February 4, 2010

Deal Breakers


Continuing on with the theme of "soul mates".. for the longest time, I have wanted to post a blog describing what I am looking for in a relationship. Something along the lines of what a good friend of mine Nathan has done very well. Unfortunately, I myself have not yet been able to do so without coming off seemingly needy, whiny, unrealistic, and desperate. Indeed I am my own worst critic.

Dually inspired by Nathan and another good friend of mine, Mike (who coincidentally was one of my personal inspirations for blogging AND watching How I Met Your Mother), I have mustered up enough courage to share my thoughts on Mike's eloquently phrased post (albeit 7 years ago prior to his marriage) on the concept of intolerable traits or "dealbreakers" as referred to by the youth of today (yes, I've embraced my old age).

Additional thoughts on each point of which I would like to share have been added in italics.

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February 3, 2010

Songs With Friends

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January 28, 2010

I am NOT Ted Mosby. Well, maybe...


Do you watch How I Met Your Mother?

After hearing so much about this show from friends, I decided to tune in and catch an episode. And yes, after one episode I was totally hooked. If you're a fan of the show and were wondering, it was the episode titled "Ten Sessions" from Season 3 where Ted takes Stella on a "two minute date". It was absolutely romantic and quite heartfelt. Ever since then, I have caught up with all 5 seasons and had have successfully gotten 4 people hooked on the series. I am a huge fan of the concept in general - "a love story told in reverse"; I love the characters, the witty dialogue and banter, the moments of absurdity, the slew of 80s pop culture references (including at least 3 episodes referencing Ghostbusters), and the brilliant sense of continuity held throughout the series. And PS. NPH is the MAN. Case in point:



Perhaps my main attraction to the series is the main protagonist and narrator - Ted Mosby. He's described by the wonderful editors of Wikipedia as "a professed romantic who is eager to get married and settle down". While that does not all necessarily apply to me at this point in my life, I do consider myself a romantic and I am looking forward to marriage and children. And as most of my friends know (all too well) - I do share the tendency to "Ted-out" and "Ted-up". These phrases, coined by his friends in the 1st season, explain Ted's tendency to overthink with disastrous consequences.

One of my favorite lines from Ted goes as follows:

"You know what? I'm done being single, I'm not good at it. Look, obviously you can't tell a woman you just met that you love her, but it sucks that you can't. I'll tell you something though, if a woman, not you, just some hypothetical woman, were to bear with me through all this, I think I'd make a damn good husband, because that's the stuff I'd be good at. Stuff like making her laugh and being a good father and walking her five hypothetical dogs."

So perhaps I am the Chinese version of Ted Mosby. On a side note, as I develop a stronger sense of cultural identity I am making more of an effort to refrain from using the blanket term "Asian". Anyway, I like to think that there's a little Ted Mosby in all of us. And that's definitely not a bad thing.

Timelines utterly fascinate me as I have dedicated quite a number of posts to the subject. When I started dating my ex, I used to keep a journal of our story - how we met, how we dated, and how our relationship evolved. Obviously that story did not end well but I like to think of it (as cliched as it sounds) merely as the close of a chapter - a relationship that had to begin and end for me to become the man destined to be with my soul mate.

I have another favorite quote from Ted where he explains why he's telling his children all these random, inane stories about him and his friends rather than just flat out telling them how he met their mother. Something like, "There's a more important story than how I met your mother. It's how I became the man I had to be to meet her". I totally get that.

Do I believe in the concept of soul mates? Yes and no. As a negative, the idea of a soul mate can be dangerous without the right mentality leading to a disastrous trend of wishful thinking. But.. it does provide a bit of comfort thinking that "she" is somewhere out there waiting for me.

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January 25, 2010

RRoD



I just knew it would be a terrible idea to try and sneak a game in right before I went to bed.

Although the picture truly speaks for itself, I want to celebrate its life and share a memory about the beloved departed.  During my time in SF, I didn't really miss my 360 that much because both my cousin and a friend had their own so I was able to get some gaming on in my spare time. Anyway, any time that my cousin's girlfriend or my friend's fiance would walk into the room while I was playing a video game -- I would feel extraordinarily uncomfortable. I felt that I had to drop what I was doing and go help them with whatever they needed.

I guess that stems from my ex and her hatred of my gaming tendencies. Hey. I rarely watch sports and I rarely play poker.. let me earn some guy points by playing video games, haha. Anyway, it got to the point where the girls sat me down and explained to me that it was OK for me to play and that they weren't mad at me or their significant others for playing. Completely blew my mind.

I took my xbox for granted back then. I should have been more kind and treated her with the respect that she  deserved. Now she is gone. There's a empty spot in my entertainment cabinet where she used to reside. And I will have to wait up to 3 weeks for Microsoft to repair her.

Hahaha, guess I should go study now, huh.

