Back when I was a wee little boy I had dreams of becoming the best pilot and later on the best architect in the world. I

Image from dailyapps.net

saw myself flying one of those Boeing 747s from one continent to another or designing large, unique and innovative buildings. However, these two dreams quickly faded away. First, my dream of becoming a pilot faded away because of my need to get glasses (I was told that I needed 20/20 vision to become a pilot). Secondly, my dream of becoming an architect also faded away because of my bad experience with my Draft 11 highschool teacher (one of the most biased and unfair teachers I’ve ever had).

Throughout my lifetime I’ve always had an interest in technology. I was very interested with how technology was changing our society and how it was making everything quicker, faster, leaner. It just seem like the area that would grow the fastest. Also, PC games rock and was getting better and better each year. I have to admit, Duke Nukem (2D version) and Starcraft turned me into a gaming machine!

In addition, I also had a very strong interest in business. I always imagined myself wearing a suit and tie and holding a briefcase to work because that was how television and movies portrayed the most successful people. I took Business in grade 8 and with a team opened our own candy shop at school. It was definitely fun and exciting.

By the latter half of grade 11 I knew I wanted to pursue a career in Business and Technology. Coupling those two streams would definitely lead me to a successful and wealthy career… right? Hence, I decided to pursue a career in Management Information Systems which basically couples both worlds! That is exactly what I’m doing now…

Here are some of my feedback on the iPhone 4:

• Retina display. Simply said, it makes any text, graphic or video crystal clear. And because of this, you are able to see the finest details. You cannot absolutely find any pixels on your phone.
• FaceTime. It is video conferencing at your finger tips. The only downside to FaceTime is the other person also needs to have an iPhone 4 and is only available over Wifi.
• Battery life. iPhone 4 lasts at least a day! The older generation iPhones died too quickly. On most days if I logged over an hour or two, listened to music, used 3G, etc. it would die within a day.
• Front-facing camera. Forget about the 5-megapixel zoom or the enhanced digital zoom on the back camera. Or even the extremely bright LED light on the back. The front-facing camera is what enabled iPhone 4 users to talk face-to-face. It’s also a very handy camera to take those front-facing pictures that people always do… ahem…
• Non-existent antenna problem. It really is a “non-issue”. Well, it really depends on how you grip the phone… Personally, I haven’t had any problem with it. To skeptics who are hesistant to buy the device because of this problem: supposedly this problem has been fixed and will be shipped out starting September…?
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front and back. Last but not least (yes, I had to google what the coating is called) the fingerprint-resistant coating works like magic. Your front-screen literally does not capture any finger prints.

So there you go folks. The iPhone 4 is definitely worth paying all that money for (and having Alan and Mo line up 10+ hours for… thanks Alan and Mo!). The antenna problem isn’t as bad as what people claim or show! =)

Pictures taken from Apple.ca

Oh her eyes her eyes
make the stars look like they’re not shinin
Her hair her hair
falls perfectly without her tryin
Shes so beautiful
And i tell her everyday

Yeah, I know I know
when i compliment her she wont believe me
And its so its so
sad to think that she don’t see what I see
But every time she asks me do I look okay, I say

When I see your face
theres not a thing that I would change
Cuz ur amazing
Just the way you are

And when you smile
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cuz girl ur amazing
Just the way you are

Her lips her lips
I could kiss them all day if she let me
Her laugh her laugh
She hates but I think its so sexy
Shes so beautiful
And I tell her everyday

Oh you know you know you know
Id never ask you to change
If perfect’s what your searching for
then just stay the same
So don’t even bother asking if you look ok
You know I’ll say

When I see your face
Theres not a thing that I would change
Cuz ur amazing
Just the way you are

And when you smile
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cuz girl ur amazing
Just the way you are

The way you are
The way you are
Girl your amazing
Just the way you are

When I see your face
Theres not a thing that I would change
Cuz ur amazing
Just the way you are

And when you smile
The whole world stops and stares for awhile
Cuz girl ur amazing
Just the way you are

Yeaah

Don’t worry. Be happy.

Love you!

Decisions are a good thing.

• After five years at Simon Fraser University I completed my Bachelors in Business Administration and a certification in Computing Science. During this time I also completed three terms of Coop Education.
• Earned 2008 Dean Student Service Award for demonstrated exceptional leadership in the SFU Business community.
• Successfully executed CaseIT 2009, a four-day international undergraduate MIS case competition. It took an entire year of planning including 12 executive members that planned the event with me for at least nine months, 13 volunteers who lend a helping hand during the event, and the largest budget for any case competition at SFU.
• Landed my first post-grad position at HSBC.
• Owned my first real estate… well, co-owned.
• Went to Las Vegas for three days with my buddies.
• Went south of the border (USA’s border that is) to Cancun, Mexico for a week. This was during the swine flu epidemic! Here it was my first time snorkeling, sea-dooing and swimming in the ocean.
• Ran the Sun Run for the 2nd straight year. Achieved a time of just under an hour: 59 mins 31 secs.
• Learned to swim at least one lap at a time!
• Attended Toastmasters.
• Helped with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver/Whistler! I assisted in business continuity planning.
• Found true love.

