind their decision to not let a camera in being "it's too big", "it looks professional grade". At the same time, it is also very frustrating to be turned away at the gate, and then see other attendees with accreditation walking around with a similar, or even more "professional" lense setup.
Ok, back to regularly schedule programming. Attended the matinee session of the Rogers Cup today. It was definitely one of the better sessions I've attended throughout the last few years. There were a few decent matches, and even a couple of upsets along the way. Definitely good to see Maria Sharapova back in Toronto again, and she looked sharp during her match against Sybille Bammer. A couple of upsets occured when Dinara Safina lost in 3 sets to Aravane Rezai to start the day, and Caroline Wozniacki losing to Jie Zheng in straight sets.
Learned a thing or two about shooting in conditions like today, and just adjusting to the sun light and shadow. It was definitely difficult to get good shots with the lack of range (ended up shooting with a 28-135) and lack of mobility. I will post a couple of highlights later on but I think I did ok given the circumstances of the day.
What I mean is, I understand the whole situation with tennis being an accessible sport, and Tennis Canada wants to protects the rights of images to players to accredited media by limiting the use of "professional grade" cameras and lenses. At the same time, if you have one "go-to" person at the gate who makes the decision on whether a camera and/or lense is permitted into the venue, is it not advantageous to have someone who is at least semi-knowledgeable? It is not a very valid and convincing argument when the reasoning behind their decision to not let a camera in being "it's too big", "it looks professional grade". At the same time, it is also very frustrating to be turned away at the gate, and then see other attendees with accreditation walking around with a similar, or even more "professional" lense setup.
Ok, back to regularly schedule programming. Attended the matinee session of the Rogers Cup today. It was definitely one of the better sessions I've attended throughout the last few years. There were a few decent matches, and even a couple of upsets along the way. Definitely good to see Maria Sharapova back in Toronto again, and she looked sharp during her match against Sybille Bammer. A couple of upsets occured when Dinara Safina lost in 3 sets to Aravane Rezai to start the day, and Caroline Wozniacki losing to Jie Zheng in straight sets.
Learned a thing or two about shooting in conditions like today, and just adjusting to the sun light and shadow. It was definitely difficult to get good shots with the lack of range (ended up shooting with a 28-135) and lack of mobility. I will post a couple of highlights later on but I think I did ok given the circumstances of the day.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Quick Update
Just wanted to write something quick as I struggle to sleep.
Last few days have been just days of relaxation, with a bit of self discovery. With the conclusion of exams, I've finally settled into "summer mode" where I've been able to enjoy spontaneous days, and just taking each day as they come. Been able to meet up again with some old friends, and building relationships with new ones. It's been a blessed few days and I'm looking forward to more.
Upcoming 10 days or so, will include alot of sports. Between softball and attending Rogers Cup Tennis at York University (this has now become an annual tradition), I won't really have much room for anything for a little while - not that I'm complaining. Also the free time has allowed me to catch up on some TV shows that I've been itching to watch for quite some time.
As for the self-discovery part, I won't really elaborate on it yet at this point, simply because I'm still trying to grasp what I'm learning, but I feel like it will have a great deal of impact to how I approach various forms of relationships (referring to things like friendships, mentorships, etc). I am not sure if I'm exaggerating right now, but after re-reading what I just wrote, I think I might be making it sound like a bigger deal than it really is...haha =รพ
In any case, I will hopefully have some pictures up from various events on this blog shortly.
Last few days have been just days of relaxation, with a bit of self discovery. With the conclusion of exams, I've finally settled into "summer mode" where I've been able to enjoy spontaneous days, and just taking each day as they come. Been able to meet up again with some old friends, and building relationships with new ones. It's been a blessed few days and I'm looking forward to more.
Upcoming 10 days or so, will include alot of sports. Between softball and attending Rogers Cup Tennis at York University (this has now become an annual tradition), I won't really have much room for anything for a little while - not that I'm complaining. Also the free time has allowed me to catch up on some TV shows that I've been itching to watch for quite some time.
As for the self-discovery part, I won't really elaborate on it yet at this point, simply because I'm still trying to grasp what I'm learning, but I feel like it will have a great deal of impact to how I approach various forms of relationships (referring to things like friendships, mentorships, etc). I am not sure if I'm exaggerating right now, but after re-reading what I just wrote, I think I might be making it sound like a bigger deal than it really is...haha =รพ
In any case, I will hopefully have some pictures up from various events on this blog shortly.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Long Days Ahead
Exams are done...yet I don't really feel relieved. I guess being the normally stress-free person that I am, I never felt the stress of final exams. I guess this is where I say "summer officially begins", but it's been summer to me already even during the past 3 months of being in school.
