By the way,
Yesterday was my brother's 29th birthday so happy birthday buddy! Hope the debauchery last night was good times...
Saturday, August 31, 2002
It's Labour Day weekend and I actualy forgot this was a long weekend. Very weird cause I expected that once I started in the working world, I would turn into one of those people who look forward to their next weekend every Monday. Slowly, I will probably turn into that guy but for now, it is all still new so I guess it's okay that I am not that way yet. I am a big nerd right now cause I am working on my laptop and my desktop at the same time. I've got two mice in my hands navigating on two monitors...what a loser!!!
Last night was a lot of fun. Su-Lin is moving to Kingston for the next 5 years for her joint Law/Masters degree which is really awesome. Congrats Su-Lin! So, we all went out to Marche last night for dessert and just chilling out. I really had a good time hanging out with most of the old high school posse. It was fun just catching up and finding out what everyone else is up to these days. It was also great to see etch who I haven't seen in almost a month. It was just like old times which was great. Joking around about business cards, breathmints, shoehorns and of course intria. $hit I can't believe that Eric's job at CIBC has him dealing with Wendy (my former boss from Intria ). There is a name I didn't expect to ever hear again. She was a pretty bad boss back during that co-op term. That is where I got my satisfactory evaluation (and all the rest have been excellents or outstandings). That job was so bad too. Most of you, I am sure have heard the stories...
I watched Fight Club the other night. Haven't seen that movie in a few years. It was pretty good again but I still don't totally get it. I am not sure if you are supposed to totallly get it though. In any case, good flick and norton and pitt were a great combo. That night, I went to Ashvin's place with Ketan and we chilled out. Had some awesome steaks on the barby so that was great. Thanks a lot for dinner Ashvin...it was some good $hit.
It's Saturday night and I am sitting in my room updating my webpage. What a loser! My parents are out at someone's house for dinner so I get to reheat some leftovers when I get hungry. I ask you, who is the man??? In any case, I was sitting here thinking about things. It seems that almost everyone I called today to see what they were doing tonight seems to have plans with their boyfriend or girlfriend. So, I get to sit here at home on my own. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I mean, it would be great to find that special someone but she ain't out there yet. I'll know when I find her though and so will all of you.
In any case, work is keeping me super busy so all's good. I got to see my first customer yet. That was an interesting experience since I totally forgot what it was like to sit in a boardroom with another company discussing strategy and implentation of a plan. That'll be me leading the conversation soon enough. I was doing this online sales training CD yesterday and in the office and it was the funniest thing in the world. I failed it 5 times before I finally passed. Man, I am an absolute idiot. It was out of 35 and if you got more than 4 wrong, you failed so I really had to know my stuff. I wrote down most of the questions cause they were repeating a lot but damn, it still took me too long cause I got lazy and stopped paying attention to my notes. Did I tell ya? I am going to Milwaukee next week for a couple days of training. That is exciting but the weirder thing is that I am flying home to Toronto on September 11, 2002.
The one year anniversary. Man, that is gonna be weird. I think that that week and especially that day is gonna be filled with so much U.S. patriotic propaganda. There are gonna be so many tributes and memorials. I am definitely gonna try and avoid the TV for a few days.
Off to eat some thawing hot dogs in the sink...
:o)
Last night was a lot of fun. Su-Lin is moving to Kingston for the next 5 years for her joint Law/Masters degree which is really awesome. Congrats Su-Lin! So, we all went out to Marche last night for dessert and just chilling out. I really had a good time hanging out with most of the old high school posse. It was fun just catching up and finding out what everyone else is up to these days. It was also great to see etch who I haven't seen in almost a month. It was just like old times which was great. Joking around about business cards, breathmints, shoehorns and of course intria. $hit I can't believe that Eric's job at CIBC has him dealing with Wendy (my former boss from Intria ). There is a name I didn't expect to ever hear again. She was a pretty bad boss back during that co-op term. That is where I got my satisfactory evaluation (and all the rest have been excellents or outstandings). That job was so bad too. Most of you, I am sure have heard the stories...
I watched Fight Club the other night. Haven't seen that movie in a few years. It was pretty good again but I still don't totally get it. I am not sure if you are supposed to totallly get it though. In any case, good flick and norton and pitt were a great combo. That night, I went to Ashvin's place with Ketan and we chilled out. Had some awesome steaks on the barby so that was great. Thanks a lot for dinner Ashvin...it was some good $hit.
It's Saturday night and I am sitting in my room updating my webpage. What a loser! My parents are out at someone's house for dinner so I get to reheat some leftovers when I get hungry. I ask you, who is the man??? In any case, I was sitting here thinking about things. It seems that almost everyone I called today to see what they were doing tonight seems to have plans with their boyfriend or girlfriend. So, I get to sit here at home on my own. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I mean, it would be great to find that special someone but she ain't out there yet. I'll know when I find her though and so will all of you.
In any case, work is keeping me super busy so all's good. I got to see my first customer yet. That was an interesting experience since I totally forgot what it was like to sit in a boardroom with another company discussing strategy and implentation of a plan. That'll be me leading the conversation soon enough. I was doing this online sales training CD yesterday and in the office and it was the funniest thing in the world. I failed it 5 times before I finally passed. Man, I am an absolute idiot. It was out of 35 and if you got more than 4 wrong, you failed so I really had to know my stuff. I wrote down most of the questions cause they were repeating a lot but damn, it still took me too long cause I got lazy and stopped paying attention to my notes. Did I tell ya? I am going to Milwaukee next week for a couple days of training. That is exciting but the weirder thing is that I am flying home to Toronto on September 11, 2002.
