Gotta love those Swag Parties

The best thing about beer companies is that they have so much money that they have the ability to give out so much swag. I know this from personal experience as I've worked at several beer-related events and I've gotten alot of beer swag from all my odd jobs as a bartender. What am I gonna do with 20 over-sized beer shirts?

I think because I've worked for Molson Canadian, I somehow ended up getting an invitation for some Coors Light Maxim Golf party. The invitation was pretty vague but I really knew what it meant: swaaagggggggg.

That's the only reason I decided to go. I don't like drinking beer but I do like free shit. I was able to bring two friends, so Mel and Konrad came with me. What better two people who don't have the integrity to shy away from free shit...and be able to admit it, too.

It turns out we had to play a couple games in order to get the swag. Konrad and I, the most determined, couldn't even one game! Then, of course, my sister totally "meliminated" those games and actually won a cool shirt. Konrad and I were hell-bent on getting something we just grabbed a couple hats and bounced. Ha. That's the way life goes, I guess: those of us who are willing to work hard and earn shit...and the other 90% of people who will push you down to get shit.

Along with getting free stuff, Konrad sure knows how to get his ladies. He must've made half the Coors Light Caddy girls blush with all the lines he was layin' on them. True playa for real.

As if the ladies and free hat he got weren't enough, he even had the balls to try and weasel his way to get Mel's shirt. In the end, they ended up trading....temporarily.

Kiss my bASS

I know, I know. I've neglected to blog for a while. A long while. What can I say? These days I don't feel like writing much. I do enough of that at work--writing to lawyers, writing to banks, writing to clients, writing writing writing. At the end of the day, I just don't want to be near a keyboard. Or pen, for that matter.

Work is getting pretty busy, especially for this month. I wish little problems that take up so much time could be solved on their own, and the big problems I can just push to someone else. Times like these, I wish I could go back to being bored at work.

This past weekend, I went fishing again with my family, including my "extended" family: mom, dad, Mel, Dev and Nam. My dad tried to take us back to his old fishing holes, but there's only so much you can remember from a few decades, plus things change over time. Nevertheless, I would say we did quite well with fishing, especially yours truly. Please feel free to admire that huge bass I'm proudly holding below. It was a struggle, but I caught it all by myself and with some cheap-ass hand-me-down rod from Alex. Ha! I don't think Nam was too happy with my catch, though. Guys tend to have to make all of this a huge competition, and when a girl beats them, it's a "fluke". Pfft. As if. I caught it, didn't I? It didn't get away, did it? Fluke, my ass.

Anyway, I'm really looking to the up-coming weekend: white-water rafting! How exciting, yet terrifying at the same time. I really don't know what to expect, and perhaps it's a good thing that this trip was sort of planned last minute. At least I won't have long enough to contemplate what horrifying things I will expect from the trip and then back out. This seems like a once in a lifetime chance (not really) because we're getting a really good deal (as a student) on the trip. And graduation is merely a week away, and then I'll be a "student" no more!

I guess after the trip no one can really say I'm not exciting. Or at least, I can't pity myself for being boring. If/when I survive this trip, I guess I'll have run out of things to do to try and prove myself true.

^Who's ready for some fishin'?!

^Worst day to wear sweats

^Dev greedily eyeing those huge carps

^...but settles for something smaller

^Kiss my bASS

^Fish kiss ^Mel's catch: an inch worm

Go Jays Go

I can't really remember the last time I actually enjoyed watching a baseball game. I have been to a Blue Jays game, back when the Skydome was officially called the Skydome. I remember I was way up in the nose-bleed section, so I don't recall paying much attention to the game. The Toronto Blue Jays probably lost that day. In fact, it's likely they did.

I'm not a big fan of baseball, even though I play it almost every weekend now. Watching it is the worst. So slow, so boring, so blah. Oddly enough, I accepted an invitation to go a baseball game last night with Davis. I think I was just in the mood to do anything and because the Jays happened to be playing the New York Yankees (Derek Jeter what what). And what better night it was than last night to watch a baseball game in some really good seats, on a nice evening with the dome down. The Jays even won (3-2) but it was a pretty tight game.

We came in at about the fifth inning. We were in no rush to see the beginning of the game since nothing really happened until the fifth inning. It was perfect timing too because we came just in time to see this:

And in case you don't know Chinese, basically they said "Aaron Hill owned the Yankees". Our seats were just behind the home base, so it was really a perfect view of that play.

