wrapping up 2009.

So as per every blog, possibly in existence, this will be my end of year/new year post. UNFORTUNATELY, I don’t believe in ‘new year resolutions’ so you won’t get any of that =p (it’s hard to improve on something already so awesome... AHEM*) JUST KIDDING.

2009. What a year. 2008 Derek was absolutely nothing like 2009 Derek, and I’m very very very glad to be saying that. Of course my memory is horrible enough that I can’t even remember half of the great things that happened... but here’s the shout out list to the big things of 2009 in no particular order that really had an impact on my life. Good and bad. I’ll admit that I went through all my facebook pics to jolt my memory for most of this list =p. But anyways... here goes, 2009!

2009 SHOUT OUTS:

• I got to live through another year! =). Life is a gift people. Learn to CHERISH it! Dearly.
• Those that have been with me since before 2009! Family! Indo Crew! UWCCFers! AFMers! Brap.
• UWCCF Winter Retreat 2009. Life Changing!
• The opportunity to mentor four really great guys. WHAT UPPPPP!!!!!
• Witnessing each of those four guys stepping up their game and really making an impact/growing in each of their own ways. Good job, men. /end mushy Derek.
• errr Bomber... with the AFMS. Awesome times =).
• UWCCF Grad Dinner 2009. Sending you guys off was a bitter-sweet moment!
• The passing of my grandmom. My first funeral in life. Brought to mind a lot of the meaning of all things...
• All the wonderful times chilling with the housemates!!!!!! 109 HICKORY, WHATTTTTT!
• Campus Challenge 2009/Koin Network. The opportunity to partner together and meet with so many my fellow Brothers & Sisters who share in my passions across all the different Universities.
• I landed a full time job. A sign of how old I’m getting.
• The many times of uncertainty & trials. I've never developed so much trust & patience for these things as I did this year.
• My second full year with my car!!! And no serious issues!!!! WOOHOOo. perfect driving record still too =D.
• UWCCF Fall Retreat 2009. Let’s hear it for moments that open our eyes wide to the lives we’re living.
• My brothers & sisters that were awesome enough to humble me in times of pride. Thank you, really.
• Halifax w/ fam. Probably the most relaxing weekend of my life.
• ANCHOR SOFTBALL. Semi-finals in our FIRST year? Yeah, that’s right!
• FX 2009. Hurray for my very first official speaking engagement.
• Celebrating the wedding of someone who’s a very close brother & friend! Congrats Jesse & Juliana!
• TRANSFORMERS 2 COMES OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH I’ve watched it at least 8 times.
• A new mentor/guide to teach me about life. It’s been a while! haha.
• The opportunity to chair uwccf. WHAT a blessing. WORDUP PWNY/Zesty!!!!!
• QUELF. TOOOO many good times from this game.
• AYCE Sushi. Where would I be without you?
• AFM Gradball! Never felt like I deserved a celebration so much in my life. Lol.
• COMPLETED MY UNDERGRAD. Wow. Just... too many thoughts from this.
• TAFFY!!!! The greatest school project team ever! We kicked butt! =D. TEAM AWESOME FREEDOM FORCE YETIS ftw!
• All the new friends in 2009! =) too many to name!

And SOOOOO many more... oh man... I could continue that list forever. 2009. What a year.

In all honesty, 2009 was just a super awesome year. I’ve never experienced growth like I did, both in my faith as well as an individual like this past year. I’ve never experienced closeness to friends and family like I did either. I’ve also never ever in my life dished out as many lame jokes as I did in 2009 =D. WHAT A YEAR.

There’s really not much else i can say... so much of it is beyond words. I’m really looking forward to 2010 and what it holds. It’s also going to be another HUGE year of change. I’ll be finishing up my masters, writing the professional exam of my accounting career and finally entering the professional workforce. Who knows what else it holds...

I’m anxiously awaiting what God has in store for me and the growth & experiences I’ll have to share in the new year. I know it’s going to be absolutely killer. For anyone who was mentioned in any of my shout outs (or multiple ones... extra brownie points!!): Thank you so much for being a part of my life. I wouldn’t be who I am without you and am sincerely grateful for all the times we shared together. I’ll catch you all in 2010 and will be expecting bigger & better things!

Here’s to you, 2009! Now that you’re done, it’s time to wrap you up in a nice little package I’ll call 2009 Derek. It’s time for your joys, pains and many many life lessons to be passed onto someone greater. I’ll call him 2010 Derek. You should all be sure to meet 2010 Derek. I hear he’s awesome. Bake him cookies.