So the next few days are gonna be extremely long days, but not in a bad way. Tomorrow (Friday) will involved a dentist appointment in the morning, and running a couple errands in the afternoon. Heading down to the Jays game with a few friends, one of whom just came back from Vancouver for a couple of weeks. Afterwards, will be heading to a bar/club (?) to send off a teammate of is off to China for a year.
Saturday morning will be spent at a friend's wedding, and evening at his reception. In between, I will probably end up going to watch my church's junior team at one of their games before the reception. Really hoping the forecast is wrong and that the weather will be nice that day.
And depending on when the reception is over, hopefully I will be able to catch the end of UFC 101 before calling it a night.
I guess that's all the updating for now. Got a few things on my mind, nothing majorly important, but I think I just need time to figure things out for myself before really putting them into words. Will definitely be trying to update this thing more often, but I've said that numerous times before and it has never worked out.
So the next few days are gonna be extremely long days, but not in a bad way. Tomorrow (Friday) will involved a dentist appointment in the morning, and running a couple errands in the afternoon. Heading down to the Jays game with a few friends, one of whom just came back from Vancouver for a couple of weeks. Afterwards, will be heading to a bar/club (?) to send off a teammate of is off to China for a year.
Saturday morning will be spent at a friend's wedding, and evening at his reception. In between, I will probably end up going to watch my church's junior team at one of their games before the reception. Really hoping the forecast is wrong and that the weather will be nice that day.
And depending on when the reception is over, hopefully I will be able to catch the end of UFC 101 before calling it a night.
I guess that's all the updating for now. Got a few things on my mind, nothing majorly important, but I think I just need time to figure things out for myself before really putting them into words. Will definitely be trying to update this thing more often, but I've said that numerous times before and it has never worked out.
Friday, July 31, 2009
End of the Term
And just like that the school term is over. Honestly, this term really flew by. I think part of that is due to me being back in Toronto by Wednesday night/Thursday morning every week, and part of it was due to my 1 week trip to Vegas. Like I said in my previous post, I'm definitely glad I got to experience 1 term of summer in school and in Waterloo, but I would not do it again.
I guess with this being the end of my 4th year in university, I've been asked on a regular basis, on what my plans are for the future. (I've also been asked alot whether I was going to be going into my last year as well). I guess right now, I am tentatively going to be going back to school on a part time basis. Going to be commuting into Waterloo Tuesday and Thursday, and will be doing 2 (or 3) courses, while working between 4-8 hours part-time at the athletics office, and probably referee a few games at night both days. So that would definitely keep me busy 2 days. I am probably going to be doing a few things with campus rec. intramurals as well in between all that.
Other than that, I'm hoping to spend Monday/Wednesday/Friday hopefully either with another part-time job, volunteering, and just basically something constructive with my life. I'm looking into possibly getting into MMA, probably starting with going to a BJJ gym and training there a few times a week. If not, just going to get a gym membership and get back into better shape as a whole. Going to look into possibly joining up with a sport team or two, and maybe get myself into a small group.
So..that pretty much wraps up my plans for September onwards until probably December, and then 2010 will bring a whole new chapter. Btw...all these plans will probably go into the drain if I manage to find a decent full time job.
I guess with this being the end of my 4th year in university, I've been asked on a regular basis, on what my plans are for the future. (I've also been asked alot whether I was going to be going into my last year as well). I guess right now, I am tentatively going to be going back to school on a part time basis. Going to be commuting into Waterloo Tuesday and Thursday, and will be doing 2 (or 3) courses, while working between 4-8 hours part-time at the athletics office, and probably referee a few games at night both days. So that would definitely keep me busy 2 days. I am probably going to be doing a few things with campus rec. intramurals as well in between all that.
Other than that, I'm hoping to spend Monday/Wednesday/Friday hopefully either with another part-time job, volunteering, and just basically something constructive with my life. I'm looking into possibly getting into MMA, probably starting with going to a BJJ gym and training there a few times a week. If not, just going to get a gym membership and get back into better shape as a whole. Going to look into possibly joining up with a sport team or two, and maybe get myself into a small group.
So..that pretty much wraps up my plans for September onwards until probably December, and then 2010 will bring a whole new chapter. Btw...all these plans will probably go into the drain if I manage to find a decent full time job.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
You know it's exams time when...
...I blog so often.