I've been to hockey games and basketball games, but this was the first time I'd been to a baseball game...where it was packed (surprisingly). Hockey fans are mostly just angry and basketball fans are a bit more nonchalant. I think baseball fans have the oddest personalities. First of all, they like watching something as dull as baseball. Second of all, they say the craziest things at the players: "Swing, battahhh, battaaaahh!" "Hit it to the gahhhhdinaaahhhhh (the Gardiner)!!" etc., etc. And of course, the game was not complete without the good ol' "wave" around the dome and a sing-a-long of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Cheesy to the nth degree.

Funniest thing I heard in the news this morning: "A-Rod's a Yankee Doodle Randy". And while we're on sport news:

• KOBE BRYANT WANTS TO BE TRADED FROM THE LAKERS! wtfffffff
• Blue Jays' right-fielder, Alex Rios is hot

She Wants to Move

I just finished my very first hip hop dance class and I luuuuurrrrrved it. It didn't even feel like an hour-long at all. I loved it even more because Alex volunteered, yes volunteered, to join me. I didn't even have to ask, he just decided to come on his own. Gotta love a guy who is willing to try something that is so out of his league. I'm talking about a guy who idolizes Borat and is apparently some sort of Counterstrike legend of the world. Look out world, Alex will be the next Backstreet boy!

Earlier in the day, some guy from the school called me and reminded me to bring extra shoes. I didn't think much of his advice, but I really should've because I soon realized what he meant by that comment. We weren't allowed to wear our street shoes in the dance room, so other smart people brought extra shoes... Ohhhhhhh. So stupid me and Alex had to dance in our socks (I hate dancing in my socks) and my ankles and mom will probably thank me tomorrow for stomping on the hardwood floors in my white socks.

We learned a routine for Justin Timberlake's "Summer Love". I will either really hate or really like this song by the end of the 5 weeks because I don't like this song or JT to begin with. However, at least it was the one 'masculine' thing that Alex could appreciate because he was the only guy in a class full of girls. Again, I'm just so glad he didn't feel uncomfortable (except when we had to do the booty shakes) or leave immediately (he almost backed out when he realized there might not be any other guys there). Now that's a man. Hey Alex, at least you were the hottest guy in the room. Sure, you were the only guy in the room, but male dancer = HOT. How did he do dance-wise? I wasn't really paying attention to him, to be honest. I saw him try to shake his booty and then I just focused on me. But I'll check him out next time.

Our dance instructor was pretty good. She was a good teacher, and totally not the insane bitch I was in the ChinKL days. Remember those? Gotta love those dance practices, eh girls? I really have no patience for teaching, so I have to admire this chick for putting up with a roomful of girls who frankly didn't look like they belonged there and I-dance-like-Carlton Alex.

I'm really psyched for next week's class, and this time I'll know better to bring extra shoes. It's really too bad these classes aren't more than once a week. I wish I knew how good these classes were before so I'd encourage others to join. I think I might even join the fall classes, as well. I can't imagine how I'd want to stop this. Finally, something I can really enjoy and not have that feeling of competition or that feeling you get when you're picked last on a team.

Lazy Dog Days

It's a bleary Sunday afternoon. I'm sitting at Nam's house, both of us bored out of our skulls. He's playing with my Blackberry and I'm...just trying to get through the loud Vietnamese karaoke music his tenants are playing downstairs. I guess I didn't have anything better to do than to bus in this downpour to Nam's house and just be bored with someone else. Kathy and Mel went to Richmond Hill to play squash, which I would've joined if a.) I didn't hate squash so much, and b.) I didn't have a sprained finger with a splint (gotta love sport injuries). I was having a hell of a time trying to type with it on, and now that I've taken it off, it hurts to press the letters e and x. It's a good think I don't have much to say about sex with exes right now.

It feels like a waste of a weekend day just sitting around doing nothing productive, although I guess there's not much we can do (outside, anyway) while it's raining. Perhaps I'd even be up for a game of mid-day Poker had we not played last night.

Hm, it seems as if I'm starting to run out of things to do. That'll show me to be busy all at once: there's nothing left over to do since I've exhausted everything else. However, tomorrow I'm starting my hip hop dance classes. Perhaps that'll be my new 'thing' to keep me occupied for the next five weeks since my finger will put me out of commission for most other sports.

It's hard to transition into new things after you've gotten so used to a routine. They may seem mundane while you are doing them but they're so familiar. But after awhile you just end wondering when you got so boring.

I don't know what I'm complaining about. Some other people are working this weekend, or worse, have no job. I should just enjoy these 'dog days' and just be content with just sitting around with a good friend and not do much else. These are the types of days that I won't significantly remember (like a great touchdown or a good poker win) but one I will appreciate later when dog days are what I'll miss.