My Drug: Music
For as long as I can remember, my love for music has only grown and evolved. At my core, I have always been a hip hip, R&B, and rap fan. I’ll occasionally phase in and out of Hawaiian, reggae, alternative, classic rock, and oldies.
Today, I almost exclusively listen to EDM. I remember listening to Paul Brandon’s Mix @ 6 when I was in high school. Not knowing who the artists were or what the songs names were, I knew I liked this new “sound.” It’s hard to remember all the songs I went through during my early interests, but I can easily say these two songs stand as pillars for my foundation of EDM:
Rachel Starr – To Forever (Moonbeam remix)
Cosmic Gate – Exploration of Space
From then till now, I’ve slowly zeroed in on what genres of EDM of enjoy the most. I’m a huge fan of trance and well as (progressive) house. But don’t like to restrict myself to only those. In the end, if it sounds good, I’ll listen to it! My love for EDM as grown so much, I listen to it when I exercise, study, and when I’m at work. EDM is so energizing, I feel like I’m on natural high the entire time.
Over the last few years, it’s amazing how the EDM community has grown. It’s inclusion in mainstream hip-hop has really opened its doors to more people. I feel like just 2-3 years ago, very few of my friends listened to EDM, and today they are traveling across the US to attend festivals.
I plan on posting some of my playlists from time to time to give you a feel of what I’m listening to. So to start, here goes:
- W&W – Lift Off
- Sebastian Ingrosso & Tommy Trash – Reloaded
- Omnia – The Light
- Swedish House Mafia – Greyhound
- Emma Hewitt – Rewind (Mikkas Remix)
more to come!
Argyle
Argyle, a pattern of diamonds and lozenges derived from Clan Campbell of Argyll, Scotland.
As part of my latest addiction to ties and all other things related to business dress, I recently picked up a few argyle socks from my favorite sock brand, Gold Toe.
I’ve been hesitant to buy argyle socks since they tend to be much pricier compared to plain solid color socks. On top of that, my pants tend to be longer meaning you probably won’t see sock color anyways when I sit down.
Anyways, here’s a couple sock/shoe combinations.
This really does give a small touch of color and flare to your everyday outfit. However, the line between clever and goofy is very thin when it comes to matching argyle socks with everything else you’re wearing.
Shirts & Ties
Recently I’ve been opening up my wardrobe and trying to be little more “adventurous” with my shirt and tie combinations. Knitted ties, wool ties, textured ties, and more. The more I look, the more ideas I get. In addition to more ties, I’ve been buying gingham, chambray, and denim shirts. Anyways, enough with the talk and more pictures…
Rosenhal Chambray Shirt, Gregory Denim Shirt, Montauk Repp Tie in Haven, and Montauk Repp Tie in Arbor.
Easily the most denim I’ve ever worn
I’m also in love with this particular site that has been getting more and more coverage on GQ, The Tie Bar. On the surface, it looks like a cheap and random website, but after making a few purchases, their stuff is quality and at unbelievable prices (all ties are $15!)
my first silk knitted tie and 1″ tie clasp from The Tie Bar
New Shirt
wow, yes, it’s been a while. So many things to write and post about, but no time. Working full-time+balancing two classes is manageable, but I barely have any free time.
Switching gears to fashion/clothes (I think the FFF should like this post), I’ve been on a never-ending search to find an off-the-rack dress shirt that can accommodate my body type. Traditionally, I end up getting a large shirt for the shoulder width, but I feel like I’m drowning around the waist and mid-section from all the extra fabric. I’ve tried numerous “slim fit” and even went down to a medium, but both don’t fit well. I was almost convinced I would never find one unless I went to slightly more expensive brands like Brooks Brothers, or get fully custom shirt.
I’ll keep the store undisclosed for now, but I found a shirt that actually fits well. This is definitely a place I wouldn’t expect to find a shirt, nor have I ever bought a shirt from them. What makes it convenient is that the shirts are sized by neck size and sleeve length (as it should be), and on top of that, it’s non-iron!
Insomnia? + Random Thoughts
I don’t recall ever running into a problem like this, especially one that lasted this long. I usually have an easy time sleeping, and typically get in a solid 6 hours before my internal clock wakes me up. Ever since I got back to Hawaii for break, I’ve been waking up every 2-3 hours. Although tonight is the worst, it’s nearly 2am and I’ve been wide awake this entire time.
Well since I’m up and not in a Yelping mood, I think I’ll take this time for some random thoughts.
As usual, my Christmas break as been standard to any break when I come back to Hawaii. A lot of eating, spending time with family, trying my best to see at least 1 (ideally 2) friends everyday, getting in some workouts at the UFC gym, and going to the beach. Despite everything going pretty smoothly, I’ve thinking a lot about what I’ll be doing in the next 6 months to 1 year. I’ll be graduating from my MBA program in June 2013 and then it’s off to the real world (again). I’ve been telling myself that I wouldn’t mind staying in Seattle, and also would consider San Francisco/San Jose, Denver, and Phoenix. Of course Hawaii is in the mix, but for now, as my last choice if nothing else works out. I like to think I’m pretty adaptable and open to living in new cities, but the comforts of Hawaii will always be in the back of my mind.
