The pre-CNY edition

Time really flies and even a month can zoom by when you really want it to crawl across the road that is your life. Here I am, one day away from Chinese New Year, only to realize these last few weeks has been ridiculously busy for me. I wish I got a dollar for every time I started a post like this.

So the last 10, well 12 days, seeing as I'm late for my entry sure have been wild! I had one of the best crowds at the comedy club and managed to squeeze in a bi-lingual show (always refreshingly fun) and boy did the laughter sound like lions roaring! They were such a fun crowd to perform for because you could see people were genuinely enjoying themselves, no golf claps at any point!

I've also managed to realize that setting goals are great, achieving goals are even greater, but accepting that you could not attain a goal because it was out of your realistic reach (for now) bring a real level of inner peace. The funny thing is, I've had so many occasions when my plans for the day have failed that it no longer bothers me as much (it still does) as before. Kind of like how even if I know I have a big stressful thing to deal with tomorrow, I can still properly let go of everything today and enjoy it. Even though tomorrow's Chinese New Year, I have to film with RTHK for the show I'm hosting called Hong Kong Stories. It does suck, I must admit, because every year, Chinese New Year is the one time I can honestly rest. I mean this is when I can tell myself it's really me time. But this year, after filming, I'll be catching up on all my emails and projects I still have to go through. It's horrible that I'm so behind on my own personal projects as well as web projects I have on hand. I really don't like to keep people on hold let alone myself.

On a brighter note, like I said, at least I've learnt to deal with failure much better than before so it doesn't bring me down as much as it used to. I accept it, move on and plan my next day better so I can achieve a little bit more than the day before.

So we're nearing the end of the month and a few things I had set out as monthly goals. One of them is my drumming. A key goal I had was to improve my double-bass speed and so far so good, I'm hitting 170+ bpm and even managed to squeeze in 190 on a good day! :P Going to the gym and working out those legs like a madman really does help! Not to mention I've adjusted my diet a lot to help promote a healthier lifestyle for me. Although I'm saying this 5 minutes away from eating Cheesecake. Why cheesecake? Well it's my grandmother's 83rd birthday today and she absolutely loves cheesecake so that's why. Oh and this is me after I had a sudden insane craving for chocolate chip cookies last night just before bed. Yes, a healthier lifestyle in italics. No but seriously, I'm eating better which in turn helps me out everywhere because boy do I need the energy to keep up with everything that's going on!

I should have a small, tiny cameo role in the new movie All's Well End's Well 2009 so hopefully I'll get to check it out some time soon this week. Ahah, really don't know what to expect seeing as the filming they did of me was really, really, really short but who knows :P People have told me they saw my name in the credits so I should be somewhere in the movie. But nonetheless, it was an eye opening experience, especially since that was my first proper "filming" I had ever done. Boy was I nervous.

Speaking of being nervous, do you ever get worried when you try a new hair dresser? I do. I hate cutting my hair because I always feel awkward when I do because it's like you're literally tied down to a chair and forced to create small talk. And if you don't, it's like you're worried the barber will not do a good job because you're just any other guy. Well such was my case yesterday. I just wanted to cut my hair a bit because it was getting too wild for me (curley hair does that after a while) and figured to save time, I'd just go to a close by salon and well, it sure was awesome price-wise, everything else though, was dreadful. From the moment the guy was shampooing my hair, you could kind of sense he was only doing it for the pay. I mean, I don't blame him for feeling that way, but it kind of sucks because I mean, had they dont a better job, chances are they could charge a slightly higher price and still keep their customers. If you ask me, a good shampoo at a hair salon makes a big difference, it's like getting a good massage. The room could look like shit, but a good massage makes a biiiiiiiiig difference. So there I was, all wet in the hair, and I waited for the random barber and he came over, started snipping away. I thought to myself "hold on, don't you want to ask me what I want?!" at that point I realized it was too late. I was getting a hair cut not a hair style. Before I knew it, he was done. I told him "Could you cut the top a bit please?" after all, it was the top that was going wild the most, and so he did, he washed my hair, blew dry (...or it is blow dryed?) and well I sat there thinking "really? You're honestly happy with this cut?" not to myself, but to the barber. I mean, it felt a bit lopsided to me but by that point I just wanted to get out and get on with my life.

So check this out, I have to pay, thinking I have just enough money for the cut, and bam! I was slapped with a "oh we charge $30 more for today because it's just before Chinese New Year". Ouch. A bad hair cut, $30 more and I didn't have enough cash with me. And they only accepted cash. So now I had to run across the street and get some money from an ATM. The best thing though, no ATM. So the next best thing is the supermarket, so there I was, lining up, just to get money. Boy did that feeling suck. So here I am, typing this with a head of hair I'm not very happy with. I've learnt my lesson. You get what you pay for. Sure the hair stylist I normally go to is pretty damn pricey, it's like 5 times more expensive! But to be honest, it's worth it. Kind of makes me think of my web design skills. I do admit I charge a tad bit more, but the heart I put into my work, I'd say it's worth it.

I mean, I get why people would go back to this hair salon, because they're used to these hair cuts, but for me, I think of it this way, while I still have head on my hair, it's a worthy investment to hold it proudly. Yes, I'm a dude. I haven't forgotten that, but it doesn't mean I'm not allowed to be proud of one part of the hair that covers my body. Right?

So the big Day 10 words of widsom are: You get what you pay for. Unless you're an idiot and get ripped off. And on that note, Happy Chinese New Year!! Let the lai see floooooowwww!!