24 and Workout

Lately, I've been extremely addicted to watching the reruns of the TV show, 24, on the internet. I originally wanted to just watch the episodes I missed during the last season. However, I soon made an unwise decision to watch the first season too. And that led to watching the second season, and third. I watched between five and six episodes every night and that was because the website only allowed 72 minutes of viewing time before I had to wait 54 minutes to watch another session. I won't reveal the website address, although it can be searched on Google. Jack Bauer is amazing, able to fight so good and to use innovative methods to torture suspects. I would be a lot better off if I had a quarter of his skills.

I also bought a book last week called "The New Rules of Lifting", which taught me all I needed to know about weight training. I realized that I had wasted my previous 5 years by "doing the machines". After I finished my first real workout on Wednesday, I realized how painful muscle building really is. But there's no turning back now. The world can look forward to another Rocky very soon.

Seaside Toilet Between Wakayama and Osaka

To your left is a seemingly regular roadside toilet, located somewhere between Wakayama and Osaka, Japan. However, upon walking inside, you'll find that it is much, much more. I've actually been there once, but it was almost 2 years ago. Why do I write about it now? Because I have this habit of daydreaming about good things from time-to-time.

I'm not sure about the women's side, but if you enter the male toilet, as you're urinating on the wall, you'll be looking at a 180 degree view of a stunning seashore. It is so stunning that I don't even have a photo of it. You really have to be there to experience it. Showing you a photo will only cheapen the experience. So if any of you plan to go to Osaka sometime soon, try not to miss this toilet. Because even though Osaka may not be as good of a tourist spot as Tokyo or Sapporo, this toilet definitely makes up for it.

And if you really arrive there, please take a photo, showing both the toilet interior and seaside view, to show to me later. To be honest, I actually forgot to take the photo ^O^ Thanks.

Dragonair Cadet Pilot Programme

A while ago, I applied to KA's programme that enables pilot wannabes to train for their license in Adelaide, Australia free-of-charge with free accomodation. It's rumored to cost $800K per person; that's why KA is so tough with the interviews, which consists of 5 stages. FIVE stages! I took the 1st stage (initial tests) on November 10, which was subdivided into 4 tests in english and math. Nothing too tricky there. And this tuesday, I went to the 2nd stage (aptitude test), which I did miserably. Only on that day did I realize that Dragonair really wants to hire pilots with absolute "brain power". I, of course, have a lot of brain power, but my power is geared towards the creative side.

I doubt that I can go on to the next stages 3, 4, and 5, which consists of lunch group interviews, medical exams, and flight grading. But... I hope I can. I really want to work in a place where, despite doing repetitive mechanical work, I can communicate with people who share the same values as me.

Power of Listening

I was just reading the South China Morning Post today. (And yes, I do read, quite a bit actually.) And I was absolutely astonished by 1 of the advertisements. It's about a workshop that claims to improve your listening skills at work or whatever, and all you have to do is pay a whooping $3200! Here are the exact words: "75% of what you hear is usually misunderstood or misinterpreted. But all that can change..." especially after you listen to the geek on the left. Personally, I don't think $3200 is too big of a deal, but spending that much to listen to this Mr. Sidney Yuen? I don't think so. Hey Mr. Creepy Smile, I don't care if you're the chairman of HBC, HSBC, or Microsoft, I just don't want to see your creepy smile.

One more thing. Due to immense pressure from the Toastmasters International community, I will soon have to take down my bilateral blog, which publishes my Toastmasters speeches. They said that overall attendance to the bi-weekly meetings will drop tenfold if outsiders can easily see my speeches online instead of coming to the meetings. So, sorry guys, just know that it wasn't my idea.

New Brother Blog

As you can see, I'm tired of hearing/saying "sister" blog all the time. Just why does it have to be so feminine? Anyways, this bilateral blog will publish my Toastmasters speeches. So if you're interested in that, you can click here. I just thought that it'll be better to have 2 side-by-side blogs instead of cramming everything into 1. Somehow, 2 seems more powerful than 1. For now, there isn't much to see over there, but I will soon add on more stuff, so stay tuned.

Skullcandy TiTAN

Well, let's see, I haven't been too active on this blog lately. So even though I don't have much to talk about, I'll write this lame entry on Skullcandy TiTAN in-ear headphones. I'm also going to write more on this blog so that scouts from magazines can "discover" me, like scouts "discover" models in a shopping mall. That's how desperate I am for a dream writing job. My current job has never satisfied me whatsoever.

So back to topic now. A while ago, I researched on some in-ear headphones because I suspected that my old ones weren't high quality enough. At first, I wanted to buy the Monster Turbine with Control Talk because the design is just SO cool. The reviews were good, the jack connection was gold-plated and L-shaped, the wires were handsomely arranged using wire organizers, and I heard that the audio quality is great, especially the bass. Unfortunately, the hefty price tag of $1480 at HMV really made me think for some time.