And that’s it. This will be the last post ever from 2009 Derek. From him to you all, farewell! Hope it’s been an equally amazing journey for the rest of you too =).

Cheers&Blessings!

((Insert happy collage/mural of 2009's greatest memories)).... I'll get to it eventually... maybe. lol.

Derek's Question of the day! - answer in comments!! – What is the life lesson that best describes the 2009 you?

A: There’s nothing more liberating than really being just who you are made to be. Living your passions, being quirky and showing no restraint for lame jokes and all. =)

which way to the beach?

Well....



FIRST, you take a LEFT turn.



Then, you take a RIGHT turn.



then you make a UUUUUUU turn!!!!

...

Boredom + Haircut shop closed for the holidays... = yeeaaahhhh.....

And you guys wonder why I like getting my hair cut so often... now y'all be BEGGING me to get it cut!!!

Consider this a late Christmas gift to you, my readers! Derek as stupid as ever. (what more could you ask for?)

P.S. To all of you reconsidering the future of our friendship... I promise to never.. ever.. EVER do this again.

DQOTD (Derek's Question of the day! - answer in comments!!) - What was your best gift this Christmas?

A: my book 'just do something' from my mom... mostly b/c it took awesome ninja skills for her to find out I wanted it.

where I get 'it' from.

okay... I just HAD to post this because I died laughing when I saw it.

YES, anyone questioning how I came to be who I am... THIS is probably how...

Thanks dad... you're awesome.

(Oh and it was in some museum in Australia)

celebration & christmas insanity.

So I’ve been back in Toronto for a few days now, and it’s been great. I’ve done almost nothing... but anything is GREAT compared to the exams that I got away from. The past few days have been an excessive amount of time sleeping and chilling with the parents. I haven’t had much urge for physical activity (although I’m getting there), and I’ve been eating... a lot. Lol. In any case, I’m hopefully nearing the end of my post-exam recovery phase... (I haven’t had coffee yet today and I only have a slight headache! Hurrah!) The more I think about it... the more I realize exams are like having the flu.

Here are a few reasons why (feel free to add some in if you like in the comments!!):

• You look tired. Constantly.
• Lots of fluids! (coffee, tea or whatever your study drink is)
• You tend to pass out/need naps at random times during the day
• Your variety in food shrinks dramatically and you end up eating the same things over and over (instant noodles for the win.../loss... I can’t really decide)
• The only people you see are those close to you... and you see them almost every day. Everyone else just seems to disappear from your life
• People not in the same situation as you will comfort/sympathize/pray for you
• Even when you’re in the ‘recovery’ stage, you still want to just sleep and eat and be lazy despite how inactive you’ve been during your sickness/exams

So yes, this ‘recovery’ stage has summed up my past few days quite nicely. While it’s been nice to sleep lots, have time to read, and be relatively lazy, I’m about ready to get a bit more active and see some people I haven’t seen in a while. No more lingering effects of exam disease for me, thank you very much!!! All of you pending e-mails from me... your inboxes are about to get owned. Again! Like good old times. Muahahaha.

Here are just a few extras following exam/term completion that are tradition for me.

CLASSIC!!!

And the picture that’s been with me since 1A!

Christmas Insanity

In other news, I got around to my Christmas shopping today. As the secret santas with friends aren’t set up yet, the only people I had to buy for were mom, dad and sister. I am GLAD to say after 2.5 hours, 2 malls and 2 relatively busy parking lots, my family members will all be receiving gifts from me!!!!!! AND I’M STILL ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOOO.

Derek: 1
Crazy Christmas Shopping Mall Insanity: 0

Take that, Christmas!!!!

Another thing: There seems to be quite an abnormal amount of ‘remember the true meaning of Christmas’ this year. It’s practically viral on the net. And I’m all for the true meaning and stuff... but since when were things so imperative to my/your faith, or even ‘joy’ meant to be experienced only at ONE time in the year?

