It hasn’t quite hit me yet but it’s nearing the end of the year 2008.
Looking back, I wrote a whopping 5 blog posts not counting this one. So much for trying to become a regular blogger. Well, there’s always next year.
The year began with my final term in my undergraduate career. It was one helluva ride. It concluded my 30-week streak for going to every Bomber Wednesday and I wrote my undergraduate thesis: “Risk Factors of Asthma Exacerbation”. I also managed to pass an upper year econ course without ever having attended a single lecture(not even the first one), only writing the first of two midterms, and studying only for the 6 hours preceding the final exam. I actually thought I had a chance of failing. But I ended somewhere in the 70s. I consider it my crowning academic achievement. Closely followed by the 100% I got in my 3rd-year microeconomics course.
It seems like an eternity ago when I was still in school but I suppose it’s been less than 8 months since I wrote my final exam. So what exactly have I been up to since graduating with a very prestigious degree from such a very prestigious university?
(begin side-story tangent)
So back in February or so I was checking over everything to make sure I had everything in order so that I could finish my degree at the end of the winter term in April and to be part of summer convocation in June. I had checked with my Arts undergraduate advisor to make sure I had fulfilled all my degree requirements for a BA so I decided to check with my Economics advisor to make sure all my economics major and specialization requirements were fine so that I wouldn’t get some ugly surprise a month before convocation.
I went to the advisor’s office with my transcript in hand (as required for any consultation, indicated by a note on her door) and asked to speak to her.
She asked what I needed and I told her I just wanted to make sure all my requirements were fulfilled as I was planning on graduating this term.
Her response to me was “You know, you go to a very prestigious university and you will be getting a very prestigious degree and we expect that you can figure out the requirements yourself.”
I was like…uhh ok, not bothering to explain that I had already gone over everything, but just wanted to double-check in case there was some issue I didn’t know about since I transferred from computer engineering. and I left. she never answered my question. but I graduated anyway.
(end tangent story)
The last 7 months have been a blast. I started it off with Power Week. It consisted of Power Days over which Daveed, Michelle, and I did random, fun, and new things. Oh and lots of eating delicious food.
Both Daveed and Michelle have since left me. Daveed embarked on a year-long journey to Japan to teach english. Michelle left a bit later to go to Australia to finish her last term abroad.
Over the winter we, The House, started what we affectionately called “The Stack”. We had gotten into quite the habit of ordering pizza from Twice The Deal Pizza and for some reason or another, we started keeping the XL pizza boxes and started a nice stack of them in our dining room. It soon reached the ceiling and we started a 2nd stack. We then started calling it “Twice the Stack”. And for some reason none of us thought of it until one day Lisa was over and she looked over and said “it’s the leaning tower of pizza”. Hahaha. oh.
The Stack was with us for a while but we decided it was time to part and eventually we disposed of it one warm, spring afternoon.
May marked the beginning of a new phase in my life. The phase of getting jacked, as Mariano and I like to call it. I started going to the gym regularly with Mariano. He didn’t quite believe me at first when I said I’d go everyday but he soon started believing me. It’s been great, it’s like having my own personal trainer. With his new(over the summer) glasses – dubbed the “Trainer Glasses” – he also fits the part.
A summer of gym and all the hilarity (oh yes) involved ensued.
This has now been the longest (7 months) I’ve consistently worked out in my life. I started lifting weights back in first year but the normal pattern would be work out hard for about 3-4 months, then get lazy for about 4-12 then repeat. I think I’m finally at the point where I don’t really think to myself “god, I have to go to the gym today” and instead I think “when am I going to the gym today?” The consistency has paid off. I am now the strongest, fittest, and biggest I’ve been in my life.
Daveed, I know you’re reading this (and probably one of 3 people reading it haha) so I have some bad news for you: We’re getting jacked. You have a lot of catching up to do.
I also spent the summer and fall working on developing my programming and web development skills. Since then I’ve worked on a number of personal projects(uwcourses.ca, Team Jacked, among others) as well as projects for clients(Thai Garden Restaurant, Elite Life Media), and I’ve been working on building up my portfolio (as well as my public image now at www.hirodozono.com).