The one year anniversary. Man, that is gonna be weird. I think that that week and especially that day is gonna be filled with so much U.S. patriotic propaganda. There are gonna be so many tributes and memorials. I am definitely gonna try and avoid the TV for a few days.
Off to eat some thawing hot dogs in the sink...
:o)
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
didn't see my big fat greek wedding tonight cause it was sold out by the time we got to the theatre. so, i went home and instead, i rented gosford park with winnie and we watched that. i didn't think that highly of it. perhaps i was tired but it just didn't do it for me and i actually fell asleep briefly twice. for a murder mystery, whodunit - i thought they kind of gave away a lot! also, all the characters pretty much looked the same so it was so annoying trying to figure out who was who and making sure you had accounted for everyone. i definitely wouldn't have given it all the oscar nominations that it got. that is for sure.
off to bed. good night.
off to bed. good night.
Sunday, August 25, 2002
The last week has been pretty hectic. I have become a Toronto Commuter. By that I mean that I am out of the house everyone morning by about 6:55 am and I arrive at the office by about 7:45. I then work out in the gym most mornings for about an hour. After that, I take a shower and get ready for a long day at the office. I get to my desk (actually, I don’t' have a desk yet and I am squatting at someone's who is away on vacation for 2 weeks) and turn on my laptop and begin the day. It goes strong with meetings, projects, etc. Then, before I know it, it is about 6:45 pm and it's time for me to leave so I pack up and I am back on the highway by about 7:00 pm getting home by about 7:45.
12 hours…just like that!
Needless to say that my days are pretty long but I am not complaining because I am busy, I am learning, I am meeting tones of people and I am enjoying myself. Can't really ask for more than that, can you?
Saw Signs on Friday night. I thought it was a good movie. Shayamalan is a very good director. His foreshadowing is great and he makes the story flow nicely. This movie was also good because there was a tint of humour as well (the aluminum foil scenes). You wanna know something silly? In the scene where they are showing Mexican TV footage and in the final scene when Mel Gibson's brother "swings it", I actually had pins and needles all over my body because of what was on the screen. It was a weird feeling. I was actually sitting there in my seat at the theatre and I was kind of freaked out. That is what made that movie so enjoyable! I also saw Blackhawk Down last night. That movie was pretty good too and the thing that I really liked was that it wasn't as American as I was expecting. With Jerry Bruckheimer - I was expecting crazy huge explosions and US flags everywhere. I had the crazy explosions all over but there was actually fewer American propaganda than I expected. The story was actually pretty good too. Unfortunately I am pretty ignorant about the entire Somalian civil war that occurred in 1993 (and is probably still occurring now) so I didn't know how accurate the story was. War strategy is pretty intricate but when Americans or other peace keepers go into these foreign lands to do their thing, all strategy is thrown right out the window because the people they meet on the other side (whether it is Africa, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan or China) are in such large numbers and are looking to kick some ass.
This weekend was pretty good. Friday night after Signs, I went out for dinner with Cristine at a Chinese restaurant in Mississauga. It was really funny cause Cristine asked the waitress for "another menu" in Mandarin. Sure enough, she came back with a different menu that was for Chinese people as opposed to the "generic white Chinese food menu" they had given us at first (all because of me probably). The "secret menu" actually was quite different and we found some good stuff on it. Ashvin had a bbq at his place yesterday so that was fun. Most of the Marathi posse was there which made for good times. Then today, Ashvin, G and I went golfing at an executive par 3 course in Unionville. It started out really poorly but by the end, my wedge and 9 were hitting really well and I was totally getting under the ball almost all the time. Right now (and for the last 7 hours or so), my neighbours are having this huge cookout in their backyard. They are playing some wicked hip hop, soca, calypso and funky beat music. This one guy has been cooking on the grill for easily about 6 hours. He is right in there marinating, making the fire bigger and tasting the meat. It all looks really good and there are a ton of people that seem to be enjoying themselves. Some cute girls are there too so that is always a good thing.
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. I'll keep this story short but it was very very very frustrating and made me very angry. Last Tuesday during my drive home from work, I got cut off by this chump in a little white Civic. I slammed on my horn for about 15 seconds or so while I was right on his ass. I waved at him through my windshield cause I wanted to make sure he knew what he did was wrong. He was oblivious to the whole thing and proceeded to go to the centre lane where he thought he was gonna overtake some slowpokes. I stayed in the right and ended up passing him so when I did, I gave him the stare and left it at that. Then as I was driving along, he managed to catch up I guess and overtook me now on the left. But as he was doing that, he was swearing and giving me the finger (among other things). He caught me so off guard and I was so shocked that he did that. What a complete ASSHOLE. You know what got me too, he was definitely a father's age. He was an older Sri Lankan gentlemen - probably in his 50's. Man, the never of that punk!
On Thursday, I went on my very first Toronto Harbour Boat Cruise. It was a work sponsored event with an open bar and great food right on one of the tall ships called Kajama. We cruised around the harbour for about 4 hours and it was getting pretty cold by the end but it was so worth it. I had such a good time and it was really beautiful. The Toronto skyline is fantastic. We just have to get something done with that damn waterfront and then we'll be the bomb. Mingling with work people that night was interesting and it is usually interesting in general. Some of them are really awesome and no matter how much I know them through work, I can still chill with them and have a good time. Conversations with others though, damn that is like pulling teeth.
