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...
Tuesday, August 06, 2002
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).
Sunday, July 28, 2002
Tonight was great. Some family friends came over and they have a little 5 year old daughter. I've only met this girl a few times but each time I meet her, we play and play and play and I love being around her. She is so cute and really smart. Tonight while we were playing with legos, she said to me "I'm really glad i came to meeted you today" and then she said "I really really missed you so much". When she said that, it made me feel so good cause I was thinking the same thing about her. Playing with a little kid is a lot of fun. They like to hear "funny stories", they like to see magic and they love using their imaginations. It was so great seeing her and playing with her. My fish even has a name now. After feeding her, she named the fish Goldie. That girl is awesome and I can't wait to see her again. She gave me a big hug when her and her parents left and invited me over to her house to play soon.
Friday, July 26, 2002
A lot has happened since I last updated ya'll on my life. The big thing was that I decided to backup everything, format my entire computer and then start again with a new O/S. So - onn Wednesday afternoon, I went to Ashvin's house to get started. After backing up what I thought would be important, we typed that fun phrase "format c:" and then watched the magic. Next was installing Win2K and once that was good to go, it was on to software like Office XP, Photoshop, Flash, etc. Then - I took my machine upstairs to his room and connected to the Net through his cable connection to download and install the Windows Service Packs and get other software from the Web (coming home and using my dial up connection would have been silly). The next morning, I turned on my machine only to discover that the DVD player wasn't working, CD's weren't playing, I had no sound and I couldn't get my modem to work to get me online. I called a few souls and eventually found Tai who told me to bring my CPU over to his house for some much needed assistance. After downloading the proper drivers from HP (Thanks a huge bunch Kevin), I was good to go again and then it was just getting random software off of Tai and making sure sound was working. All good right? Wrong. I got home and yesterday evening, I went to get online and again it wasn't working and then, my sounds weren't working either. I could play DVD's and MP3's but couldn't listen to them. Frustrated, I went to bed. This morning, Ashvin came over and I don't know what he did - but all was working fine when he left. There was a crazy storm so I turned off my machine. And when I returned after the movies, I turned it back on only to find out that sound isn't working again (but at least the modem is)
HELP!!!!!!!!!! is all I can scream. This is getting frustrating.
Earlier, in the week - I played a nice round of golf. I hit three 250+ yard drives so that was sweet. But alas...can't put the complete game together. I had the long game going but the short game was hurting.
On Monday night, I went to play pool with Ketan and Candance. It was an absolute debacle. I can't believe how bad i sucked. I LOST 7 STRAIGHT GAMES!!! man, that was really really really horrible. i scratched on the 8-ball 5 times. the funniest thing happened afterwards though. we were driving home (going eastbound on Finch towards Midland). we were stopped at the red light and this tonka truck yellow jeep beside us starting reving his engine cause he wanted to race. we just looked at him. but then, his car stalled just as the light turned green. that was some funny ish! we just took off without a problem.
On Tuesday, it was tough to see Keon go. The Raptors were in a very tough situation with this new salary cap. I saw Road to PErdition on Tuesday night.
HELP!!!!!!!!!! is all I can scream. This is getting frustrating.
Earlier, in the week - I played a nice round of golf. I hit three 250+ yard drives so that was sweet. But alas...can't put the complete game together. I had the long game going but the short game was hurting.
On Monday night, I went to play pool with Ketan and Candance. It was an absolute debacle. I can't believe how bad i sucked. I LOST 7 STRAIGHT GAMES!!! man, that was really really really horrible. i scratched on the 8-ball 5 times. the funniest thing happened afterwards though. we were driving home (going eastbound on Finch towards Midland). we were stopped at the red light and this tonka truck yellow jeep beside us starting reving his engine cause he wanted to race. we just looked at him. but then, his car stalled just as the light turned green. that was some funny ish! we just took off without a problem.
On Tuesday, it was tough to see Keon go. The Raptors were in a very tough situation with this new salary cap. I saw Road to PErdition on Tuesday night.