2010 will be another great year with another set of goals.

• Learn as much as I possibly can at work. Touch on all aspects of the software development lifecycle including all tasks related to planning, analysis, design, development and testing. Be promoted to full time status before contract ends.
• Volunteer at least five times in the year, either at work or elsewhere.
• Here’s a big one: Save 60-70% of my net earnings each month. This does not include using my savings on investments.
• Obtain a certification of some sort. Perhaps a CAPM certificate?
• Read at least one book per month. This means reading at least 5 hours per week!
• Work out at least two times a week.
• Continue to swim at least once every two weeks.
• Try a new restaurant at least once every month.
• Learn how to cook one new dish each month, starting with Kimchi udon?
• Run the Sun Run in under 55 mins.
• Learn something new everyday! This includes the most random things.
• Attend Toastmasters at least once a month, probably starting in May/June.
• Visit my sisters in Toronto and travel somewhere outside of Canada–hopefully Hawaii!
• Enjoy each day to the fullest.

I’m sure there are more goals that I forgot to put down. I’ll keep adding to this until the first of January!

I hope your 2009 was as eventful and fulfilling as mine! If not there’s always 2010! Happy New Years everybody!

I have also been busy with closing my jointly-owned condo in New Westminster. It’s called Plaza 88 at Marinus and it’s a two-bedroom and two-bathroom 817 sq ft apartment. I’ve learned so much on how to choose a mortgage, the buying and closing processes of getting a property, and all other relevant things that I needed to do. Just a warning to all of you who are planning or will be purchasing/renting a property later on–be careful with your attorney fees! That’s all I’m going to say… you can speak with me if you want more details.

I have also tried to stay healthy and fit over these past couple of months. A month ago I purchased the Nike+ sensor that tracks my run time, distance, and how much calories I lose (I don’t really look at this because I’m trying to gain weight!!!). I love this piece of technology! It also allows you to set goals so that you are always motivated. Other than running I haven’t been doing much weight training, which I’m hoping to start doing soon…

Well that’s it for now! I’m currently at Delani’s, a coffee shop in North Vancouver, and am going to go eat Indian food with my love. Happy six months babe!

The class I have been taking is a level one course and may be the easiest course I have taken in post-secondary! I did, however, learn a lot from this class and have no regrets taking it. I know that in the future when I am asked to create a business report of any sort the first question I’ll ask is not “What is the purpose of the report?” (which is the first question you should always ask when creating any report so I learned), but “Do we have Crystal Reports to generate such a report?”. Next up: creating a report for my investment records.

Song of the day to cheer me up is Up Up and Away from Kid Cudi.

My family and I at my convo

October 09, 2009. This was the day I crossed the platform during the Convocation Ceremonies at Simon Fraser University. I received a Bachelors degree in Business Administration, concentrating in Management Information Systems and Management and Technology. I also received a certification in Computing Studies. It was the day I started a whole new chapter in my life…

It has definitely been a great five years since I sat in my first class and met my first friends at SFU. I had a lot of great moments. But I also had some not-so-great moments. That is what’s so interesting about life. You can never predict what’s going to happen. But if you just persevere then everything will turn out OK. Like the infamous sayings, life is “…like a box of chocolates” or “…like a rollercoaster”. Just enjoy it!

My graduation ceremony was like any other graduation ceremonies–mind you, I’ve been to four others. I dressed up, went to school with my family, received my gown and degree, walked across the AQ gardens, sat down and listened to various people speak about our successes and the future, and finally walked across the stage. The best part about the whole process was actually, believe it or not, walking across the stage. When you get to that stage, you realize that you’re actually finished. That you’re no longer a university student. That you need to get a job. Quick. Overall, I had a fantastic time and it was definitely a highlight of my life. Thank you to everyone who came out and a special thank you to those who have supported me in getting this far!

So what now? What does my degree mean for me and my future? Theoretically it means I will get a better chance than the average person who doesn’t have a degree or any sort of post-secondary education to land that dream job. I guess we will have to wait and see…

Let’s do this!

Edit: I forgot to give a special thanks to the amazing coat rack that smiles.

My coat rack that smiles!