I'll leave you with one final question. Recently I have been in a debate with someone about what the tallest structure in the world is. It's still the CN Tower right? Followed by the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
Good night and sorry for the long blog but that's what happened when you haven't written in a while…
12 hours…just like that!
Needless to say that my days are pretty long but I am not complaining because I am busy, I am learning, I am meeting tones of people and I am enjoying myself. Can't really ask for more than that, can you?
Saw Signs on Friday night. I thought it was a good movie. Shayamalan is a very good director. His foreshadowing is great and he makes the story flow nicely. This movie was also good because there was a tint of humour as well (the aluminum foil scenes). You wanna know something silly? In the scene where they are showing Mexican TV footage and in the final scene when Mel Gibson's brother "swings it", I actually had pins and needles all over my body because of what was on the screen. It was a weird feeling. I was actually sitting there in my seat at the theatre and I was kind of freaked out. That is what made that movie so enjoyable! I also saw Blackhawk Down last night. That movie was pretty good too and the thing that I really liked was that it wasn't as American as I was expecting. With Jerry Bruckheimer - I was expecting crazy huge explosions and US flags everywhere. I had the crazy explosions all over but there was actually fewer American propaganda than I expected. The story was actually pretty good too. Unfortunately I am pretty ignorant about the entire Somalian civil war that occurred in 1993 (and is probably still occurring now) so I didn't know how accurate the story was. War strategy is pretty intricate but when Americans or other peace keepers go into these foreign lands to do their thing, all strategy is thrown right out the window because the people they meet on the other side (whether it is Africa, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan or China) are in such large numbers and are looking to kick some ass.
This weekend was pretty good. Friday night after Signs, I went out for dinner with Cristine at a Chinese restaurant in Mississauga. It was really funny cause Cristine asked the waitress for "another menu" in Mandarin. Sure enough, she came back with a different menu that was for Chinese people as opposed to the "generic white Chinese food menu" they had given us at first (all because of me probably). The "secret menu" actually was quite different and we found some good stuff on it. Ashvin had a bbq at his place yesterday so that was fun. Most of the Marathi posse was there which made for good times. Then today, Ashvin, G and I went golfing at an executive par 3 course in Unionville. It started out really poorly but by the end, my wedge and 9 were hitting really well and I was totally getting under the ball almost all the time. Right now (and for the last 7 hours or so), my neighbours are having this huge cookout in their backyard. They are playing some wicked hip hop, soca, calypso and funky beat music. This one guy has been cooking on the grill for easily about 6 hours. He is right in there marinating, making the fire bigger and tasting the meat. It all looks really good and there are a ton of people that seem to be enjoying themselves. Some cute girls are there too so that is always a good thing.
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. I'll keep this story short but it was very very very frustrating and made me very angry. Last Tuesday during my drive home from work, I got cut off by this chump in a little white Civic. I slammed on my horn for about 15 seconds or so while I was right on his ass. I waved at him through my windshield cause I wanted to make sure he knew what he did was wrong. He was oblivious to the whole thing and proceeded to go to the centre lane where he thought he was gonna overtake some slowpokes. I stayed in the right and ended up passing him so when I did, I gave him the stare and left it at that. Then as I was driving along, he managed to catch up I guess and overtook me now on the left. But as he was doing that, he was swearing and giving me the finger (among other things). He caught me so off guard and I was so shocked that he did that. What a complete ASSHOLE. You know what got me too, he was definitely a father's age. He was an older Sri Lankan gentlemen - probably in his 50's. Man, the never of that punk!
On Thursday, I went on my very first Toronto Harbour Boat Cruise. It was a work sponsored event with an open bar and great food right on one of the tall ships called Kajama. We cruised around the harbour for about 4 hours and it was getting pretty cold by the end but it was so worth it. I had such a good time and it was really beautiful. The Toronto skyline is fantastic. We just have to get something done with that damn waterfront and then we'll be the bomb. Mingling with work people that night was interesting and it is usually interesting in general. Some of them are really awesome and no matter how much I know them through work, I can still chill with them and have a good time. Conversations with others though, damn that is like pulling teeth.
I'll leave you with one final question. Recently I have been in a debate with someone about what the tallest structure in the world is. It's still the CN Tower right? Followed by the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
Good night and sorry for the long blog but that's what happened when you haven't written in a while…
Sunday, August 18, 2002
Milwaukee was an overall great experience. It served as a fine introduction to my new employer. It will be interesting to see how I fit into the culture of this company. I really hope that I excel at my job. Thursday the 15th was our Mentorship workshop. The mentor program is pretty good. Everyone is paired up with someone more senior in the company and basically that is the person that acts as their counselor, advisor, advocate, everything in the company... Any dumb questions - ask the mentor. Seeking career advice - ask the mentor. The manager on the other hand handles day-to-day operations and goals, objectives, etc. My mentor is great. He has a very senior position within the Canadian organization and he is a really personable guy. On that Thursday night after the mentorship workshop, we all went out to this funky fusion restaurant in downtown Milwaukee called Onyx. The food was good and the drink was excellent. We all got pretty looped that night. I was drinking my new favourite drink - Amaretto and Ginger, also G&T's, wine, tequila, a little bit of everything :) After the dinner, we went to a hip hop club called Eve. Good times there as well and the best part was that my mentor (who has 3 kids) and Marie-Pierre's mentor came out to the club along with one other mentor. So, all the other students kept saying that Canada has the best mentors and that was cool. Guess who I saw at Eve that night...