On the radio there was a song playing that said “something something Christmas, hurrah, the most joyous time of the year”. (my poor memory changed the lyrics a bit =|, clearly.). It made me think: The isolation of goodness into a single time or day is what creates a lack the other 364 days of the year. It’s sorta like... “Christmas, yeah! I love everyone in the whole wide world!!! Boxing day... Why the gosh darn heck is this cashier so SLOW. Like frig woman, it’s your job. SHEESH.” Actually, that’s probably the nicest thought I could come up with for the craziness of boxing day. We must realize that for our lives to truly be changed, it must penetrate every aspect of it and not just take liberties in part. True change is pervasive. In any case, why don’t we commit to remembering the true meaning behind Christmas, the other 364 days of the year? Yes? Be happy people! Not because it’s Christmas... just because it’s another day to enjoy life! =)

Good luck to all the other last minute shoppers like me!!! You might want to clock some time on this before heading out into the real world: http://www.addictinggames.com/parkinglot2.html

P.S. Be sure to check my latest post on thelifemuse: things to do while bored in traffic & the pursuit.

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Things to do while bored in traffic & The Pursuit.

So I’m a bit overdue since I’ve been stuck in perpetual study mode for the past month, but I’m glad to say it’s finally all over! And hence, with my passion and joy of writing, I’ve decided to maintain a total of THREE blogs. Remember to check my main blog: http://derkness.blogspot.com, which was my original address (but I changed the url of this one). If you want the best updates on all three blogs, it’s best to follow that one as I’ll keep it as my main! I plan to service this one still just as often about 2-3 times each month with some deeper writings, but I’ll aim to going back to my positive and quirky twists on life =). In any case, a long overdue regular styled post, so here we go!

A month full of studying and minimal sleep. Killer exams that push you to reconsider whether or not you’re cut out for your profession. One final night of too little sleep + driving back to Toronto during the Friday before Christmas break rush hour = too much traffic for tired Derek to want to deal with. Yes, my final drive to Toronto as an undergraduate student was HORRIBLY long (over 2 hours) which isn’t TOO bad... but considering how tired I was, and how small my bladder is... it was NOT a fun drive. In any case, in my normal fashion, I decided to think about what would be fun to blog about... but first, I present to you the list of things to do while extremely bored & stuck in traffic! Got anything good to add? Comment!

The list of things to do while extremely bored & stuck in traffic:

• Listen to your music unnecessarily loud
• Try every single combination of temperature setting till you’re as comfy as possible (bonus points if you can maintain it w/o windows fogging in the winter)
• Think about how badly you need to use the washroom
• Play steering wheel drum hero
• Do some house(car?)-keeping and wipe the dust off the dashboard and compartment areas
• Wave to the people waiting in traffic next to you
• Start a conversation about how much traffic sucks with the person next to you
• Try NOT thinking about how badly you need to use the washroom
• Contemplate life
• Swivel within your lane like a race car driver warming up his tires
• Imagine yourself driving the other, much nicer, cars passing you by
• Think about funny things you can write on the back of the dirt covered car in front of you
• Practice double clutching (stick shift only =p)
• Tell yourself how stupid it is to not use the washroom before leaving, and having a large double double and a bottle of water early on in the trip
• Practice your Simpsons quotes
• Think about your next blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OKAY, so maybe this list applies to absolutely NO ONE but me... but I’m awesome... and that’s the list you get. After all, it's MY blog =p. (I promise to tie this post back to this list later on).

The Pursuit

What I really wanted to write about was ‘the pursuit’. The pursuit of things in life. The pursuit of what is good, what you love and what you want to do/be. I find that the pursuit is a result of three very distinct occurrences. One, we see someone... and we want to be like them. Whether we look up to them, really admire what they do or see how much they’ve done and want to live a similar path. OR we see the world... and we see the need. We see a very clear void that we feel needs to be filled somehow. Basically, we see ‘the goal’. We see something distant, unattained and hopefully reachable. Second, we see ourselves. We see that we are lacking. We’re not yet like that person we look up to or capable of filling that void yet, otherwise of course, we would have filled it already. We see a clear deficit in ourselves and who we currently are. Then third and finally, we create the desire. We desire to be like that person, or to fill that void and we use that to embark ourselves on the pursuit. Whether many of us have realized it or not, this is the life we’re living. We’re in school to become engineers, accountants or medical professionals because we’ve seen those who have done it already and we want to live a similar life or make a similar contribution to society. Or we see the need for certain people in society, say doctors in Africa, and we desire to fill that need. I’ve yet to meet very many people, even those who don’t know what they want to do in life, who are in pursuit of ‘nothing’. There’s always something to pursue. Even when we don’t know what we want to do in life... many of us want to pursue and be like the people who do know. Life is simply a constant pursuit. So why do we suck at it?

