return of the blog

Hello...

it's late. everyone in the house is sleeping. nothing or no one to turn to other than this blog to express my random thoughts. good ol' blog. you've always been there for me in those times when i don't quite feel like chatting on msn, or writing in a real journal...

so here are some random thoughts...

Spider-Man 3 is the biggest disappointment in movie history.... ever.... period... Sam Raimi, what the hell were you thinking? Congratulations, you've single handedly managed to ruin this franchise with the campiest, cheesiest, most unfulfilling installment. I think this movie ranks down there with Batman & Robin as one of the worst super-hero movies ever. And it's hard for me to say it cause i really love spider-man. One can only hope that there is a franchise reboot a-la batman begins or a casino royale coming.

i had my wisdom teeth taken out a few days ago. i'm paranoid that something will get stuck in the holes. i'm told that that's what my syringe is for... but i was dopped up when they were showing me how to use it. i wonder how they expect their patients to remember their instructions. the doctor said i should be taking a week off work, given that i work at a call centre and have to talk all day long. i feel alright and i could probably force myself back to work, but then again... i don't want to "risk it"....yes... that's it. but i can't wait til i can start eating normal food again.... the first thing i'm going to gorge on is a wendy's steakhouse double melt... i've been seeing adds for it all over the net... mmmm....bacon, swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, between two 1/4 all-beef patties...

i haven't been playing my xbox 360 as much lately and now i feel guilty. i spent so much money on it and now it's just sitting there... everytime i try and start a game, i start to remember why i haven't been playing it much... it's i can't get past that stupid level!... I guess i'm not as hardcore as i used to be. my attention span for video games is getting smaller.... and yet i still have a list of games i can't wait to try

Assassin's Creed
Army of Two
NHL 07
Devil May Cry 4
Guitar Hero 2
Too Human
Lost Planet

I think it's just because it's summer time and it doesn't quite feel right to be couped up inside staring at a screen... wait...

i'm going on vacation in a couple weeks. yaaaaayy... gonna go back home, visit my parents, get into the studio with the band and lay down some new tracks, and then end off the week with back-to-back shows. now THAT's what i'm talkin 'bout. i haven't rocked out on the drums in months. it's about freakin time.

i'm looking for a car. i have my heart set on a white 2003 mazda protege5.

now i'm tired... thanks blog...

Hollywood Kid...

I've posted nothing in 4 months... and this is what moves me into action. Take a look:

Dear Sears.ca,

By now you have probably received many emails from very disappointed and irrate customers about how you've cancelled their online orders for the Nintendo Wii. I can understand that there may not be enough units for you to ship. I can understand that a product with as high a demand as this would be hard to come by. Rest assured, I am not even disappointed that i will not be getting the product I ordered from your website because deep down i figured it was too good to be true anyway.

However, my issue is with your so-called "Promised Date". When I ordered the Nintendo Wii off your website, i was given a "promised date" of December 5, 2006. Amidst all the frenzy of the Sunday morning the product was released to the public, I smuggly felt calm and collected because Sears assured me that I would receive my order within a reasonable amount of time. I left for church later that morning with mixed feelings. On one hand it seemed to me that I would be able to make someone i care about very happy. On the other hand, I just didn't know if i could trust you. Little did I know, my sneeking suspicion would later come back to blow up in my face.

Any person educated beyond primary school can tell you what a promise means, but let me enlighten you, just in case you are not privy to this information. Webster's dictionary defines the word "promise" as follows:

1. a declaration that something will be done, given, etc., by one
2. an express assurance on which expectation is to be based
3. something that has the effect of an express assurance; indication of what may be expected.
4. indication of future excellence or achievement

You get the picture. It seems to me that only one of two things can be true about Sears.ca. Either 1. you folks do not fully understand the concept of a promise and are using the word in an incorrect manner; or 2. you know full well what a promise is and deceitfully lead people to believe that they would receive their orders without being absolutely certain that you would be able to follow through on your so-called promise, in which case makes you a bunch of liars.
Neither case makes for a very good business practise, nor a very respectable reputation.

Let me tell you something else. I was trying to order the Nintendo Wii from Bestbuy.ca at the same time and i'm sure you must have heard stories about how much of a disaster that website was. They let the customers get so far into the process of ordering only to boot them
back out to the checkout page once the website realized it didn't have enough units to fulfill their orders. Unfortunately, I was one who was booted out at the last second. Needless to say, i was very upset at bestbuy. But what they did to me is nothing in comparison to what Sears.ca has done. At least Bestbuy had the guts to tell you upfront that your order would not be processed. What you did was far worse. You LIED to people.

Don't get me wrong, i know everyone here is human and we all make mistakes. That is why i am bringing this to your attention. I won't even begin to tell you how much inconvenience you have caused me by misleading me with your "promise". However, i will do you one better and request that you stop calling it a "Promised Date". At least call it an "Estimated Date", for goodness' sake. Honestly, how hard could it be?