You ready? Latrell Sprewell And I did something pretty stupid at the time but very funny now looking back at it.
a: waiting for latrell to finish his conversation with some chicks
a: tapping latrell on the back (as I am up to about his shoulder blades)
a: Hey Latrell, what's up man?
l: turns around but doesn't really awknowledge me
a: Man, I am from Toronto and the Raptors are gonna kick your @$$ next year!!!
l: smirks, turns away in disgust and goes back to his buddies (without even hesitation)
So, that is my claim to NBA fame. Someone told me later that I was pretty lucky to not have been strangled by him or something. If you recall, he was the player who strangled his coach, P.J. Carlisimo a few years ago cause of some disagreement.
I left Milwaukee on Friday (left earlier than expected cause Marie-Pierre and I flew standby and got on the earlier flight. We had the same flight attendent that we had two weeks prior when we flew down. He was a pretty funny guy who obviously was sick of the Toronto - Milwaukee route and wanted out. He was so sarcastic the entire time saying stuff like "They (Air Canada) made $___,___,___ in profits last year and all they can offer you are these _______ pretzels." And when he was announcing something to the entire plane he said, "And if you have any requests or concerns, please hesitate to inform me" (instead of don't hesitate). I was thinking that he muswt be new and they've put him on this crappy flight to earn his stripes. Eventually, he will be able to work some better flights but for now, as long as he sticks through it, his job sucks.
Went to a bbq at Seema's house on Friday night. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet some cool new people. Met this one guy who used to work at Steve's Music in downtown Toronto and who now teaches guitar. Interesting... Then, I went to Mendhi, Masti, Masala last night - An Indian cultural festival at Harbourfront. It was pretty good but very crowded. Lots of brown people everywhere you looked actually. The food was so expensive - it was a rip off!!! $5 for Bhel Puri??? $8 for Tandoori chicken and Nan??? Where do they get these prices man? But Cristine, Florence and I were suckers and stayed there to eat. Meanwhile, my parents had the right idea and went to Gerrard Street for dinner instead. Good call Mom and Dad. I watched Spy Game last night with Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. Good movie but I didn't follow the entire plot. It was a bit confusing but pretty interesting overall. I love seeing all that cool spy/espionage stuff.
Gonna go now and see what Sunday has in store for me...
You ready? Latrell Sprewell And I did something pretty stupid at the time but very funny now looking back at it.
a: waiting for latrell to finish his conversation with some chicks
a: tapping latrell on the back (as I am up to about his shoulder blades)
a: Hey Latrell, what's up man?
l: turns around but doesn't really awknowledge me
a: Man, I am from Toronto and the Raptors are gonna kick your @$$ next year!!!
l: smirks, turns away in disgust and goes back to his buddies (without even hesitation)
So, that is my claim to NBA fame. Someone told me later that I was pretty lucky to not have been strangled by him or something. If you recall, he was the player who strangled his coach, P.J. Carlisimo a few years ago cause of some disagreement.
I left Milwaukee on Friday (left earlier than expected cause Marie-Pierre and I flew standby and got on the earlier flight. We had the same flight attendent that we had two weeks prior when we flew down. He was a pretty funny guy who obviously was sick of the Toronto - Milwaukee route and wanted out. He was so sarcastic the entire time saying stuff like "They (Air Canada) made $___,___,___ in profits last year and all they can offer you are these _______ pretzels." And when he was announcing something to the entire plane he said, "And if you have any requests or concerns, please hesitate to inform me" (instead of don't hesitate). I was thinking that he muswt be new and they've put him on this crappy flight to earn his stripes. Eventually, he will be able to work some better flights but for now, as long as he sticks through it, his job sucks.
Went to a bbq at Seema's house on Friday night. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet some cool new people. Met this one guy who used to work at Steve's Music in downtown Toronto and who now teaches guitar. Interesting... Then, I went to Mendhi, Masti, Masala last night - An Indian cultural festival at Harbourfront. It was pretty good but very crowded. Lots of brown people everywhere you looked actually. The food was so expensive - it was a rip off!!! $5 for Bhel Puri??? $8 for Tandoori chicken and Nan??? Where do they get these prices man? But Cristine, Florence and I were suckers and stayed there to eat. Meanwhile, my parents had the right idea and went to Gerrard Street for dinner instead. Good call Mom and Dad. I watched Spy Game last night with Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. Good movie but I didn't follow the entire plot. It was a bit confusing but pretty interesting overall. I love seeing all that cool spy/espionage stuff.
Gonna go now and see what Sunday has in store for me...
Friday, August 16, 2002
back from milwaukee. sitting on my floor in scarborough typing on my laptop that is plugged into a very very slow dialup connection. we'll definitely have to look at high speed now though. overall, the trip was really great. learned a ton of new stuff and also was made aware of what i don't know. met some neat people. saw a new city.
i will have a proper blog soon...
i will have a proper blog soon...
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
hey folks...just finished a three day workshop on consultative selling. it was really cool and very informative. i am ready to go out there and sell, sell, sell. we'll see how that goes. thanks again to everyone who has sent me birthday greetings over the past couple of days. i am really grateful that you all are really amazing people.
tchao - how does working with boxes all day sound? that reminds me of my days at Intria.
tchao - how does working with boxes all day sound? that reminds me of my days at Intria.