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January 23, 2010

I'm With Coco

"Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it’s my least favorite quality. It doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen. I’m telling you. Amazing things will happen. I’m telling you. It’s just true."
- Conan O'Brien

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January 22, 2010

Dreams Are Weird

There’s absolutely no significance to this post other than for my own personal recollection but I thought that I would share it anyway because it’s really not that often that I remember my dreams so vividly.

Seriously. I just had a weird dream and I’m trying my hardest not to forget it. The setting was a volunteer site and I was signing in/registering for the event. After a series of typical questions, the interview took an odd turn when the guy began to ask me the most random of questions. The question that stood out in my mind went along the lines of. “OMG! Those Glee guys are going gaga over the Star Spangled Banner! Name 2 characteristics of that fabulous song.” I had absolutely NO idea what that meant but for some reason I was surrounded by a ton of people who were trying to coach me the answer.

Apparently the answer was somewhere in the song so they all tried to jog my memory. First off, the interviewer was mumbling so it took me forever to understand that they were talking about the Star Spangled Banner in the first place. They would awkwardly mumble the tune while inserting random lyrics as if it was obvious to everyone but me. Then they gave me the hint that one of the answers was the word “brave”. So I stood there and thought for what it seemed like 20 minutes. And then it suddenly popped into my head! The tune/words of the song! So there I was awkwardly singing the Star Spangled Banner in front of random strangers. And then I woke up. And now I have that song stuck in my head.

Weird, huh. But the silliest part is that the tune turned out to be for the song (You’re A) Grand Ol’ Flag. Yeah. I know, right? And the answers were “brave” and a lyrics that’s not even a part of that song.

 



OK. Dreams are weird.

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January 16, 2010

How Far We’ve Come

Richie T. has been one of my dearest friends since our days at Classen SAS and I cannot begin to express how happy I am that we have been able to maintain our friendship over the years. One of the most realistic/pessimistic viewpoints my father passed on to me at an earlier age was that friends would come and go. I learned that the hard way as throughout life I've made new friends while falling out with others. I've reconnected with a few while drifted away from many. While it's easy to say that I have many, many acquaintances, I will only admit to a handful of close friends - ones who I trust with my all and can depend on at a moment's notice.

This post serves two functions.

The first being a great reflection of friendships over time. Throughout my life, I have had many friends come and go, but I remain highly appreciative of the few that last. Throughout the years that I have known Richie, I have had countless reasons to be grateful of our relationship. From the sage advice, to the good company, to the countless deep discussions, to him just sitting there and listening to me rant about whatever is on my mind – he has been there for me through thick and thin. And despite him living out of the country for three years, we were able to maintain our friendship. I still remember the first night he arrived back in town was the night my sister was taken to the hospital. He's stood by my side through so much whether it's involved moments as juvenile as girls breaking my heart to issues with deeper gravitas involving religion and spirituality.

The second being a great reminder of the progress that I have made in one year in regards to my physical fitness and health. One year ago, I attended Richie’s birthday dinner right around the time I started visiting the gym. In fact, Richie was one of the many people who accompanied me at the wellness center and pushed me (literally) around the track. Without his encouragement and motivation, I would not be the person I am today. Or at least I wouldn't as in shape. :)




Happy birthday, Richie!
You’re truly the brother I never had. I love you, man.


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Valuing Friendships

One of the main reasons why my time in SF was so wonderful was that I was constantly surrounded by friends and family who I felt actually understood me and constantly went out of their way to treat me. They were the ones who made my birthday and the days leading up to it so memorable. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to continue to surround myself with positive relationships and to treat others in ways to show how much I valued our friendship.

It’s a wonderful feeling being surrounded by people who truly care about who you are and what you stand for. I think it was when we were celebrating my birthday last year and we were in the middle of taking pictures around the cake and someone yelled out “animal poses!” – I smiled to myself, embraced the warm and fuzzies and knew that I was truly with family. Now I’m not saying posing for pictures while imitating an animal is what I stand for, haha. But I am saying that it is truly a wonderful feeling when you feel that those close to you get you.
With the birthday of one of my closest friends coming up, I wanted to do something special for him to remind him that he had people who cared about him. I wanted him to feel as amazing as I felt during my birthday celebration. Him being a huge fan of karaoke made the night a no brainer. During my stay in SF, the best night for me ended up with me and my friends and family at a late night karaoke establishment singing until the wee hours of the morn. When one of my friends mentioned a similar establishment in Del City, I jumped at the opportunity to surprise my friend for his birthday. After a tasty meal at Tokyo Sushi Bar, me and a few friends kidnapped my friend to Bon Jom and had ourselves a GREAT time.



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About This Blog

This blog was created in the Summer of 2008 to serve as an outlet for sharing my personal views, thoughts, and recollections. The various modules located on the sidebars showcase who I am and what interests me. "What I Am Reading" lists the various blogs that I read. "Networking" lists a number of social networking sites that I am associated with. "What I Am Listening To" displays my Last.fm account which keeps track of the music that I listen to. "What I Am Doing" links to my personal Twitter account which tracks my daily activities and micro-blogs. "What Interests Me" shows the items I choose to share from my Google Reader account.

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