I was going through some of my draft blogs, and realized that I have quite a substantial amount of backlog - these are not necessarily updates or anything, just a random thought during the day and I just somehow turned into a whole essay. I doubt too many of them will ever get posted, as I simply do not have the will to finish it. On top of that, I simply lost the train of thoughts I had while writing that blurb. Furthermore, most of it probably don't make sense anyways, since I simply write them without any type of plan, just more as thoughts/ideas crosses my mind, it becomes written. Maybe one day when I got too much time on my hands I will do, but probably not.
For some actual substance, the school term is slowly wrapping up. This is the first summer term I've done in university, and I'm glad I got to experience what it is like to be in university, and in Waterloo, over the summer term. However, this is definitely not my cup of tea. I will probably expand on this thought later, but for now my stomach is calling out for food. To wrap it up, this is the last week of lectures, with 2 exams coming up next week. After that, it's officially summer time for a week or so...
I was going through some of my draft blogs, and realized that I have quite a substantial amount of backlog - these are not necessarily updates or anything, just a random thought during the day and I just somehow turned into a whole essay. I doubt too many of them will ever get posted, as I simply do not have the will to finish it. On top of that, I simply lost the train of thoughts I had while writing that blurb. Furthermore, most of it probably don't make sense anyways, since I simply write them without any type of plan, just more as thoughts/ideas crosses my mind, it becomes written. Maybe one day when I got too much time on my hands I will do, but probably not.
For some actual substance, the school term is slowly wrapping up. This is the first summer term I've done in university, and I'm glad I got to experience what it is like to be in university, and in Waterloo, over the summer term. However, this is definitely not my cup of tea. I will probably expand on this thought later, but for now my stomach is calling out for food. To wrap it up, this is the last week of lectures, with 2 exams coming up next week. After that, it's officially summer time for a week or so...
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Past Few Days
Wow..what a rough few days it's been. I guess it's not really miserable/bad in that sense, but just overall how few days it's been. Most of it consists is just sports related, but also on the other hand I just felt like I had no motivation at all left in me.
I guess it starts/begins with the Blue Jays. Was at the Thursday and Saturday game, and while Thursday's was just plain old boring, Saturday was a case of a collapse in epic portions. Up 9-1 going into the seventh, the somehow managed to blow the 8 run lead and lose the game in extra innings.
Friday was just a day of nothing, where all the plans just basically fell through, and it turned into a day I spent lazy-ing around. I simply had no motivation to go and accomplish anything, and I ended up watching Scott Downs blow the game for the Blue Jays (see a pattern?)
On top of it all, its been a couple of days where it seems like a couple of nerves were touched between a couple of friends, and looks like there will be some patching up that needs to be done.
I think it's just time to bury my head behind my textbooks for the next 10 days or so and just focus on finishing this term off strong (not like that's going to happen..the burying my head part), but knowing me, that ain't going to happen.
I guess it starts/begins with the Blue Jays. Was at the Thursday and Saturday game, and while Thursday's was just plain old boring, Saturday was a case of a collapse in epic portions. Up 9-1 going into the seventh, the somehow managed to blow the 8 run lead and lose the game in extra innings.
Friday was just a day of nothing, where all the plans just basically fell through, and it turned into a day I spent lazy-ing around. I simply had no motivation to go and accomplish anything, and I ended up watching Scott Downs blow the game for the Blue Jays (see a pattern?)
On top of it all, its been a couple of days where it seems like a couple of nerves were touched between a couple of friends, and looks like there will be some patching up that needs to be done.
I think it's just time to bury my head behind my textbooks for the next 10 days or so and just focus on finishing this term off strong (not like that's going to happen..the burying my head part), but knowing me, that ain't going to happen.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Emo-ness on Twitter
Just had a chat with a friend last night, and wow, my eyes were opened. I guess it all started when she mentioned she noticed various tweets on my Twitter once in awhile, and was in a way worried that I've "turned" emo and was shutting off myself from the world and only communicating my feelings via the means of Twitter*
*Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. (taken from wikipedia.org)
In any case, the chat made me realize that 140 characters is simply not enough to thorough communicate my "true" feelings at any point, and that some of it might do more harm than good as it is quite misleading. For example - just yesterday I made a tweet along the lines of "Sometimes I should considering driving with my radio off". In short, I really felt the time I was able to spend with God, talking to Him and just spending the time with Him was valuable. However, she mentioned that she misinterpreted as something more serious. Another one involved went along the lines of "I really need to get my head screwed back on the right way". It was just an innocent tweet that I posted as I made the same mistake towards a problem that I have already made several times - yet it was again misinterpreted.