Monday, August 12, 2002
wow dudes...i am 24 years old. that is pretty crazy. i am all gradumacated. i have a job. a pet fish. responsimabilities. geez, i am growing up right before all your eyes! today was an okay day but it definitely wasn't like spending my birthday at home. i am all alone here in Milwaukee (these new friends here from work are cool but it's just not the same as old good friends or family, you know?) today I was in Consultative Sales training class all day from 8:00 am till 7:00 pm. then, I went to Subway (woo hoo!!!) for dinner with a bunch of classmates. now, i am doing my laundry and working on a presentation about Nuclear Medicine that is due tomorrow. all in all, a pretty lacklustre day.
thank you very much to everyone who remembered me today. you guys are awesome!
by the way,
tai - yep, it's still broken
craig m - thanks a lot for the shout out last week
k - got your message that you got my message :)
thank you very much to everyone who remembered me today. you guys are awesome!
by the way,
tai - yep, it's still broken
craig m - thanks a lot for the shout out last week
k - got your message that you got my message :)
Sunday, August 11, 2002
Watched American Pie II tonight and I must say that it was a very silly movie. Not that great at all. The first one was so much better. This is probably the case though because it's all the same recycled humour so that is a problem for sure. It just wasn't funny the second time around and if they have an American Pie III, it will be even crappier. I will say however that Eugene Levy's character was priceless...The line of the night "By the way son, don't forget your p$n*s cream."
Went to Denny's for brunch and The Olive Garden for dinner tonight. I am eating out all the time and living the good old American dream. Man, the portions here are so big and there is just everything available. Everything has add-ons and can be supersized. It's kind of scary. Actually, I can see Canada going that way so that is kind of sad but hopefully it'll never get this bad. The thing that does make me laugh though is how well any product with "diet", "light" or "fat free" on it sells. All the guys here drink Miller and Bud "Light." What is up with that? I guess it's that whole psychological thing more than anything but really, the marketing works around these parts. I have seen more obese people here and in Boston in the last two weeks than I had seen in Toronto and Asia for this entire summer. This society is scary because it's all about consumption, consumption, consumption.
Last night started out really fun. We went to the Brewers-Expos baseball game (that the Expos won 11 - 4). We tailgated in the parking lot before the game (just beer, no bbq). That was fun and it was my first time tailgating. Then, we bought some tickets off scalpers who I had the following conversation with...
a: $10 for those tickets, those are junk general reserve uptop!!! We won't buy that crap. Give us 2 for $5
s: No way man, we'll sell these to someone else. Ya'll are cheap mofo's!
a: That crap is just paper man. The game has already started. No one is gonna buy that from you
s: We'll see about that. Look at those people right over there (points in front of him)
a: All right, we'll find someone else (we all start walking)
s: (comes running after us after a minute or two) Okay, okay...1 for $5 - how about that???
a: No, I said 2 for $5
s: All right fine but you guys are cheap!
a: Yeah, well you gotta get rid of that paper because otherwise you ain't getting nothing!
For the entire game, I was getting ribbed (and all week up till then for that matter) about being a Canadian. You know all the Canadian jokes... Anyway, in the ninth inning - Vladimir Guerrero, the right fielder for Montreal hit this wicked line drive home run over centre field. I was jumping up and down cheering really loud and I was definitely the only one in my section cheering (needless to say, I got some dirty looks). Then, to top it all off - I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my Canada Bandana!!! That is right, right there in Miller Park - I was waving my Canada bandana cause the Expos were socking it to the Brewers. My classmates were thrown aback by this display of patriotism and had a slight chuckle. I think that they probably didn't want to admit that they knew me at that time.
Tomorrow morning is the big golf tournament with the boss. Time to kick some butt and show them all the talents that this Canadian boy has...
Went to Denny's for brunch and The Olive Garden for dinner tonight. I am eating out all the time and living the good old American dream. Man, the portions here are so big and there is just everything available. Everything has add-ons and can be supersized. It's kind of scary. Actually, I can see Canada going that way so that is kind of sad but hopefully it'll never get this bad. The thing that does make me laugh though is how well any product with "diet", "light" or "fat free" on it sells. All the guys here drink Miller and Bud "Light." What is up with that? I guess it's that whole psychological thing more than anything but really, the marketing works around these parts. I have seen more obese people here and in Boston in the last two weeks than I had seen in Toronto and Asia for this entire summer. This society is scary because it's all about consumption, consumption, consumption.
Last night started out really fun. We went to the Brewers-Expos baseball game (that the Expos won 11 - 4). We tailgated in the parking lot before the game (just beer, no bbq). That was fun and it was my first time tailgating. Then, we bought some tickets off scalpers who I had the following conversation with...
a: $10 for those tickets, those are junk general reserve uptop!!! We won't buy that crap. Give us 2 for $5
s: No way man, we'll sell these to someone else. Ya'll are cheap mofo's!
a: That crap is just paper man. The game has already started. No one is gonna buy that from you
s: We'll see about that. Look at those people right over there (points in front of him)
a: All right, we'll find someone else (we all start walking)
s: (comes running after us after a minute or two) Okay, okay...1 for $5 - how about that???
a: No, I said 2 for $5
s: All right fine but you guys are cheap!
a: Yeah, well you gotta get rid of that paper because otherwise you ain't getting nothing!