It made me think for so long that one day, I bought the Skullcandy TiTAN instead. I thought, what the hell, why do I need to buy the best headphone, when a not so shabby $299 one may do just fine. Considering that my old earphones were only $79, $299 is already a considerable upgrade. And, as you can see from the picture, wearing this out on the streets is already well above average amongst the iPhone earphones. The only thing that bothered me were the aluminum-braided cables because they just keep on tangling up, like koalas hugging onto each other. At one point I wanted to exchange it, but after finding out I can't, I gave in. Besides the cable, the audio quality is pretty good. The bass is good. With these earbuds, I can hear a lot more "hidden" sounds that my old Sony's could not pick up.

So, that's my review. Hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you guys next time!

Working at Disneyland

On the morning of August 22, I attended an audition for Disney character performer for the 3rd time. As shown in the picture, these are the people who dress into stuffed puppet suits, dance in the parades, sign autographs, and pose for photos with little children. For some reason, I just love Chip 'n Dale and would honorably dress up as them, even if it's just part-time. So that was my reason for being so persistent with the auditions.

This time around, I had no problems with the 100 jumping jacks and dancing routine as I avoided looking at the casting director, Russ. During the 3rd part of the audition, we had to do a mime routine. They gave us a sample story to perform without words. I remembered the advice from the online forums that in order to succeed, you need to do super exaggerated moves. I did that, and the next day, I got a call from Disney, not regarding character performer, but for Halloween Performer. I took the 2-month temporary job anyways, since I was really excited to work at Disney.

Even though I worked at Disneyland for just a little more than 6 days, I had a lot of happy memories there. It was very different from my previous employers as the environment was very relaxed and friendly. Sometimes, it didn't even feel like work at all. Sometimes, it felt like I was on vacation to Tokyo or something. Best of all, I was paid to explore Disneyland. No more $350 per visit. From that perspective, I may have saved $2100 and instead made $2640 more.

The first 2 days consisted of studying at the Disney University. All 130 of us Halloween Performers had to learn about Disney traditions, history, and how to dress up according to Disney Look attire. We often got split up into different teams every couple of hours. So to adapt well, it was essential to talk well with strangers unless you came along with a group of 11 friends.

We started rehearsing on Day 3 and that was when we were introduced to our 5 supervisors: CK, Jacky, Rene, Angie, and Irene. Rene is actually a guy who's the stage manager for our Haunted Hotel. The Haunted Hotel is 1 of the 4 designated Halloween places at Hong Kong Disneyland. As Rene was talking about the Haunted Hotel, a latecomer entered the room. She wore an orange t-shirt and her hairstyle was shaped like a ball. Her name was Miracle and she was beautiful.

The following days consisted of regular rehearsals, memorizing lines for 3 different roles in the Haunted Hotel, learning how to use the lockers, getting sized for costumes, and practicing with halloween makeup. All the while, I had friendly conversations with a lot of people, went to work together with Ellis, who lived nearby my place, back from work with someone called Eric, and talked a bit with this Miracle girl. She's a Year 1 hotel management university dropout and she really really likes to talk a lot. Basically, a near opposite of me. I still have the Chip 'n Dale card that she gave me.

Even though these 6 days were short, they were indeed sweet. And this is a good transition for me to go back into my real job and to have more meaningful communication with people in general. I will always remember these 6 days, especially with the addition of Miracle.

First Date

Two weeks ago, I met up with the online girl who I've been talking to for the past 8 months. I was super nervous. When I was waiting for her to show up, my heart pounded so hard, I thought I was having a heart attack. At that moment, I didn't know what to think or what to say if she arrived. For a while, I hoped that she won't arrive, so I can just do my duty of waiting for 45 minutes before leaving and telling myself that I at least tried.

Fortunately, she did arrive and somehow, I wasn't as nervous as before. But I was still nervous, nonetheless, as I drank 4 large glasses of water, could barely eat, and had absolutely no idea of what to say. Even the couples sitting nearby constantly stared at us. She seemed quite comfortable though, often initiating conversation. I got more comfortable towards the end, however, and managed to reveal my humorous side. But that didn't stop me from leaving my favorite umbrella behind.

I think I could have done better. I'm not sure what she's thinking though. She probably just thinks of me as a normal friend because she rejected me for a second date.

Sad City

Recently, I moved into a neighborhood known as the sad city. The reason it's called that is because the people are poor. I always hated to live here, but here I am now, and I'll have to accept it. Tonight, as I was doing pullups in the children playground, I looked up and saw bright stars in the sky. This, along with the night view, are two of the things I enjoy about this neighborhood. I guess life isn't that bad after all.

Drop-Dead Gorgeous Dance Instructor

Today, I attended an audition for Disney Character Performers. After the signup procedures, the candidates headed up to another floor for height measurement. I was happy to fit under the height requirement of Chip 'n Dale, my favorite Disney duo. Then we went into a large dance room. All the candidates stood along the edge of the room, anxious to know what's to come. A lone female was reading a book at corner of the room, not saying a word. She wore a conservative black blazer and black pants. For a minute, I thought she was actually a secretary. That all changed, when the other Disney staff came into the room. Suddenly, she stood up, faced the audience, and took off her blazer gently. She had a white tanktop, which could barely cover her perky bosoms. They were literally saying hello to the candidates. Teamed up with her gorgeous face, the visual image caused a chain reaction inside of me. My God, life is good.