In any case, thank you again (you know who you are) for that little chat, and also I guess as a reminder/wake-up call on how I have been expressing myself and the needs to be more careful. Time to official wipe that "emo" tag off myself again...jeez, emo is like one of the last words I would associate myself with..blah!
*Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. (taken from wikipedia.org)
In any case, the chat made me realize that 140 characters is simply not enough to thorough communicate my "true" feelings at any point, and that some of it might do more harm than good as it is quite misleading. For example - just yesterday I made a tweet along the lines of "Sometimes I should considering driving with my radio off". In short, I really felt the time I was able to spend with God, talking to Him and just spending the time with Him was valuable. However, she mentioned that she misinterpreted as something more serious. Another one involved went along the lines of "I really need to get my head screwed back on the right way". It was just an innocent tweet that I posted as I made the same mistake towards a problem that I have already made several times - yet it was again misinterpreted.
In any case, thank you again (you know who you are) for that little chat, and also I guess as a reminder/wake-up call on how I have been expressing myself and the needs to be more careful. Time to official wipe that "emo" tag off myself again...jeez, emo is like one of the last words I would associate myself with..blah!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Some Updates
Long time no blog - nothing really new recently. My weeks since May has been pretty routine. It typically involved being in Waterloo from Sunday afternoon/evening to Thursday morning, and in Toronto from Thursday afternoon until Sunday afternoon.
Monday would be school from 10-1130, work from 1230-430, back to school from 7-10p. Tuesdays would be class 1-4, 7-10, and Wednesday a repeat of Monday without the 7-10p.
Thursdays would start whenever I decide to wake up, go back to TO, and softball. And both Saturday/Sunday would involved church/softball in some way, shape or form.
It's been a pretty fast 2 months (May and June), with the 2 months literally feeling like it flew by. Grinded out a bit playing online poker in June, and managed to luck my way into winning 2 World Series of Poker Main Event seats, and flew down to Vegas to play in that. Trip itself was pretty much similar to my trip last July, with the only exception being that I actually played in the Main Event. The tournament itself went about as bad as it could without anything major. It was a slow and painful grind til I busted out. I ended up being away for a week, and now back in school to grind out the rest of this semester.
As for what's happening after this term, I think I can seriously say I'm lost and confused with "life" for the first time in my 22 years on earth. It felt like a good plan initially about either doing more school from Sept - Dec to complete my CHRP designation, take a couple of trips in early parts of 2010, and settle down and look for a full time gig in April/May of 2010. Having sat down and talked with my parents, I'm not sure how well that plan will fly. Furthermore, I'm not sure whether to go pursue the additional courses through UW, or other institutions closer to home. Part of me wants to remain in UW, as the Athletics Department has been able to (and will be able to continue to) allow me to be employed on a part-time basis while being in school, something I probably will not be able to continue should I go elsewhere. In addition, UW has been my home for 4 years, I'm not sure if I want to simply pick up my bags and go to another school "closer to home".
Another side of me is realizing how much money it's really costing to live away from home, as well as the other benefits of living at home. While I wish I can say I found a spiritual home in Waterloo, I cannot say that being completely honest with myself. While the CCF has been consistently providing me with spiritual support, it has never truly felt like home. I guess the saying of you get what you put into something definitely rings true to my involvement with the UWCCF throughout my 4 years here. Lastly, having finally looked at the course schedule for Fall 2009, the classes offered and their schedule will create a less-than-ideal schedule for me.
Time to really start praying about this...at least it was good to get one thing off my chest.
Monday would be school from 10-1130, work from 1230-430, back to school from 7-10p. Tuesdays would be class 1-4, 7-10, and Wednesday a repeat of Monday without the 7-10p.
Thursdays would start whenever I decide to wake up, go back to TO, and softball. And both Saturday/Sunday would involved church/softball in some way, shape or form.
It's been a pretty fast 2 months (May and June), with the 2 months literally feeling like it flew by. Grinded out a bit playing online poker in June, and managed to luck my way into winning 2 World Series of Poker Main Event seats, and flew down to Vegas to play in that. Trip itself was pretty much similar to my trip last July, with the only exception being that I actually played in the Main Event. The tournament itself went about as bad as it could without anything major. It was a slow and painful grind til I busted out. I ended up being away for a week, and now back in school to grind out the rest of this semester.