For the entire game, I was getting ribbed (and all week up till then for that matter) about being a Canadian. You know all the Canadian jokes... Anyway, in the ninth inning - Vladimir Guerrero, the right fielder for Montreal hit this wicked line drive home run over centre field. I was jumping up and down cheering really loud and I was definitely the only one in my section cheering (needless to say, I got some dirty looks). Then, to top it all off - I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my Canada Bandana!!! That is right, right there in Miller Park - I was waving my Canada bandana cause the Expos were socking it to the Brewers. My classmates were thrown aback by this display of patriotism and had a slight chuckle. I think that they probably didn't want to admit that they knew me at that time.
Tomorrow morning is the big golf tournament with the boss. Time to kick some butt and show them all the talents that this Canadian boy has...
Friday, August 09, 2002
It's Friday. My first week at work has come and gone. I'm ready for the next 45 years - BRING IT ON!
Holy crap, that sounds pretty scary but it's weird, I've actually heard that from about 3 or 4 different people so far this week. Everyone has that thing in their head that they see themselves working in the same company, same job for that long. I won't be able to do that for too long at all...I am definitely gonna have change up the old career every now and again to keep it spicey.
Wednesday night - the BBQ at Dave's place was great. The house is amazing. I really like it and definitely wanna live there. He has it set up really nice and it is fully furnished. Looks pretty classey too...like a "grown-up" place. Tall ceilings, bbq, awesome kitchen, my own bathroom - can't go wrong at all! Met most of Dave's friends and they are all really cool. Can't compare to the UW posse though but a good replacement while he is over here.
Last night we went to the Wisconsin State Fair. It was basically a larger version of the CNE but it was pretty fun. "Carney's" everywhere. And lots of crazy fried food. Have any of you ever seen or drank beer out of a plastic bottle? I guess there is a first time for everthing. Some of the guys on the team and our manager had a little friendly competition to see who could hit the furtherest drive at the golf game at the carnival. My best was 217 yards. Good but not great. I really don't know how accurate that sensor was though. Plus I was wearing jeans and sport sandals...but I am not making excuses or anything. As a team - we all went on one of those crazy spinny rides. It was really fun and such a cool sensation when we were on that thing. It was wicked. After the fair, we went out to a local night spot called 1225. It was okay. Pretty much the same thing as Whiskey Saigon and Joker and those kinds of places. Nothing great but whatever. Steve knows one of the bartenders so we were getting some nice beverages courtesy of her. Thank you very much Erin.
Today has been a good day. Got to sleep in because today is supposed to be our "apartment hunting" day. I am gonna be living with Dave in November for 6 months though so I didn't need to loook for a place. I just chilled out today. Went for a long run (not as long as Tchao just yet though), played pool in the basement, surfed the net, e-mailed and did no work (just like my University days). Tonight we are going to the Brewers - Expos game at Miller Park (the new retractable room stadium here in Milwaukee). GO EXPOS!!! Then, gonna party it up tonight.
Tomorrow, more chilling. I should do some work though.
Holy crap, that sounds pretty scary but it's weird, I've actually heard that from about 3 or 4 different people so far this week. Everyone has that thing in their head that they see themselves working in the same company, same job for that long. I won't be able to do that for too long at all...I am definitely gonna have change up the old career every now and again to keep it spicey.
Wednesday night - the BBQ at Dave's place was great. The house is amazing. I really like it and definitely wanna live there. He has it set up really nice and it is fully furnished. Looks pretty classey too...like a "grown-up" place. Tall ceilings, bbq, awesome kitchen, my own bathroom - can't go wrong at all! Met most of Dave's friends and they are all really cool. Can't compare to the UW posse though but a good replacement while he is over here.
Last night we went to the Wisconsin State Fair. It was basically a larger version of the CNE but it was pretty fun. "Carney's" everywhere. And lots of crazy fried food. Have any of you ever seen or drank beer out of a plastic bottle? I guess there is a first time for everthing. Some of the guys on the team and our manager had a little friendly competition to see who could hit the furtherest drive at the golf game at the carnival. My best was 217 yards. Good but not great. I really don't know how accurate that sensor was though. Plus I was wearing jeans and sport sandals...but I am not making excuses or anything. As a team - we all went on one of those crazy spinny rides. It was really fun and such a cool sensation when we were on that thing. It was wicked. After the fair, we went out to a local night spot called 1225. It was okay. Pretty much the same thing as Whiskey Saigon and Joker and those kinds of places. Nothing great but whatever. Steve knows one of the bartenders so we were getting some nice beverages courtesy of her. Thank you very much Erin.
Today has been a good day. Got to sleep in because today is supposed to be our "apartment hunting" day. I am gonna be living with Dave in November for 6 months though so I didn't need to loook for a place. I just chilled out today. Went for a long run (not as long as Tchao just yet though), played pool in the basement, surfed the net, e-mailed and did no work (just like my University days). Tonight we are going to the Brewers - Expos game at Miller Park (the new retractable room stadium here in Milwaukee). GO EXPOS!!! Then, gonna party it up tonight.
Tomorrow, more chilling. I should do some work though.
