CITY BOY GEEKINESS

Two years ago when I still in school, I volunteered for We Day as a Parking and Transportation volunteer. It still remains one of the funnest and most inspiring days I've had as a volunteer. This year, my friend Kemeny, who has worked with Free The Children and Me To We, invited me along to this year's event.

We Day is always such an inspiring moment. I received another book (which I really need to read the previous two) and come together to be the change.

Now I really want to start volunteering again!

Today is the final day of 2010 and what a year its been. Things have been stressed, fun, and have begun new experiences that will make way for the future. Every year I always make a resolution which I never keep. Things always get in the way and truthfully, I forget about the resolution in a month or so and just continue living.

Below are my three resolutions for 2011 and hopefully I will be able to accomplish them for the next year:

Before life started to shift to a more mature setting and mode, I had a lot more time during my breaks to take up for hobbies. As many of you can tell, one of my guilty pleasures and hobbies is video games. This list will be showcasing some of the games (to my knowledge) that I was able to complete their story modes for 2010.

NOTE: This list may be small compared to your completion list but remember that the time that is available for me to play video games is significantly shortened to once per two weeks at a time (if I'm lucky).

1. F.E.A.R. 2

An old game to some, I received F.E.A.R. 2 as a gift for Christmas 2009. This is the most recent completion because there were other games on my list that I really wanted to complete and they required much more time. I will say that I wasn't scared playing but the story mode was intriguing, online mode had its benefits, and Alma truly did freak me out whenever she randomly appeared to shake things.

2. Tekken 6

There were many releases of fighting video games last year. However, I was completely wrong with my initial bias. Tekken 6 was enjoyable and is now one of my favourite series. The story mode was gripping and actually made me want to play through to the end. The customization is a benefit but I really wish that fighting games would include a legitimate tournament mode for online and offline play.

3. Dante's Inferno

There was a lot of upheaval surrounding this game due to its religious connotations and plot from the famous piece of literature. The game, however, was a masterpiece. I didn't like how it was a hack-and-slash variety but the story and settings made up for everything. I seriously hope that there will be a sequel to this game because the team really took the effort to perfect its quality.

4. Prototype

With very little fanfare and marketing, Prototype turned out to be an interesting story. It's a sandbox type game (similar to GTA IV) where you can complete the game at your own pace. Sometimes the controls were clunky and the monsters were too hard even for the easiest mode. Though, I did enjoy all the upgrades and consume missions to learn the truth of how Alex came to be as the Prototype.

5. Dead Rising 2

A couple of days after I wrote this game's review, I finished the main story. It lived up to everything that I was hoping for the sequel. If you want to know what I thought about the game then you can read my previous article. One thing I will say is that the after-effect of continued play was not the same as the first; however, I can attribute this for the lack of time to actual do so.

6. Deadly Premonition

Television shows and movies can be classified as cult classics; Deadly Premonition is the equivalent of being a cult classic. Originally the game was slated at $69.99 but then mysteriously was downgraded to $24.99 (BRAND NEW!). With virtually no marketing and promotion, this game grew a following with word-of-mouth and underground status. The controls are clunky at best, the graphics are one-generation behind, and dialogue is laughable. However, the game is perfect BECAUSE of all its imperfections. The characters, storyline and everything before creates a perfect homage to TV cult classic Twin Peaks and a new B-horror movie. This budget game offers more than 20 hours of game play and provided me with an enjoyable experience for hours on end.

7. Assassin's Creed II

Originally I got this game in 2009; however, I finally passed it later on in 2010. Assassin's Creed II is an amazing game, the historical references and scenery of Italy were breathtaking. Sometimes the fighting stances provided a slight problem but everything else makes up for it. I know that I have the next installment, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, under my tree right now for Christmas and I can't wait to play it immediately. If you're the type of person who likes loosely-based historical games but aren't into shooters like Call of Duty then Assassin's Creed is a series that you need to check out.