What's even more baffling is that when i called the help line to ask about the promised date, not even your own employees could assure me that the item would arrive by that date. What i would give to sit in on the training session that explained what the "promised date" was all about. I suppose I should have seen it coming. i should have known, right then and there, that this was not a good sign. You see, we all make mistakes and i'll be the first to admit mine: placing my trust in you.

But hey, what are mistakes for, anyway? Mistakes are just opportunities that present themselves in a less than pleasant manner. But they are still opportunities nonetheless. I've learned my lesson from my mistake. The least you could do is learn from yours. Take this opportunity to make things right.

David Chin

Hollywood Kid...

I've posted nothing in 4 months... and this is what moves me into action. Take a look:

Dear Sears.ca,

By now you have probably received many emails from very disappointed and irrate customers about how you've cancelled their online orders for the Nintendo Wii. I can understand that there may not be enough units for you to ship. I can understand that a product with as high a demand as this would be hard to come by. Rest assured, I am not even disappointed that i will not be getting the product I ordered from your website because deep down i figured it was too good to be true anyway.

However, my issue is with your so-called "Promised Date". When I ordered the Nintendo Wii off your website, i was given a "promised date" of December 5, 2006. Amidst all the frenzy of the Sunday morning the product was released to the public, I smuggly felt calm and collected because Sears assured me that I would receive my order within a reasonable amount of time. I left for church later that morning with mixed feelings. On one hand it seemed to me that I would be able to make someone i care about very happy. On the other hand, I just didn't know if i could trust you. Little did I know, my sneeking suspicion would later come back to blow up in my face.

Any person educated beyond primary school can tell you what a promise means, but let me enlighten you, just in case you are not privy to this information. Webster's dictionary defines the word "promise" as follows:

1. a declaration that something will be done, given, etc., by one
2. an express assurance on which expectation is to be based
3. something that has the effect of an express assurance; indication of what may be expected.
4. indication of future excellence or achievement

You get the picture. It seems to me that only one of two things can be true about Sears.ca. Either 1. you folks do not fully understand the concept of a promise and are using the word in an incorrect manner; or 2. you know full well what a promise is and deceitfully lead people to believe that they would receive their orders without being absolutely certain that you would be able to follow through on your so-called promise, in which case makes you a bunch of liars.
Neither case makes for a very good business practise, nor a very respectable reputation.

Let me tell you something else. I was trying to order the Nintendo Wii from Bestbuy.ca at the same time and i'm sure you must have heard stories about how much of a disaster that website was. They let the customers get so far into the process of ordering only to boot them
back out to the checkout page once the website realized it didn't have enough units to fulfill their orders. Unfortunately, I was one who was booted out at the last second. Needless to say, i was very upset at bestbuy. But what they did to me is nothing in comparison to what
Sears.ca has done. At least Bestbuy had the guts to tell you upfront that your order would not be processed. What you did was far worse. You LIED to people.

Don't get me wrong, i know everyone here is human and we all make mistakes. That is why i am bringing this to your attention. I won't even begin to tell you how much inconvenience you have caused me by misleading me with your "promise". However, i will do you one better
and request that you stop calling it a "Promised Date". At least call it an "Estimated Date", for goodness' sake. Honestly, how hard could it be?

What's even more baffling is that when i called the help line to ask about the promised date, not even your own employees could assure me that the item would arrive by that date. What i would give to sit in on the training session that explained what the "promised date" was all about. I suppose I should have seen it coming. i should have known, right then and there, that this was not a good sign. You see, we all make mistakes and i'll be the first to admit mine: placing my trust in you.

But hey, what are mistakes for, anyway? Mistakes are just opportunities that present themselves in a less than pleasant manner. But they are still opportunities nonetheless. I've learned my lesson from my mistake. The least you could do is learn from yours. Take this opportunity to make things right.

David Chin

2 rip

somehow i knew watching boiler room would mean a little more to me this time around that the first time i watched it...

it's 3 weeks into my on the job training and i've had some ups and downs. there are some days when i feel pumped and ready to sell... then there are days when i just want to quit sales and see what else there is to do. only time, and God, will tell where i'm supposed to be headed. but for now, i guess i'll just take it one day at a time.

i'm the juggernaut, b*tch!

i gotta tell you.... i was pretty disappointed with x-men 3... there was zero character development, which is what i think the biggest strengths of the first 2 movies... oh well... now i can look forward to Nacho Libre, Super-Man and Pirates...

i've been in toronto for 2 weeks, and i've been asked if it feels weird to be here. to be honest, not really. i'm not one to be phased by a change of scenery. I usually cope pretty well with change. it's getting me to move once i get comfortable that's the challenge. so far it's been nice, though.