Tuesday, August 06, 2002
Ladies and Gentleman,
I AM A WORKING MAN!!! Holy cow...I didn't believe that I would be saying that. It feels really odd actually. So far, the first two days of work have been good. I am here in Milwaukee, WI in the north of the midwest within the US. There are the 12 hires from America and the two of us from Canada in total in this program. So, it's only the 14 of us all day everyday. This job and this company is definitely gonna be a very intense experience. Expectations are high. Responsibility is high. Overall, will probably be very stressful. I just really hope that I can continue the "work hard, play hard" philosophy. The class seems really cool. Some really good people and I already feel like I am making some really strong new friendships. The people here are all really sharp and have great personalities. It will be fun hanging out with them for sure. This weekend we are all golfing and going to a cookout. And, tomorrow night Dr. E.Vu is having a cookout at his pad (my most probable new pad in November).
So, you wanted to know about Milwaukee, eh? Well let me tell you. It's pretty much all that I expected. I actually haven't seen the downtown yet but this city is very blue collar. All the food here is in such big portions and very very fatty. That was definitely expected though. So much cheese and beer too.
More to come soon...
I AM A WORKING MAN!!! Holy cow...I didn't believe that I would be saying that. It feels really odd actually. So far, the first two days of work have been good. I am here in Milwaukee, WI in the north of the midwest within the US. There are the 12 hires from America and the two of us from Canada in total in this program. So, it's only the 14 of us all day everyday. This job and this company is definitely gonna be a very intense experience. Expectations are high. Responsibility is high. Overall, will probably be very stressful. I just really hope that I can continue the "work hard, play hard" philosophy. The class seems really cool. Some really good people and I already feel like I am making some really strong new friendships. The people here are all really sharp and have great personalities. It will be fun hanging out with them for sure. This weekend we are all golfing and going to a cookout. And, tomorrow night Dr. E.Vu is having a cookout at his pad (my most probable new pad in November).
So, you wanted to know about Milwaukee, eh? Well let me tell you. It's pretty much all that I expected. I actually haven't seen the downtown yet but this city is very blue collar. All the food here is in such big portions and very very fatty. That was definitely expected though. So much cheese and beer too.
More to come soon...
Monday night at 11:00 pm - THE ROADTRIP STARTED
Participants: Tchao, Smith, me
Destination: Brockton, with a stop in Boston, Duration: 3 days
Reason: Concert (Smokin' Grooves Tour), Getaway, Bonding with the boys, Harvard, MIT, Cheers, Picking up Chicks (and getting shot down), Border follies, Driving, check out Brockton, MA
The trip on a whole was fantastic. It was cool to chill with the boys and the drives to and from actually didn't feel too bad (especially in comparison to the Chicago debacle). Boston is a great little city. It's a big city and has that feel to it but it is also more reminicest of Ottawa than it is of Toronto at times. The Boston Accent is great. I love hearing guys and girls speak with it. The one thing that we all noticed about the people though are that they are pretty straight to the point. The girls especially seem to be a lot ruder or maybe abbrasive than they are here. We stayed in a suburb of Boston called Brockton. It was definitely suburbia. It was quite and away from the city (about 30 miles south) but it was cheap so that was good and it actually ended up being pretty close to Mansfield (where the concert was). Harvard and MIT were both really cool to see. MIT totally reminded me of Waterloo (the insides of the buildings anyway) cause the students walking around were of the same mold. Harvard was definitely the Ivy Leagues. Beautiful lush green campus surrounding these huge old columned buildings. Had lunch at this great little pizza joint called Pinnochios, where all the students go so that was cool. I found myself wondering if I would ever be smart enough or actually, work hard enough, to go to school at a place like Harvard. I'd like to think that if I put my mind to anything - I could do it.
The concert was good but WAY TOO SHORT. Cee-Lo was pretty amusing. Jurassic 5 were great...The 4 MC's and the 2 DJ's were hype. Lauryn Hill has a beautiful voice and it was nice to hear her play but it would have been so much better if she had played some of her old stuff, had had some of her band there and also played for more than 30 minutes. The Roots were great!!! I have waited 3 years and the past 3 failed attempts to see them. It was a great show and Rahzel was there which was totally unexpected. He and another guy were beatboxing together and it was so sweet. They were doing Star Wars scenes, the new Busta Rhymes song and Rahzel did this really cool thing with his sneaker and the scratching effect that he does. Outkast closed out the show and they definitely did not dissapoint. They are such a fun band to watch live and of course, Bombs Over Baghdad was an amazing finale!
Today my parents left for their little vacation to the East Coast (they are going to PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland). When my dad first came to Canada, he was in Newfoundland for a year - that was about 35 years ago! He hasn't been back east since and my mom has never gone so it will definitely be a good trip for them. Tonight, I went to see Friendless Nameless play. Ketan and his band were really tight and played well. All that practice is definitely paying off. Good job K-dot.
Today was a close family friend of ours, Priya's wedding. My dad taught Priya how to read and write Marathi and our family's go quite a way back. It was a beautiful ceremony right in their backyard. I think there were about 200 people there in total and the vibe and atmosphere were amazing. At the wedding in the morning, they had live santoor and tabla players and this evening at the reception, there was a live harp player. The entire day was full of class and elegance and it was so beautiful. Priya and her husband Rajesh (yes, same name as my bro) look great. Her parents are such wonderful people as well. I am really happy for all of them.