I’ve come a long way and I’d consider myself a Ruby on Rails expert as well as a CSS ninja.
Some other highlights this summer included going to a Jimmy Eat World concert which was simply the most wonderful experience, a road-trip to Kingston, and taking a picture of myself with David Johnston(the president of University of Waterloo) while I was onstage during the convocation ceremony. I also had a small mohawk for a while which was pretty sweet.
This fall I started teaching CycleFit(indoor cycling/aka spinning) on campus. This was really a random endeavor that came about because in the summer our friend Heather suggested to Mariano that he should take an instructor course and then the day before the course they asked me if I wanted to do it as well. I figured sure, why not, it was only a one-day course.
During the instructor training course the instructor asked about everyone’s involvement in CycleFit/spinning and most people had done it a number of times and loved it; Mariano and I had never been to a class before. And we were about to start teaching haha.
Fast-forward to the fall and we had to start teaching. Mariano and I had “practised” our classes a few times but it was basically just us trying to survive on the bike for more than 20 minutes. Classes are 55 minutes long. Take away about 10-15 for warm-up and cooldown and it’s basically 40-45 mins of intense interval cardio.
My first class was brutal. I was sick. I had yet to go to any class. My cardio was mediocre. But I survived. I learned quickly and by the 3rd week I had mastered it and it was no problem. I remember the first few weeks I could barely yell out instructions to the class while trying to keep my feet pedaling. It’s intense enough as it is to be cycling for a whole class but having to talk and yell while everyone else is gasping for air is pretty damn challenging. My lung capacity has no doubt increased significantly over the last 3 months and now I can run a whole class without dying.
Honestly though, CycleFit has been the greatest addition to my fitness regimen. It’s high-intensity interval training and the benefits are incredible. My cardio has vastly improved, my legs are not only getting really strong but my quads are getting jacked and toned. And best of all, it obliterates fat.
I pioneered a new diet called the “CycleFit Diet”. Mariano talks about cutting and bulking (bodybuilding terms) and the respective “Cut Diet” and “Bulk Diet”. If people ever ask if I’m on a diet I tell them I’m on the CycleFit Diet: I do CycleFit twice a week. and then eat whatever the hell I want.
So far so good. I haven’t lost any weight but considering I eat so much garbage and haven’t gotten fat I consider it a success. Although, I can only imagine how cut I’d get if I combined CycleFit with a proper, healthy diet. I’m thinking about it for a few months in the new year.
I got a new unibody Macbook Pro a few weeks after it came out. Greatest. Laptop. Ever.
So the Athletics department of UW launched a new branding campaign this fall and they chose the slogan “Engage.” This is hilarious and awesome because back about 3 years ago in 2005 Mariano started saying [dis]“engage” ALL THE TIME. As a result, our entire social circle start saying [dis]“engage” ALL THE TIME. (Yes, it comes from JLP of Star Trek). To have it turn into a slogan for Athletics is quite fantastic. But it gets better. They made a shit-ton of t-shirts that boldly display the word “Engage.” We of course had to get our hands on them. And a few more for our friends.
Mariano had some friends come visit us from Ottawa and Kingston for Oktoberfest. It was then decided that we would all wear the Engage shirts to Oktoberfest. Greatest decision ever. It was epic. We spent the whole night yelling “engage” at people. and pointing at our shirts of course.
2008 was a fun year. It was also a very laid back year and a nice break considering I was in school for 9 consecutive terms. I look forward to greeting 2009 with renewed ambition and intensity. I just read Outliers (a splendid gift from RC-W) and I now realize what I must do.
Great post!
It is hilarious. I wish I was around for more of it. You have had quite a year.
Here’s to another bigger and better year.
I saw a link to your blog from Ryan’s blog. I emailed my advisor asking about my requirements and I got a link to the undergraduate calendar, haha. Nice pizza stack, too!
sounds like you had an excellent year! i never doubted you’d be such a success. i’m glad to know that you’re also having a blast doing it.
take care.
I’m going to need one of those shirts.
Engage.