and there are so many good bands coming to toronto in the next few weeks and all of the shows are sold out!... arctic monkeys, we are scientists, broken social scene, bloc party, just to name a few.... that's more than ottawa will get in the entire year...

working at cibc so far has been pretty fun. right now i'm still in class room training and it feels like high school all over again... i'm not looking forward to those 4 to midnight shifts though... which reminds me... i have to get my hands on a car somehow, seeing as how buses and subways won't take me home after i'm done my shift.

i bought a mac!!!! i'm so happy... i can now successfully consider myself a part of the cult.

bleah...

yikes, it's been a while... i wonder if people still read this... hm?

a lot's changed since my last posting... for starters, i didn't get the Scotiabank job, although anyone reading this right now probably knows that already... I thought of more amusing Rogers stories, but then i forgot them... and now i have a job with CIBC in Toronto.

I haven't started yet... i have about a month to tie up loose ends and get myself ready for something that i've always pseudo-dreaded... moving to Toronto. It's not just the angry leafs fans, or the seemingly perpetually congested roads and highways, or even the fact that big cities scare me. It's the fact that i must uproot myself once again from home.

I've left home before... when i went to university. But this is different, i might not ever live in ottawa again, and some people i may never see again. To make matters even more difficult, it feels like i've just started to get my life together. I found a cell group i can go to regularly and feel like i've actually fellowshipped. I been leading worship in my home church for 6 months now and i'm gaining confidence. My band just started to get recognized we we're getting fans that actually AREN'T friends of friends or family members. And my dad is home from malaysia, maybe permanently. And now i have to leave.

Don't get me wrong, there are upsides to moving to Toronto, most notably, i get to be in the same city as Joanie. I don't know how much time we'll actually get to spend together, considering the hours i have to work. (4pm-12am), but we'll be together. Most of the friends i've made from university are in Toronto. And the job i have is apparently the gateway to many opportunities to build a successful career. So in many ways, moving to toronto almost seems like the right move in terms of getting my life together, regardless of what i have in ottawa.

i don't know... i should be excited, right?

i shall not be in want...

I think it's time a got serious about working on my spiritual discipline. I need to form the habit of giving time to God every day. I've never been one to have very much discipline in my life. Not to say that i've been a very undisciplined person, per se. But in terms of keeping commitments such as finishing a devotional book, or daily prayer time, those are things i've never been able to keep up for more than a few weeks at a time.

I've been taking a Sunday School class on spiritual habits and discipline for the past few weeks at my church. I've been learning a lot, but the most prevalent lesson to date has been the importance of keeping the discipline of daily devotions. It's obvious that it's hard to know what God's will is unless you spend time with Him. I guess all my troubles with finding a job, not knowing what my purpose is or where i'm supposed to be, etc.... all that is probably the result of not having a regular quiet time.

Starting now, (famous words, eh?) i'm proclaiming to God and the world wide web, that my daily devotion time is now 7 am on days that i work, and 8:30am on days that i don't work. I think that's reasonable. My prayer is that God will enable me to do this.

The book i picked to study as a devotional is "The Man God Uses" by the Blackabys, the guys who wrote Experiencing God. Even though we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, the title seems appropriate. This is one of the books i've started but never finished. Hopefully this time around i'll be able to get to the end without giving up or missing a day.

The other thing that i'm going to work on is keeping a regular journal. I guess i could just use this blog as a journal.... But do i want to blog every day? I guess a lot of people do it.

Of course it's going to be hard, but what on Earth is worthwhile that isn't hard? Plus, I believe this is something that God wants me to do, so technically I should get all the help i need to accomplish this from God Himself.

---

Scotiabank, where are you? Ok, it's been a week. Maybe i should call them. Yes, i will. I'm marking it down on my list of things to do tomorrow. Although i've been learning to be patient and content with God's timing, i still think it's my responsibility to at least follow up on the interview.

Hmm... while i'm at it, i guess i'll take this time to list some thoughts that have never had the chance to leave my head since i've started working at Rogers....

Here's something that makes my day:

On days that I open the store, i have to get there by 8:30 am so that the store can open at 10. I don't know how many times this has happened:

1. Customer walks up to the door and pulls on it, only to find that it's locked.
2. Customer looks at the store hours and realizes that the store doesn't open until 10am.
3. Customer pulls on the door again.

Here's a call that i got, almost verbatim, when i was in the middle of opening the store a couple days ago:

9:03 am, 57 minutes before open... phone rings.

D: "Hello, Rogers Video Stittsville. Dave speaking, how can i help you?"
c: "Yes, what time do you guys open?"
d: "We open at 10 am."
c: "Oh, so you're not open yet?"
d: "Sorry, no. We don't open until 10am."
c: "I see... you don't open until 10am. Can you tell me if you have Sponge Bob on DVD?... Which ones do you have? can you put some aside for me?"

... more to come later....