SO GUESS WHAT!!! As of 1:25 tomorrow afternoon (Sunday August 4, 2002) - I am no longer a student. I am flying to Milwaukee tomorrow to start working. I have a two week orientation in Milwaukee. It is presently 1:00 am and I am leaving for the airport in 9 hours but I haven't packed yet...it should be a nice evening (kind of reminiscent of the night before my Asia adventure actually). My feelings are mixed about tomorrow. I feel like I am growing up too fast but I also want to move on and start doing something new. It will be a new challenge and to be honest, I am nervous as hell and excited like a little school boy. I'll let you know how it goes...
Gots to get back to packing.
Goodnight
Participants: Tchao, Smith, me
Destination: Brockton, with a stop in Boston, Duration: 3 days
Reason: Concert (Smokin' Grooves Tour), Getaway, Bonding with the boys, Harvard, MIT, Cheers, Picking up Chicks (and getting shot down), Border follies, Driving, check out Brockton, MA
The trip on a whole was fantastic. It was cool to chill with the boys and the drives to and from actually didn't feel too bad (especially in comparison to the Chicago debacle). Boston is a great little city. It's a big city and has that feel to it but it is also more reminicest of Ottawa than it is of Toronto at times. The Boston Accent is great. I love hearing guys and girls speak with it. The one thing that we all noticed about the people though are that they are pretty straight to the point. The girls especially seem to be a lot ruder or maybe abbrasive than they are here. We stayed in a suburb of Boston called Brockton. It was definitely suburbia. It was quite and away from the city (about 30 miles south) but it was cheap so that was good and it actually ended up being pretty close to Mansfield (where the concert was). Harvard and MIT were both really cool to see. MIT totally reminded me of Waterloo (the insides of the buildings anyway) cause the students walking around were of the same mold. Harvard was definitely the Ivy Leagues. Beautiful lush green campus surrounding these huge old columned buildings. Had lunch at this great little pizza joint called Pinnochios, where all the students go so that was cool. I found myself wondering if I would ever be smart enough or actually, work hard enough, to go to school at a place like Harvard. I'd like to think that if I put my mind to anything - I could do it.
The concert was good but WAY TOO SHORT. Cee-Lo was pretty amusing. Jurassic 5 were great...The 4 MC's and the 2 DJ's were hype. Lauryn Hill has a beautiful voice and it was nice to hear her play but it would have been so much better if she had played some of her old stuff, had had some of her band there and also played for more than 30 minutes. The Roots were great!!! I have waited 3 years and the past 3 failed attempts to see them. It was a great show and Rahzel was there which was totally unexpected. He and another guy were beatboxing together and it was so sweet. They were doing Star Wars scenes, the new Busta Rhymes song and Rahzel did this really cool thing with his sneaker and the scratching effect that he does. Outkast closed out the show and they definitely did not dissapoint. They are such a fun band to watch live and of course, Bombs Over Baghdad was an amazing finale!
Today my parents left for their little vacation to the East Coast (they are going to PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland). When my dad first came to Canada, he was in Newfoundland for a year - that was about 35 years ago! He hasn't been back east since and my mom has never gone so it will definitely be a good trip for them. Tonight, I went to see Friendless Nameless play. Ketan and his band were really tight and played well. All that practice is definitely paying off. Good job K-dot.
Today was a close family friend of ours, Priya's wedding. My dad taught Priya how to read and write Marathi and our family's go quite a way back. It was a beautiful ceremony right in their backyard. I think there were about 200 people there in total and the vibe and atmosphere were amazing. At the wedding in the morning, they had live santoor and tabla players and this evening at the reception, there was a live harp player. The entire day was full of class and elegance and it was so beautiful. Priya and her husband Rajesh (yes, same name as my bro) look great. Her parents are such wonderful people as well. I am really happy for all of them.
SO GUESS WHAT!!! As of 1:25 tomorrow afternoon (Sunday August 4, 2002) - I am no longer a student. I am flying to Milwaukee tomorrow to start working. I have a two week orientation in Milwaukee. It is presently 1:00 am and I am leaving for the airport in 9 hours but I haven't packed yet...it should be a nice evening (kind of reminiscent of the night before my Asia adventure actually). My feelings are mixed about tomorrow. I feel like I am growing up too fast but I also want to move on and start doing something new. It will be a new challenge and to be honest, I am nervous as hell and excited like a little school boy. I'll let you know how it goes...
Gots to get back to packing.
Goodnight
Sunday, August 04, 2002
the computer is still bruck at times BUT i am enjoying myself nonetheless.
Monday was a really good day. I went to work to meet my manager - cool guy named Robert who has been working in sales of medical equipment for 26 years so he's got a tonne of experience. Man, after these meetings, I start to get scared thinking of all the stuff that I need to know to do this job. It's gonna be crazy for sure. I am AG, a Science and Busine-tist who is going to be explaining medical equipment Scientists. That should be an experience for sure!!!
I also got to see Rachel finally! Welcome back to our wonderful country buddy. I sure did miss you. It has been a long time since we saw each other and hung out. And, thank you so much for the gift...it's great (and it fits).
Monday was a really good day. I went to work to meet my manager - cool guy named Robert who has been working in sales of medical equipment for 26 years so he's got a tonne of experience. Man, after these meetings, I start to get scared thinking of all the stuff that I need to know to do this job. It's gonna be crazy for sure. I am AG, a Science and Busine-tist who is going to be explaining medical equipment Scientists. That should be an experience for sure!!!
I also got to see Rachel finally! Welcome back to our wonderful country buddy. I sure did miss you. It has been a long time since we saw each other and hung out. And, thank you so much for the gift...it's great (and it fits).