As for what's happening after this term, I think I can seriously say I'm lost and confused with "life" for the first time in my 22 years on earth. It felt like a good plan initially about either doing more school from Sept - Dec to complete my CHRP designation, take a couple of trips in early parts of 2010, and settle down and look for a full time gig in April/May of 2010. Having sat down and talked with my parents, I'm not sure how well that plan will fly. Furthermore, I'm not sure whether to go pursue the additional courses through UW, or other institutions closer to home. Part of me wants to remain in UW, as the Athletics Department has been able to (and will be able to continue to) allow me to be employed on a part-time basis while being in school, something I probably will not be able to continue should I go elsewhere. In addition, UW has been my home for 4 years, I'm not sure if I want to simply pick up my bags and go to another school "closer to home".
Another side of me is realizing how much money it's really costing to live away from home, as well as the other benefits of living at home. While I wish I can say I found a spiritual home in Waterloo, I cannot say that being completely honest with myself. While the CCF has been consistently providing me with spiritual support, it has never truly felt like home. I guess the saying of you get what you put into something definitely rings true to my involvement with the UWCCF throughout my 4 years here. Lastly, having finally looked at the course schedule for Fall 2009, the classes offered and their schedule will create a less-than-ideal schedule for me.
Time to really start praying about this...at least it was good to get one thing off my chest.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 - Joe Louis Arena
The game was a blast - the atmosphere was definitely disappointing considering the game itself is a "one-game-take-all" for the championship. Will post a more detailed blog later about the experience, but here are some pictures.
Outside Joe Louis Arena
Pre-Game Warmup
National Anthem
Opening Face-Off
Post Game Hand-Shake
Outside Joe Louis Arena
Pre-Game Warmup
National Anthem
Opening Face-Off
Post Game Hand-Shake
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Updates to Come
Being the smart person that I am, I left my laptop in Toronto during the week that I was without internet in Waterloo. So I was pretty much stuck internet-less most of the week except for some of the time I spent on campus using the computer in the libraries. Now that I'm back in Toronto, I'll post the rest of the report up shortly.
Friday, May 01, 2009
Las Vegas Trip Report
Saturday April 25, 2009
Departed Toronto shortly after 8am, after picking up the rest of the group for this trip. An uneventful drive later, we arrived at Buffalo airport at about 1130am. Parked, checked-on, and a bit of lunch preceeded boarding of our flight to Las Vegas via Phoenix Arizona. This flight was just one of those flights where you wished something could’ve made time go by faster. Not exactly being able to toss and turn, but my inability to be able to fall asleep caused this cross continent flight feel more like a cross Pacific flight. Part of the reason I believe led to this occurance, was due to the lack of food I had from the morning departure from my house, to boarding of the plane in early afternoon. Fortunatedly, there were no particular incident of crying babies, or big smell human being on the plane, leading to the only annoyance for this 6 hour journey being a group of a group of young lads 2 rows ahead pre-drinking on the flight.
Upon touchdown in Las Vegas, our luggage made it to the carasoul in record time, and we were on our way to our hotels after spending merely minutes waiting for our luggage. The rest of the group were clearly excited with the prospect of exploring Las Vegas for the first time, while my excitement surrounds that of spending time in Vegas with 4 truly great people, and enjoying the tourist-side of Vegas for the first time myself.
Venetian is the site where we would rest our heads for the first evening, and for those whom enjoy eye-candy in the female variety, look no further as you will soon find yourself with a sore neck due to extreme left-to-right movement.
A $20 trick later, we find ourselves sharing a bella suite with a clear view of Palazzo, Tressures Island, as well as the Venetian pool. Due to being on the 18th floor, we were unable to get a clear view the patrons of the pool, but nonetheless, the $20 trick led to another successful upgrade.
A dinner at Grand Lux Cafe later, it was agreed upon that we would call it a night early. But of course, first night in Vegas, there is absolutely zero chance that I would allow the night to pass without having any form of gambling. Having a $50 slots credit as part of my package for staying at the Venetian, of course we share the credit and decide to hit up the slots. 15 minutes later, the $50 credit became $60 cash…we’re now 1-for-1 in slots. After a short walk around the Venetian Canal Shoppes, we call it a night by 11pm Vegas time – 2am Eastern time.
Sunday April 26, 2009
Second day began with more packing and unpacking, as a result of our impending move to MGM Grand for the next 3 nights. Any Vegas trip is incomplete without a visit to the Bellagio buffet, and it’s time to start off with a bang. Our first brunch was of course at the Bellagio champagne brunch. 3 to 4 glasses of champagne each between myself and Erica later, we feel highly satisfied, a stomach that feels similar in size to that of a pregnant woman. Following the brunch, visitations to various casinos and hotels begins.
