Tiana Feng

You Majored in What?- Not Your Average Career Book

April 16, 2012Books, Entertainment, Inspiration, Life2 Comments

As a recent graduate, the process of finding the right career has been quite scary. I heard of You Majored In What? by Katherine Brooks through my best friend and instantly picked it up. It was a refreshing take on job search in a non-linear matter.

As somebody with a Bachelors of Music as well as a degree in Entertainment Business Management, I thought my path seemed pretty linear. However, this book taught me that there are other ways to think. They implement what is called the chaos theory, and how our experiences in life can bring us elsewhere. As a graduate of something non-traditional, I’m always hit in the face with the question, “So, what are you going to do with that major?” and any career aspirations I have are often ones that are really awkward to explain to people.

You Majored in What? offered great advice on creating my own path and ignore what other people think about where I’m headed. It was a motivating book that taught me how to re-frame experiences into learning opportunities, no matter what they are.

There are some great exercises to discover what your true passions are. I found out that besides music, mine were psychology, social media and visual arts. In addition, there was great advice to interviews, resume writing and crafting your own personal story.

The book gears towards destroying the linear career path way of thinking. For example, just because you majored in engineering, doesn’t mean you have to be an engineer. To anybody who thinks they are stuck in a rut job search wise or even if you want to change your career trajectory, this is a wonderful eye opening book to pick up.

I leave you with this quote:

The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different. – Peter Druker

25 Things To Do Before I’m 25

April 13, 2012Inspiration, Life4 Comments

I started this year with the idea that I would do 30 day challenges each month. I quickly realized that they were not for me. There are people out there that have lived fulfilling lives by challenging themselves every day for 30 days, with something different every month. However, in my active and busy life, it became more chore of a chore than a way to inspire and improve my way of life.

Instead I am making a list of goals and fun things to do before I turn 25. Me and my best friend value the word goals instead of resolutions because it sounds realistic and attainable. Here is my list of various learning experiences and adventures to go on before I turn 25:
in no particular order

Listen to all 1000 albums in the book, 1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die by Tom Moon. What’s in this book ranges from things everybody knows to some really ethnic and obscure things.
Finish Wreck This Journal. I’m close to half-way done, but I really want to finish it so I can buy the rest of Keri Smith’s books!
Reunite with my best friend. She moved back home to New Brunswick when we graduated university. However I hope to visit her there or meet her halfway, perhaps at Osheaga!
Get to Level 25 in Prolobe Ear Training Program
Read 25 Books and blog about what I’ve learned from them
Finish the Google Adwords Certification Program
Redesign Ride the Tempo
Go on a burger inspired road trip. I just really want to visit the places they mention on the Food Network.
Do the CN Tower Skywalk. Anybody wanna go on a walk outside the CN tower with me?
Fill my dream journal and reflect on it.
Organize a show with artists featured on the music blog
Do something athletic. I have to admit that I’m the least active little person in the world.
Play 25 new songs on the piano
Interview 25 musicians 4 down 21 to go.
Get 250 subscribers on Youtube
Defeat 25 iOS games
Meet 25 new people
Eat 25 new things
Move to downtown Toronto. I miss the excitement of living downtown!
Buy a new wallet. I have had the same wallet since grade 9. It’s pretty broken and manly looking, but for some reason I have never been inclined to buy a new one.
Go to a casino. Don’t worry I know my limits! I just have never been to one.
Crochet something useful
Build an online portfolio site
Attempt to write a song
Do something inspired by somebody I don’t know This one is out in the open.

Do I Still Use Siri?

April 12, 2012iOS, Technology3 Comments

The 4S was my first iPhone and like everyone else I was captivated by Siri. Like everyone else, the first thing I did was ask it arbitrary questions.

What are you wearing?

What is the meaning of life

I soon realized that there were limitations to what Siri can do and that the commercials were overly glamorized. Here in Canada location services are unavailable, meaning we can’t even ask where the nearest restaurant is. Nor set location-based reminders.

So, what do I use Siri for?

I’ll tell you that I definitely don’t use it for texting. My message always comes out gibberish and nonsensical. You know how in the Siri commercial the guy is running and telling his iPhone to text a message? That’s impossible. Have you ever tried to clearly say a sentence while running? I don’t have an accent,(at least I’m pretty sure I don’t) but it can’t get my message right when I’m sitting still. To make matters worse, my boyfriend’s name is Nash which always comes out as “mash”.

iphone4srunning — He is doing the impossible

As a tech nerd, I decided to expand the capabilities by jailbreaking my phone and adding a little tweak called AssistantExtensions. It allowed me to do many things like tweet from my phone. However, for the same reasons as messaging, I don’t use it to tweet. You also can’t edit tweets, so whatever drunken gibberish was typed would send to all your followers.