Herald the return of my blunt shortcomings in life. As a quick note to all my readers, in all my writing topics, I don’t write as if I’ve already attained or overcome many of the topics... the reason I write is because I, in many ways, have/am wrestling through the same issues. Carrying on. Why do so many of us suck at being who we want to be? There are so many amazing people in this world... We look at the rich – the Trumps and the Bransons of the world and marvel at how it was so easy for them to get rich. We look at the talented – the Mayers, the Gretzkys and the Beethovens of the world and ogle in disbelief: how easy it is for those gifted with talent. We look at the undeserving – the snoop doggs (self proclaimed as having the hardest job in the world!), the lottery winners and the guy down the street with a nicer car than you... and question the fairness of life itself. There are so many ways to see the world and want to be exactly who you’re not. So many of us get caught up in the discontent of cause and effect. We want to receive more than we’ve earned, with less effort. We want the bigger returns, the luck, without the risk. We want a life of freeness. Well what crazy world are you living in?

Those who are good at something... had to earn it. And many of them earned it before the world was watching them. We always marvel at how easy it was for them. They just had... to BE... and they got everything ‘I think’ I wanted in this world. The rich, the talented & famous, and yes, even the undeserving... they saw who they wanted to be and did it. Their fame, fortune and glamorous lifestyles are results of effort. Did Trump and Branson put in the effort? I’m absolutely sure they did! How about John Mayer and Wayne Gretzky? I’m sure they put in an ABNORMAL amount of effort to develop their talents. EVEN the undeserving... had to do something to get what they have. My point isn’t about equitable effort and returns, but it took effort. Period. “.” “Well Derek, if I was rich and famous... I’d put in the effort too!” I don’t doubt you would! But the point is that they put in the effort while nobody was watching. While Snoop Doggie Dogg was still nothing more than a cartoon character and the rest were nothing more than schmucks and nobodies like you and me, they put in the effort and received the rewards of it. The point of this post is: what effort do you put in when nobody is looking?

In my own life, I’ve started to see how the unseen effort is what yields the visible gains and ‘easy lifestyle’. We look at people in our workplaces, and anyone in a professional setting will just see and hear about their current life and how easy it is. Go to work. Put in the hours. Go home. Drive nice car. They too, suffered through many years of university and studying and sleepless nights. Even my PARENTS. It was not possible for me to appreciate the magnitude of the effort they put into life until I had to go through university as well. Albeit, university is a completely different beast now than it was 25 years ago, but they had to strive hard to get what they have now. No wonder they were always so reluctant to give me money to spend on my waste-of-time toys and games. All the artists and sports stars put in years upon years of training and effort as youth to be good by the time they got older. Sure. Maybe their reward-effort return was greater than university students like you or me... but what was the % of success they had as singer-songwriters or sports stars versus us getting a job after graduation?

It’s what we do when nobody is looking that makes us who we are. When I was learning to drive stick, I was sure to maintain good habits and smooth acceleration/braking even when I was in the car by myself (rather than just ripping it around, which many are prone to do). The result of that is how the majority of people who sit in my car don’t even notice I drive stick because it’s so smooooooootttthh. THAT’S RIGHT. Your comfortable ride is the result of many many many hours of unseen training! It’s all the toils and efforts that make it look easy! (I’ve also seen how when I change moods and start driving aggressive during alone times – it flows over into times when I shouldn’t be with passengers, etc). It’s who you make yourself before the world sees you, that dictates the ‘you’ the world will see.

One of my greatest lessons out of the past few months is to appreciate the great battle everyone else is fighting. Plato: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. Yes. Your life has problems. As does EVERYONE. Yes. Some people make it look easy. And you can too! Train yourself in the times that no one is looking. Develop that character, personality and passion you want others to see. My ability to make some of the smoothest clutch engagements comes from a ridiculous number of hours being bored in traffic. The same with my ability to double clutch or downshift properly into corners. My love and ability for writing comes from pushing it out, even when it’s hard. The joy I’ve seen in others, I know, comes from being joyful when it’s difficult. Where are you now on your pursuit? Who do you want to be? Have you conjured up the desire to get there yet? Practice makes perfect. Be willing to exert the effort, especially when no one sees it... because that’s when people will start to notice.

This post also reminded me of this awesome guy...

Happy living, everyone! And Merry Christmas. I think I'm supposed to say that this time of year also!

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welcome home.

