It's been way too long since I last blogged, and at the behest of a few friends, I've been convinced to write again. Anyone who knows me is well aware that I'm an open book when I speak of my personal life, which is why I had to actively prevent myself from writing anything which I'm almost certain would get me in some form of trouble. And since I've already put my foot-in-mouth over lesser topics, I figured a hiatus was in order. But now that I'm back in training, I hope my tales of grandeur still amuse!
While it would be impossible to summarize the last few months in a few paragraphs, it probably makes the most sense to divide my life into three divisions - personal, work, and sports. And as before, I'll try to keep to my quasi point-form structure.
If you look a centimeter above Beckham's head, you'll see my torso (I'm the one with the grey/red TFC jacket)
Truth be told, working at the Air Canada Centre is still nothing short of a dream. Of course, there's always the peaks and troughs of work, but I've never once even considered mailing it in for a day. And I've had some of the crappiest days ever, including :
- working a 10 hour day on 2 hours of sleep - coming in early to prepare some reports, whilst attempting to fight off an ear infection/fever - being the man on point by myself for a Raptor playoff game, filling every which sort of request imaginable! - On playoff game day, finding out the TTC is on strike the day I don't have car access. - Attempting to come into work during a snowstorm, almost getting into an accident numerous times on the way in
Again, I'm not at all complaining, just explaining what I've gone through!
On the more positive side of things, I've had the opportunity to experience many moments which I'm sure will last a lifetime. A few of the unforgettable moments I've experienced...
- having tickets to actual seats, for an actual Leafs regular season home game. Being able to watch the Leafs beat the Hurricanes 5-4 in Golds made me feel like a wide-eyed kid again - walking by Jermaine O'Neal past the visiting team locker room and thinking "Holy Sh*t this guy is big!" - winning the February "Star of the Month" award and receiving company wide recognition. And yes, I did have a Sally Field moment (They really, really like me!) - Watching my first ever playoff game in a Suite, during which I spilled a cup of Coke all over myself - The "Sea of Red" at Playoff Home Game 1, cementing my love for the Raptors - Golfing for the very first time in the company tournament, and learning I have an okay short game - Stepping into Wednesday morning meetings in the 6th floor boardroom, where I'm certain the ghost of Conn Smythe lurks (ok, so maybe it's just a big painting, but it's majestic!) - Touching the Larry O'Brien trophy - holding the NBA 3-Point Champion trophy - visiting the Raptors locker room (so many times on game days!) - getting tickets the MLS All-Star game right by the corner flag. Yes, Becks came within 10 feet of me. And when he smiled in my direction, my heart fluttered...I will never again say he's over-rated!
There are many more I'm sure, but these are the moments I can easily recollect. I hope my future with the company is brilliant. I'll be sure to enlighten you all of my travails as they happen :P
- Mom still on my case about "growing up" and seriously considering marriage
As has been the case for the past 10 years or so, my mother has this need to dream of her future daughter-in-law. She has actually made a point of throwing out a few names to me, which I'm still trying to come to terms with. And if that isn't enough, she's planning a trip to the motherland (Pakistan), where I'm sure the goal is to collect as many pictures of eligible bachelorettes. I'm sure you can all imagine how I must feel at selecting a potential wife as if she was coming from a Consumers Distributing catalogue.
Admittedly, it won't be as old-fashioned as it was during my parents time. My mom has somehow discovered the wonders of facebook and video conferencing, and is already beginning to look through my photos to ensure that I have only suitable material online. And most surprisingly, she's actually open to having her son go on actual dates with a girl before deciding. Of course, there's a 10-date cap before the ultimatum...
- My brother the Casanova
While I've been the humble, modest, and traditional son, my brother's gone down the other route. He seems to have girls flocking to him whenever I see him in public, and he has no problem telling family that this is due to his 'sexiness'. Not to sound old, but when I was his age, I was barely allowed to look at girls, forget flirting!
I'm convinced he's up to a lot of craziness which he's great at concealing from us. And yes, I'm sure you all can actually read the envy I have for him in these words! :P
- Chicago...
An aunt and uncle of mine (two siblings of my mom) are currently visiting in the U.S. from Pakistan. The plan we've all had is to find a way to schedule some time where we could all meet in the Windy City for a few days at my cousin (aunt's daughter's) home. At the beginning of this month, my boss (after some negotiating) gave me the time off. Upon announcing this to my Chi-Town relatives, we were kindly told that my cousin's husband is very busy working at home these days and that he gets 'disturbed very easily'. In other words, while we've been saying you should come, we never really meant it, so piss off!
The past two years when we've visited Illinois, we've stayed at this family's place, and it was evident that they weren't exactly giving us the red carpet treatment. With that being said, it's customary in our culture (and especially our family) to open your home to family. To call us a disturbance made it sound like Zan and I were coming home at 2AM drunk and belligerent. I'm still trying to understand how we could disturb when the daily schedule of Zan and I consisted of the following :
a) wake up, get ready, and have breakfast b) Take our rental car out for the day to either shop, catch some baseball, or sightsee c) Come home either in the evening after already having dinner, watch some tv, and sleep
Anyhow, this has caused an international incident, where my Mom has made no qualms of telling each and every sibling of hers around the world of this insult. On the plus side, we've received a very open invitation to visit Europe this fall. While normally it would be a bit pricey, I figure that since we're not going to visit our American relatives anytime soon, a EuroTrip may be in order!
Hey yaars!