Well these are the top seven games to my knowledge that I was able to complete this year. This doesn't mean that there aren't games in my list that I have yet to complete. Right now I still have Silent Hill 5 and Final Fantasy XIII to complete and I really want to pick up Castlevania: Lords of Shadows this Christmas. Hopefully I can write another review for you after the new years but until then, enjoy the holidays and I will see you on on the next post.

We all have dreams and goals that we want to accomplish in life, most are outrageous like climbing Mount Everest or marrying a certain celebrity (I'm looking at all you Twi-hards). Some are career, love, friendship, personal or simple just imaginative. When life gets tough and too hectic, I daydream and think about the future. My internship class had an exercise about the goals we want in life and that kept me thinking about the things that I want for the future. It's the most important question that everyone asks at least once in life.

What do I want?

Besides the obvious like finding my dream job, I want to move out of my parent's place and find my dream condo/house. Since I was a young kid, I've been planning my escape and what life would be like independently and not be under my parent's thumb. I know that life will be a lot of work with bills and all the other responsibilities but I would proudly deal with all that to have my own place.

I want to write a book. Right now in Writing Lab , we had to create a fictional company and mine was a publishing company and I wrote a fake novel winner and concept. The idea for the novel really intrigued me and sparked the realization that I want to write a book. Most likely a YA fiction book at first then delve into the different field of Mystery, Adult, Romance, and much more. Hopefully I can spark a trilogy some time in the future and see where this dream leads me.

My other dream is to find love. Not just corny puppy dog love but true love. Actual, meaningful love that people have those slow motion, tinted-moments that make life perfect. Its just a concept but I would love to experience how that feels.

Life is always more worthwhile when we have something to live for and I live for the possibilities of what might be in the future. I know that I can make most of these dreams come true and I will constantly be changing this list by removing, editing, or adding things that I want. It's life...and I love every minute of it.

I'm a volunteer guy. Sometimes people give me a weird look at some of the events that I choose to volunteer. This time the weird looks came when I told people I would be volunteering for the 2010 Toronto Zombie Walk.

I love Halloween. It's my favourite holiday and I love everything about it, though I did not expect what I would find on Saturday. Thousands upon thousands of zombies (like there were zombies EVERYWHERE!) were coming through the word-works to get a complimentary toe-tag and participate in the parade.

I worked at the registration table since like 10:30 a.m. and things surely started off slow because the opening ceremony wouldn't start till 3 p.m. Once things began to get closer to the ceremony, zombies by the bus loads were making their way through the park to get registered for the event. The other volunteers and I at the Dundas location were frantically trying to register as many people as we could and get them notified in the statistics.

Suffice it to say that at 4:35 p.m. we had to shut down the registration booth. The walk had to begin from Trinity Bellwoods Park and make their way to Christie Pitts. We didn't even finish registering all the zombies for the walk, we had to usher them into the pitt and tell them to commence the walk.

I was so tired after those 7 hours that I choose not to join in for the big festivities at Christie Pitts. I will say that it was hilarious seeing all the original costumes that people choose to dress up as like Alice in Wonderland, Marie Antoinette, and someone came as Jesus with an actual life-size cross. The weather was really gloomy which was a plus for the ambiance but it started to rain and I felt so bad for the makeup artist who spent 7 hours straight helping people put on their make up.

I know I have been harping about this lately about going to see this musical but I finally did! Yesterday was the opening night for Wicked at the Canon Theatre in Toronto. I missed out on the last time it came to the city but this time, my friends helped me fulfill this request and came to see it with me. All I can say about this musical is that...it was perfect. I really loved every minute of it, especially the songs in Act 1. Everyone in Toronto should really go see it before  it leaves the city because you won't know when the traveling production will return....I had to wait almost 3-4 years.