Okay, so to kick off my new (old) blog, this shall be my first REAL post. Huzzah! I’m now back to Toronto after a gruelling term @ UW, but I’m glad to say that I am now no longer an undergrad student!!! Pending marks of course! Haha. That being said, now is the start of my two weeks off until I start as a Masters of Accounting student... but enough of that as I’ll do a ‘meet derek’ post later on =p.

In any case, here’s a tribute to returning back to Toronto. First item of recognition: the conversation with the dad once I haul all my stuff back into the house and settle into my room.

Daddy Ma: You got skinnier.
Derek: er. Not really.
Daddy Ma: You lost muscle
Derek: oh... =(
Daddy Ma: How were your exams?
Derek: they were okay. We’ll see when marks come out
Daddy Ma: Are you sure you got into masters?
Derek: your comfy retirement better hope so!!!
Daddy Ma: How’s your car?
Derek: everything is deciding not to work b/c of the cold... but still running
Daddy Ma: Do you have a girlfriend yet?
Derek: no. -.-
Daddy Ma: What do you want to eat for dinner?
Derek: Sushi or Italian.

HAHA. Dad, you’re awesome.

What’s funny is that we have pretty much the SAME conversation at the end of every term when I come back home. Here’s to you, pops!

Mum,Pos&I ended up going to the Italian restaurant we always go to on Sheppard&Warden for some good eats =). I was really eager to order a salad... which is a clear indication to them that my diet/health was extremely lacking during exams... and subsequently they scolded me for it. Haha. <3

I also decided to put together a quick list of pros and cons about being back in Toronto for the next two weeks.

the pros:
it doesn’t require any studying
I get to sleep more than 5 hours a night
parents pay for meals out =D
FRUITS
juice that doesn’t disappear from the fridge within hours
floors clean enough to walk around barefoot on
water pressure in the showers!
the coffee grind is better than the one I have in Loo
I have time to help out around the house
parents scold me for all my bad habits <3

the cons:
my computer chair isn’t comfy
my parking spot isn’t sheltered =(
I’m going to eat too much
I’ve done ZERO Christmas shopping
the bed sheets put on while I was gone have flowers on them... guh -.-

Hurray for the next two weeks... and bed sheets with flower patterns.

Just another few quick notes/honourable mentions since these are some overdue thoughts.

“Your hair is kinky” – Mary Chan
HAHA. Okay... the last night in Loo chilling with the FMs happening sometime between 2&4am:

m: Derek... your hair is ‘kinky’
d: um... WHAT?
m: your hair is ‘kinky’
d: ummmmmmmm....
m: you know... it sorta... zigzags everywhere... like knots *makes hand motions of criss-crosses*
d: oh.. haha.. yes... K

HAHAHA. Mary... please never lose your innocence and lack of understanding of all the malevolent words of the English language =D. And yes... since I took your boyfriend to the Christmas party, to compensate, you get honourable mention on my blog!

One last mention!

Thank you, friend. I WILL celebrate! You’ll be joining in the good times soon too!!!!

To all my friends still pushing through for their last few exams! ADD OIL (if you’re a robot), otherwise... keep powering through it! We’ll all party like its 1999 when you’re all done =).

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under construction.

Bear with me as I continue to work on getting my three blogs up to speed!!!!. The tumblr is good to go as it was pretty easy to set up.... and is also very quick to post on. haha. I have a few overdue posts coming to this blog and one coming soon to thelifemuse.

My apologies as my writing skills are much better than my design skills =\.

the rundown:

derkness – life with Derek. Just an outlet for me to be... me. Just to post whatever is going on in life and I feel like sharing with the world. That means being random, happy, whiney, stupid, religious, lame and quirky. But mostly just stupid, aka the real me. derkness.blogspot.com

thelifemuse – My deeper thoughts and reflections on life. I’m the guy who’s known to think too much for his own good... so let me share some of that excess with you! You know the deal: it’ll be my happy and encouraging twists and musings on life itself in the new era. Live joyously & responsibly, people! thelifemuse.blogspot.com

lifeinterjections – My opportunity to start compiling all the quick and short encouragements in life to motivate and encourage on a quicker/more often basis. 3 purposes: refresh, motivate, smile. Yes... to be updated daily. (I’ll double post if I miss a day). Will be interesting to see how long I can keep this up! lifeinterjections.tumblr.com

derkness will be my main blog. Follow this one if you have to choose only one =p. (I’ll link thelifemuse here whenever I post & lifeinterjections weekly or so).