April 23, 2006
Goodbye.
In the midst of my full sprint to June 11, my graduation day, Friday April 21st hit me like a brick wall. My much loved godmother passed away that morning. Even though we knew it was something that was coming, I had no idea how to react. Some of you may know that me, my family, and my entire family are pretty close. The loss of my godmother - my mom's sister and best friend - was at the very least, earth shattering for me personally. My godmother was always there to heap on praise and to make sure we enjoyed the best of everything. She treated me like her own son and I treat her daughters as my sisters.
The best I could do for my mother and my aunt was to always make them laugh. My best memories of my family in Toronto are always the late nights sitting around talking around the dinner table while eating "Siew-Ahp-Jook" (roast duck porridge). Whether it was some stupid accent that I could immitate or some story about my uncle and dad in some random situation, it was always hilarious watching my mom and her sisters sit around cracking up.
The whole weekend has been a blur. I've kept busy with school work, preparing for interviews, and trying to get out and away from my apartment. I've been able to talk and spend time with those who matter to me most, which has definitely helped. Hopefully they all know how much they've helped and how much I appreciate it all.
There isn't much to say really. Dealing with grief is something everyone does in his or her own way. As for me, it's best to think about my godmother laughing with my mom and their sisters - laughing so hard their stomachs hurt and their eyes watered up.
Goodbye, Lan-Yee, I miss you and your laugh. I will always be there for M & J.
Love,
-T
March 18, 2006
Ghetto Segway...
For those of you who have never been to Rochester, I think I saw something yesterday that pretty well encapsulates this area. Rochester is not exactly the healthiest city in America, nor is it the most progressive in terms of consumer trends or gadgetry. You can imagine my surprise Wednesday when I spotted a "rotund" man of perhaps 260 lbs, riding down the sidewalk in what appeared to be a Segway Scooter (Click here if you're not in the know on what a Segway is), with about 6 fully packed grocery bags. Needless to say, I was impressed that 1) this guy was riding a Segway in Rochester, 2) riding a Segway in 34 degree weather, and 3) the segway could carry the roughly 300 lbs of weight and still move down the sidewalk.
As the light turned green and I drove past the Mega-Segway rider, the truth was revealed. What I mistook to be a Segway, was in fact the motorized wheelchair of a handicapped Veteran, with this 260 lb dude standing on the battery!!!! Keep in mind that there were about 6 grocery bags hooked onto the wheelchair. I can only imagine that this wheelchair had to contain at least a V6 engine in it as the two of these guys plus the groceries were easily over 5-bills!!! ....Gotta love The Roc.
Anyhoo....FINALS ARE OVER!!! Truth be told, they were so so. I finished a marketing class a few weeks ago and we did our presentation for the client company. It all went quite well. We'll see how everything turns out. Mostly, my mind has become increasingly focused on finding a job. I graduate in less than 3 months now, yet the bulk of the "action" for interviews will come primarily in April and May. That's just what the market demands out on the West Coast, most tech companies are hiring for 2-4 weeks out. Some have longer interviewing processes, but almost none of them hire 3-4 months in advance. I'm off to spring break in SF this coming week, so I've been working hard to get a few meetings out there with some contacts. The thing is, I'm in a pretty decent spot with the network I've been building. I've done A LOT of work with contacts and networking through friends, so I can't complain too much about that. It's probably the impending "3 months from graduation" deadline that's seeping into my mind. Luckily, I speak regularly with some good peeps who've assured me that this is the process for the West Coast. It makes it harder that I'm out in NY, but c'est la vie....this is where I am and I have no regrets.
So some business ahead during what I can safely assume is my LAST EVER spring break, but trust me, I'll have some good times too. Family, friends, golf, good food, and hot sunshine (hey - 62 degrees is THIRTY degrees warmer than it is here in the 585).
One of the big things I have planned is to learn how to make Peking Duck from my mother, complete with pancake thingees!!! Like most chinese food, it's actually easier to make than you may think...but man-o-man...that's some good freakin' food!! We'll see, hopefull my version turns out true to taste, you can rest assured that pics will follow if I make it right.
It's 3:43 am and I'm currently "packing" while watching some DVR'd PGA golf. Alas, I think it's time to retire to bed....good night, y'all!!!
Music of the moment: Dai-Lo's Best Mix, created by JLin
Food of the moment: Uggh....I'm about sick of ROC food....it's all about good food next week!!!
Toy of the moment: I'll get to dust off my golf clubs next week!!!
All for now...hope your end of the web is all good!!!
Chow,
-TC