The trip beings north bound from Bellgaio, hitting up Caesar’s Palace, Mirage, Tressures Island, across the street on to The Wynn and Encore, and finished up back at Palazzo and Venetian. Nothing like starting the trip with seeing one of the best of the best in what Las Vegas has to offer. A short downtime later after checking in to MGM Grand, we find ourselves at the “O” Theatre in Bellagio to watch the Cirque du Soleil show “O”.
The show itself was a spectacular production, and the theatre was a gorgeous sight on it’s own. I would definitely recommend this show to anyone and everyone who is planning a trip to Las Vegas. The ticket price is a tad expensive, but to me it was worth every penny.
Departed Toronto shortly after 8am, after picking up the rest of the group for this trip. An uneventful drive later, we arrived at Buffalo airport at about 1130am. Parked, checked-on, and a bit of lunch preceeded boarding of our flight to Las Vegas via Phoenix Arizona. This flight was just one of those flights where you wished something could’ve made time go by faster. Not exactly being able to toss and turn, but my inability to be able to fall asleep caused this cross continent flight feel more like a cross Pacific flight. Part of the reason I believe led to this occurance, was due to the lack of food I had from the morning departure from my house, to boarding of the plane in early afternoon. Fortunatedly, there were no particular incident of crying babies, or big smell human being on the plane, leading to the only annoyance for this 6 hour journey being a group of a group of young lads 2 rows ahead pre-drinking on the flight.
Upon touchdown in Las Vegas, our luggage made it to the carasoul in record time, and we were on our way to our hotels after spending merely minutes waiting for our luggage. The rest of the group were clearly excited with the prospect of exploring Las Vegas for the first time, while my excitement surrounds that of spending time in Vegas with 4 truly great people, and enjoying the tourist-side of Vegas for the first time myself.
Venetian is the site where we would rest our heads for the first evening, and for those whom enjoy eye-candy in the female variety, look no further as you will soon find yourself with a sore neck due to extreme left-to-right movement.
A $20 trick later, we find ourselves sharing a bella suite with a clear view of Palazzo, Tressures Island, as well as the Venetian pool. Due to being on the 18th floor, we were unable to get a clear view the patrons of the pool, but nonetheless, the $20 trick led to another successful upgrade.
A dinner at Grand Lux Cafe later, it was agreed upon that we would call it a night early. But of course, first night in Vegas, there is absolutely zero chance that I would allow the night to pass without having any form of gambling. Having a $50 slots credit as part of my package for staying at the Venetian, of course we share the credit and decide to hit up the slots. 15 minutes later, the $50 credit became $60 cash…we’re now 1-for-1 in slots. After a short walk around the Venetian Canal Shoppes, we call it a night by 11pm Vegas time – 2am Eastern time.
Sunday April 26, 2009
Second day began with more packing and unpacking, as a result of our impending move to MGM Grand for the next 3 nights. Any Vegas trip is incomplete without a visit to the Bellagio buffet, and it’s time to start off with a bang. Our first brunch was of course at the Bellagio champagne brunch. 3 to 4 glasses of champagne each between myself and Erica later, we feel highly satisfied, a stomach that feels similar in size to that of a pregnant woman. Following the brunch, visitations to various casinos and hotels begins.
The trip beings north bound from Bellgaio, hitting up Caesar’s Palace, Mirage, Tressures Island, across the street on to The Wynn and Encore, and finished up back at Palazzo and Venetian. Nothing like starting the trip with seeing one of the best of the best in what Las Vegas has to offer. A short downtime later after checking in to MGM Grand, we find ourselves at the “O” Theatre in Bellagio to watch the Cirque du Soleil show “O”.
The show itself was a spectacular production, and the theatre was a gorgeous sight on it’s own. I would definitely recommend this show to anyone and everyone who is planning a trip to Las Vegas. The ticket price is a tad expensive, but to me it was worth every penny.
NHL Playoff Round 2
A bit late, but here is the prediction for round 2.
Detroit over Anaheim in 6
Vancouver over Chicago in 5
Boston over Carolina in 5
Pittsburgh over Washington in 6
Detroit over Anaheim in 6
Vancouver over Chicago in 5
Boston over Carolina in 5
Pittsburgh over Washington in 6
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
NHL Playoff Round 1 Prediction
Nothing really new since my last update a little over a month ago. Work term is wrapping up in a week and a half, at which point I'll be heading to Vegas with a few friends for a few days. Will post pictures/trip report here after the trip.