I don't really have to say this because it is a pretty obvious fact: time management is important. Nobody likes to be stressed or have too much on their plate that they fall like a house of cards...or a very unstable tower of Jenga. When a teenager starts to shift into adult mood and prioritize what they WANT to do and what they NEED to do, then that shows the sign of growth.

On some days I want to take a breather, sit at home with my dog and play a game or watch a movie, but there are always responsibilites that need to be completed which I kinda love to do like volunteering and work. Never forget that besides the professional side of you that you have a personal side as well. When you have a break, go out and see a movie with friends, take some time to volunteer with a project you love, walk on a park, do a hobby...or do nothing if thats what you feel like doing.

A couple of weeks ago, my Public Relations internship class had a guest speaker who was lecturing about the basics of having a personal online brand. For those of you who are unsure what this means, you have probably already tried its simplest from: type your name into Google.

It only takes a couple of quick seconds and you can try it out to see what pops up.

Surprised?

Shocked?

Baffled?

The results that pop up are what is associated with your name when someone searches Google looking for you. Our guest speaker told us that many companies and organizations have HR representatives who do background checks on applicants to see their online contributions and see what they have been posting. This includes all social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube and every kind of site you can think of. Employers would love to know what kind of person they are going to hire for their organization.

Have you ever contemplated posting a picture but worried it isn't the best picture you want people to see? Or maybe it was when you wrote an inappropriate response on your Twitter thinking it would be funny or something off the top of your head? People will see and read it on your wall so becareful what you post because it will become public domain and associated with you. 

Here are some important quick kips about protecting your online brand:

There are many more tips in protecting your brand and a completely different story when you're trying to build up your online presence. Just remember to be careful and be cautious when you use a camera on a night out with your friends. You've heard the expression, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", well in this case...it might end up on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or anywhere else unless you do something about it.

Hey Bloggers!

I know that I have been slacking off for writing this blog and I feel really terrible about it. Time got away from me this past week and I was completely busy  to write something that I actually enjoy to do on my time off. I swear that hopefully it will not happen again and I will bring you new reviews and articles to enjoy yourself with. Deal?

Well if you must know what I have been doing this past week, I was entirely busy with school and preparing group projects and assignments. In school we were learning about our personal branding and more about the Public Relations field; I may feel like writing an article about personal online branding later on so I'll keep you posted. My class had some great guest speakers on Thursday who were from such amazing places like the PR agency, Edelman, Universal Music Canada, the Maple Leafs organization, and one formerly from Me to We. School is always busy and things are already starting to get intense but I enjoy every minute of it with my friends.

On the work front, Gap is still....Gap. Still getting the hours and having the fun experiences with my work mates. We got some new employees and saw some old familiar faces like our Craig Kielburger-loving friend, Kemeny. I had Linh try and teach me more about Visuals so lets see where that will go.

Volunteering is perking up! Did an orientation for IFOA, International Festival of Authors, at the Harbourfront Centre and prepping for the Toronto Zombie Walk amongst other opportunities. I know I should be slowing down and giving me more time to relax but when I feel like volunteering for something and feel somewhat passionate about it then I like to do it and help the organizations.

Personal is going to be very personal so I'm just gonna keep that to myself for now, haha. I will say that tonight hopefully will be a good night and we will see if I hang out with friends tonight.

Well thats it for catching up and I'll be posting up a new blog entry soon so hang in there everyone.

Sorry that it's been a while since my last post but things have been really busy with me in the personal, work and volunteer life. Yesterday was the craziest day by far because I volunteered for Free The Children's annual event, We Day! Disappointingly, I forgot my camera at home so I wasn't able to take any photos at the event but I'll still tell you one of the most memorable and funnest days I've ever had.