There are things I feel Hawaii would be the most ideal for me, such as: starting a family, coaching youth baseball ( the same league I grew up playing in), possibly coaching football at my high school, keeping on touch and being able to see long time friends, and of course being able to see my family.
A lot can happen in the next 6 months, and I just need to take it one step at a time.
Got the Internship!
So many things I want to write about, but here’s a big one…
I got the offer to intern at KPMG’s Economic and Valuation Services department from Jan – March! I’m pretty excited to get back into work, and apply things that I’ve learned through my MBA program.
To get things started, they’ll be flying me out to Orlando for training. And yes, I’ll be staying at SeaWorld. But no, I won’t be able to go! I know, what a TEASE!
My first NFL Game!
Football, easily my favorite sport to watch. It’s a shame that it has taken me this long to finally see my first NFL game. But then again, growing up in Hawaii where there is no professional teams, it’s no surprise.
I was fortunate enough to get picked through Seattle University’s lottery system for $35 discounted tickets. This ticket would run a minimum of $200 if you were buy it off of ticketmaster, stubhub, or some other platform. Nose bleed or not, I’ll take $35 tickets any time.
North side entrance
I thought this is a great idea. I try to avoid at all cost buying any food or drinks at sporting events, the prices are just ridiculous. But right when I watched through the gates, there were about 5-6 food trucks! If I knew about this, I wouldn’t have eaten prior to the game *note to self for next game*
After wandering around the stadium for an hour, we decided to start walking to our seats.
View of downtown Seattle
Seahawks entrance
180 pano from my seat (taken with Galaxy Nexus)
Reppin my new Seahawks gear
Fortunately, the Seahawks pulled out a Win. My experience at CenturyLink was great, the noise level does get pretty crazy too. At the end of the day I got kneed in the back, got beer spilled on me, and saw a fight. All in all, I’d call it a successful and memorable day.
How do you do it?
I am sorry, work and school are really taken up a lot of my time. But that does not mean I’ve forgotten about this blog. I have a couple of entries I still want to share when I get some breathing room.
But for this entry, lets keep it simple.
A fellow MBA student and friend asked me, “Chris, how do you do it all? You go to school full time, take an extra non-credit online class, work a a part-time job, play intramurals, volunteer, and participate in clubs!”
my response, “I don’t sleep, and I love coffee!”
Well of course I sleep, but very little. Here’s an example of what my day looks like…
5:40am: Wake up, hit snooze a couple times
6am: Get out of bed and drink a pre-work out supplement
6:30am: Group fitness class
8am: Make post-work out protein shake, brew first batch of coffee, make lunch, read tech blogs and NFL news.
10:30am: head to campus to study (usually for readings due that same day)
1pm-5pm: work
5:30pm: get another cup, or two, of coffee
6-8:40pm – class
9pm: head to library for additional hw
11pm: go home
11pm-12:30am: Unwind, watch DVRed shows
1am – sleeping
that’s my day, Monday though Friday, for the most part!
The MOOC Movement: Coursera
MOOC – Massive Open Online Courses
Have you ever heard of Coursera or Kahn Academy? These are two popular MOOC’s that are taking the next step in higher education. The concept of MOOC was brought to my attention in my MBA marketing principles class this past summer, and I was very intrigued.
These platforms offer free, yes, 100% free, online classes taught by professors from the nation’s top schools (Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Michigan, Princeton…the list goes on) from topics ranging from Biology & Life Sciences to Economics & Finance. What’s the catch? You will not earn any credit towards any educational institution (but you will get a signed certificate if you pass the course!).
Since it’s purely an online course, some of you may think the class is easy. But you are wrong. The courses recommend you dedicate at minimum of 5-7 hours a week to watch lectures and do homework. On top of that, most courses are 10 weeks long, which is the same was my quarterly MBA schedule.
Why do this? My response back is WHY NOT? I personally have a thirst for knowledge. Although finance and economics are my main courses of study, I try to broaden my general knowledge. My latest interests have been about theoretical physics through the readings of Stephen Hawking and general knowledge of astrophysics from Neil deGrasse Tyson. I feel that MOOC/Coursera is a near revolutionary idea to help spread knowledge once thought to be obtainable only if you could score high on standardized tests and have the bank account to pay for it.
For my first MOOC experience, I chose “Introduction to Computational Finance and Financial Econometrics” taught by Dr. Eric Zivot of the University of Washington. I look forward to the knowledge I will gain through this and hope you will do the same!
Below is a screen shot of my Coursera course dashboard:
Time Lapse
Yes, I’ve been slacking. Just getting settled in, but hope to get in some entries soon.
I’ve been meaning to try this for a long time, and I finally got around to it. My Samsung Galaxy Nexus has a pretty neat time lapse feature so I recorded roughly 27 minutes (real time) and here’s the result:
Nothing special, but hope to capture better and longer shots later!
11th & 12th 