For now, the NHL/NBA season is heading towards the second season, so I'll just post a few predictions here.
NHL Eastern Conference
Boston over Montreal in 5
Washington over New York in 7
Carolina over New Jersey in 7
Pittsburgh over Philadelphia in 5
NHL Western Conference
San Jose over Anaheim in 6
Detroit over Columbus in 5
Vancouver over St. Louis in 6
Calgary over Chicago in 7
For now, the NHL/NBA season is heading towards the second season, so I'll just post a few predictions here.
NHL Eastern Conference
Boston over Montreal in 5
Washington over New York in 7
Carolina over New Jersey in 7
Pittsburgh over Philadelphia in 5
NHL Western Conference
San Jose over Anaheim in 6
Detroit over Columbus in 5
Vancouver over St. Louis in 6
Calgary over Chicago in 7
Monday, March 09, 2009
Expensive Old Games
I was hanging around the vender's alley at the Student Life Centre (SLC) today at the university...and noticed a copy of the old classic Super Smash Brothers for N64 was no longer there. Apparently someone valued that game enough to buy it for a crazy $60! I mean, you have a game a great game, that came out 8 years ago, being sold on the secondary market for the price of a new released game. CRAZY!
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Untitled
I was going to post something, but for some reason, as soon as I opened up blogger, my mind went blank. I think it had something to do with upcoming things but I really don't know, I just remembered when I thought of that particular "thing", I had quite a few things to write. Hopefully it'll come to me soon.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Messed up sleeping schedule
It's been pretty bad the last few days..where I've just been running on caffeine for better part of the day considering I've only been getting like 3-4 hours of sleep a night at most, and they're not even what I call "good sleep". Normally I'm a guy that can both function with a good night sleep, or barely any sleep at all. I mean I've put in overnight sessions at poker tables before and was perfectly fine for school/work the very next day...yet for some reason I feel crappier when I get little sleep vs. getting no sleep at all.
I've been trying to fix this problem of mine, but seeing how it's 1:15am and I'm still up blogging, I still got ways to go. The outlook isn't even going to be good as the next 2 weeks will be busy as heck.
On a completely unrelated note - the U.S. is releasing their unemployment report tomorrow (or later today I guess)...this could be bad.
I've been trying to fix this problem of mine, but seeing how it's 1:15am and I'm still up blogging, I still got ways to go. The outlook isn't even going to be good as the next 2 weeks will be busy as heck.
On a completely unrelated note - the U.S. is releasing their unemployment report tomorrow (or later today I guess)...this could be bad.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Work is starting to pick-up
Work has been pretty chills for the past month or so, after the rush at the first 2 weeks of January with instructional courses/intramural registration, work has been pretty steady with a few on-going things.
It will start to pick-up again now that intramural is approaching playoff, and a Raptors trip to organize for next Friday (when they play the Miami Heat), and of course March Madness 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. The other things I've been working will be put on the back-burner for now until the end of March.
Other than work, it has been a pretty steady/uneventful term thus far. Got into a routine that involved work, sleep, WOW, x-box, poker, and sports...and I've settled into the groove now that this term is 2 months old. Nothing really new to report on...still trying to figure out what I'm doing from Sept-Dec at this point, I guess in a couple of months I'll try to land a 4 months contract or something and go from there.
I guess the only thing that's remotely exciting was that I met Shawn Marion the other day. After a typical Raptors game, we headed out Richtree at BCE Place for a post-game meal. As Matt and I were leaving at around 11, we bumped into Shawn Marion walking along alone seemingly just after he went to the bank. In any case, got a picture with him on my Blackberry - not the best quality but it will have to do. Seemed like a nice guy, very quiet and shy though.
That's it for now...I guess I should try to update this more often, but honestly there isn't really stuff to post. Time to use those creative juices.
It will start to pick-up again now that intramural is approaching playoff, and a Raptors trip to organize for next Friday (when they play the Miami Heat), and of course March Madness 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. The other things I've been working will be put on the back-burner for now until the end of March.
Other than work, it has been a pretty steady/uneventful term thus far. Got into a routine that involved work, sleep, WOW, x-box, poker, and sports...and I've settled into the groove now that this term is 2 months old. Nothing really new to report on...still trying to figure out what I'm doing from Sept-Dec at this point, I guess in a couple of months I'll try to land a 4 months contract or something and go from there.