Surprisingly, the other Parking and Transportation volunteers and I got to see a LARGE portion of the concert from the gondola suite areas above the Air Canada Centre. We heard Down with Webster playing, saw Grayson Chance perform, and saw a lot of inspiring guest speakers like Jacob Hoggard, Heather Reisman, Betty Williams, Michel Chikwanine, the guys from MTV's The Buried Life, and Alexandre Bilodeau to name a few. We didn't get to see Craig and Marc Kielburger's speech, but I heard it the day before before orientation with a few others so I already knew how inspiring it would be. We also got to see the cast of Degrassi and I laughed so hard seeing friends bicker over who saw and gets Zane (Shannon Kook-Chun) first.

After the concert was over and all the students were safely on buses, a bunch of new friends and I went to the MuchMusic We Day After Party to see some of the guests up close. The highlight was definitely having Marc Kielburger sign my book (I'm going to be keeping that forever) and seeing Kemeny cry after she thanked Marc Kielburger for everything and he hugged her! It was a great party and all the We Day volunteers really loved to do the We Dance that day.

Yesterday had to be one of the best experiences I've ever had and would definitely volunteer for We Day and Free The Children again after this whole experience. It was great to meet a lot of new friends and hopefully keep in touch with them after this. All thats left now is to start feeling and spreading the message of Be The Change.

We all have them.

They used to be someone special who has touched our hearts and who we considered spending our lives with or someone who we perceived to have a long relationship with even though we possibly expected an expiration date later on. It can be a high school/elementary school crush that developed into that relationship by the lockers and after class or they were that "soul mate" who got down on one knee to only break your heart a few months later; they are our ex-boyfriends and girlfriends

 People always say that a little heartbreak in your life helps to make you grow and develop into a stronger person. That dealing with the challenges of a relationship that was doomed to fail can really put things into perspective and make you a wiser person in the game of love. However, what happens when you are the dump-ee and not the dumper? Does the same apply even though, technically, you choose to end the relationship for whatever reasons?

I know what you are going to say, "that maybe you broke up with them because they cheated on you or did something that ruined your trust". These are very perfect reasons as to why you choose to break up with someone because they wronged you and left you heartbroken, but what about those strange occurrences where everything seemed perfect or developing and then your, now current, ex decided to bring the hammer down? Does that make you a bad person because you choose to end the relationship even though you realized that there might not have been a future with them or there was no intensity? Why have you become the bad guy for, metaphorically, ripping out their heart?

I have been a longstanding character in this quest for finding true and meaningful love but along the way, relationships do end and they're not always "the one". I have had at least two instances where a relationship has ended by my choosing because I didn't see a romantic future with that individual. I always am the bigger person and hope to establish a long-lasting friendship with them. However, what happens when your ex doesn't want to stay as an ex?

Each ex ended up trying to win me over and discuss their feelings of regret as to why the relationship should commence again. I continue to be the bigger person and try to keep the friendship going but is there ever a limit? On one occasion I was "set up" by my closest friends to try a reconciliation on their birthday to get back together with them. Nevertheless, I choose not to for many reasons and it quickly became a situation where I was the bad guy because they were upset; when did my feelings get taken out of the equation? The other instance is a recent one where things are slowly and surely trying to get to a friend level but the constant regret talk, flirty messages and joking are beginning to pile up.

I'm not the type of person who cuts people out of their lives. Nobody likes to feel abandoned  and ignored because things just didn't work out. I like to try and set them up with other people and encourage them on their quest for love but I know the feelings are still there. Its hurts to see other hurting because its never nice to know someone is heartbroken and lovelorn. However, whats more worse: hurting something in an instant so they could find THEIR true love or be in a relationship where it didn't really seem to develop in time?

Sometimes getting back together with an ex does work out. Many relationships I currently know have at least broken up once and gotten back together; just some innocent drama. It all depends on the person and the relationship they have because maybe they didn't give that person another chance and it could have developed into something more. Though, if it didn't work out and you know that there is no chance that it will work out again then maybe its time to leave. The last thing you want to do is go behind someones back and go looking elsewhere for the night; its not a nice feeling and karma does dish out.