I guess the only thing that's remotely exciting was that I met Shawn Marion the other day. After a typical Raptors game, we headed out Richtree at BCE Place for a post-game meal. As Matt and I were leaving at around 11, we bumped into Shawn Marion walking along alone seemingly just after he went to the bank. In any case, got a picture with him on my Blackberry - not the best quality but it will have to do. Seemed like a nice guy, very quiet and shy though.
That's it for now...I guess I should try to update this more often, but honestly there isn't really stuff to post. Time to use those creative juices.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Uh Oh
This is bad news, I've started on Cantonese dramas again...and also the Supreme Trio show for a daily dose of comedy. Combined with WOW and other things, how am I going to get back into school mode in April?
Monday, January 26, 2009
Badminton
So I picked up a badminton racquet and actually played some badminton for the first time in like months...and my touch is totally off and definitely alot slower on the court. Time to get back at those footwork drills again.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Looking back - 2008, Looking forward - 2009
Here I am, awake at 430am, not able to fall asleep. So I turn to my blog and make a "review" post for this past year, and also a look forward to whats ahead in 2009. I haven't made any new year's resolution for years, and this year will be no different. I guess I have goals, or things I want to do/places I want to go, but they are not necessarily resolution to me, as I feel these things shouldn't be tied to the replacement of a golf calendar.
2008 continued the tradition of years passed, it was a year where I experienced alot of things, discovered many things, yet still a year that leaves alot to be desired.
First and foremost, PassionDC - there is nothing that occured this year that was as impactful as the 2 days spent in Fairfax. This event got me back on the right track with God, and despite several times in '08 where I've started to slip, I was able to find myself looking back to those days in February as a reminder to myself what I'm striving for. Looking ahead, exactly 364 days from now, I'm hoping to have the opportunity to in Atlanta for Passion2010.
2008 was also a year where I was officially biten by the travel bug. While my trips remained within the comfines of North America, the times spent on the road with great company and things I saw that opened my eyes, I'm excited for what is to come in '09. While I do not really have anything planned yet, LA for a few days in Feb is a distinct possibility, with also a possible return to the WSOP in June/July.
With that said, 2009 is also the year of uncertainty, a year of change, and a year of transition. For the first time, I will be working from Jan - Apr, while going back to school from May - Aug. This is also the year where I supposedly conclude my undergrad, closing another chapter in my life while moving on to a new chapter.
As far as future plans, the foundation have been set, but it is really still up in the air. The plan is now to spend an extra 4 months and complete my minor in December of 2009. Hopefully kicking off my grad trip in Atlanta, and followup with a stay in Australia/New Zealand before returning to Vancouver for the Olympics in February of 2010. Conclusion of the Olympics will signal the beginning of Europe, and upon my return from Europe, begins the next chapter in life - the "real working world". All of these plans are contingent on many things coming together, and we will see what happens.
I really do not know what the future holds, but I'm waiting in expectancy.
2008 continued the tradition of years passed, it was a year where I experienced alot of things, discovered many things, yet still a year that leaves alot to be desired.
First and foremost, PassionDC - there is nothing that occured this year that was as impactful as the 2 days spent in Fairfax. This event got me back on the right track with God, and despite several times in '08 where I've started to slip, I was able to find myself looking back to those days in February as a reminder to myself what I'm striving for. Looking ahead, exactly 364 days from now, I'm hoping to have the opportunity to in Atlanta for Passion2010.
2008 was also a year where I was officially biten by the travel bug. While my trips remained within the comfines of North America, the times spent on the road with great company and things I saw that opened my eyes, I'm excited for what is to come in '09. While I do not really have anything planned yet, LA for a few days in Feb is a distinct possibility, with also a possible return to the WSOP in June/July.
With that said, 2009 is also the year of uncertainty, a year of change, and a year of transition. For the first time, I will be working from Jan - Apr, while going back to school from May - Aug. This is also the year where I supposedly conclude my undergrad, closing another chapter in my life while moving on to a new chapter.
As far as future plans, the foundation have been set, but it is really still up in the air. The plan is now to spend an extra 4 months and complete my minor in December of 2009. Hopefully kicking off my grad trip in Atlanta, and followup with a stay in Australia/New Zealand before returning to Vancouver for the Olympics in February of 2010. Conclusion of the Olympics will signal the beginning of Europe, and upon my return from Europe, begins the next chapter in life - the "real working world". All of these plans are contingent on many things coming together, and we will see what happens.
I really do not know what the future holds, but I'm waiting in expectancy.
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