So, do I still use Siri?

Yes, I do. I use it to set reminders, alarms and timers, mainly because I haven’t actually figured out how to set them manually yet. I also ask for the weather when I’m lazy to google and let it call people when I don’t want to sift through the phone book. However, it doesn’t always reach the right person, resulting in some really awkward phone calls.

Lastly, I use it to open programs. It’s one of the hacked tweaks but it’s quite useful since I managed all my apps into folders and sometimes can’t remember where I put them. If I yell “OPEN FACEBOOK!”, it will do just that. I won’t however do this in public. After all, I still think Bluetooth people look crazy, and I haven’t seen anybody yell at their 4S’s just yet.

Is Nestle C[RAVE] An Ice Cream or A Shake?

April 11, 2012April 11, 2012Food1 Comment

When I went grocery shopping last weekend, I found in the sale section, the Nestle C[RAVE]. They were discounted to 50 cents each and came in the shape of the mini ice creams you can buy at the convenient stores. I bought a chocolate one and a strawberry one.

I tried the chocolate one first. It was a soft and mousse-like ice cream. At 325 calories for the entire container, it was a pretty decent tasting. It tasted pretty much like regular chocolate ice cream. Then my sister opened my strawberry and it was completely watery and melted. However, there isn’t very much information on the containers or any of the Nestle websites that tell you it’s supposed to be ice cream. In fact, at the store and online they are labeled as Nestle C[RAVE] shakes. So, was that supposed to be melted?

I am rather confused.

We went back the next day (because they are still on sale), to buy more of them. We figured maybe we picked up one defected one. This time, we squeezed the containers and didn’t pick any that seemed way too soft to be ice cream. Many of them were “melted”. Part of me still wonders if they are supposed to be that way to live up to the shake aspect of the name. We chose to pretend they’re ice cream and went for the more frozen ones.

Does anybody out there know what they really are? If it is a shake, it makes a lousy one. If it’s ice cream, it makes a yummy dietary conscious one.

10 Types of People That Need to Stop Calling My House

April 10, 2012April 11, 2012Life1 Comment

Our family is seriously considering cancelling the home phone. With the exception of a handful of people who don’t know how to use the internet, nobody calls the house. The four of us have our own individual cellphones and the only calls we seem to get are the irritating kinds.

Duct cleaning services are by far the worst offender. Every day it’s a different company in the city. How many ducts can possibly need cleaning that requires the need for 100 companies making 25 calls a day? I’m beginning to think that all these companies and phone calls are just a front for something else. I mean, if you did need duct cleaning, I don’t think you would go to the first person who calls you. You’d probably research it first. It’s not cheap. Maybe these duct cleaning calls are a secret message for “Do you want to buy drugs?”

Continue reading ➞ 10 Types of People That Need to Stop Calling My House

Why I Dislike Grocery Shopping on the Weekends

April 9, 2012Food, Life, Shopping4 Comments

Until I am full-time employed, I live in the suburbs at my parent’s house. This month they happened to be on a trip so I am here to fend for myself in terms of being fed. Throughout the week I collected flyers of the nearby supermarkets and circled items on sale. My parents had always gone grocery shopping on the weekend, so I thought it would be plausible to do the same. However, I discovered it is one of the worst things ever.

People forget how to drive shopping carts. It’s like all the people who drive in rush hour on a weekday some how congregated into the same supermarket. There is no order whatsoever. You just go whenever the path is clear. If ever. The only exception seems to be the organic food aisle. Have you seen the prices? It’s no wonder nobody goes down there. The worst offenders of shopping cart mayhem seem to be senile old people who seem to yell at you from every direction. I like to pretend that they probably drive like this too.

There’s more of a chance of running into somebody you know. I ran into the parent’s of one of the kids I used to teach. It was a pleasant encounter except for the fact I was trying to stock up on 5 packs of bacon. It makes things awkward when their cart consists of vegetables and organic cereals. Way to make me feel guilty. Not of my own eating habits of course, just that I’m the mockery of theirs.

It’s survival of the fittest. Why do you need 10 jugs of orange juice? I only wanted one for my sister. If you want to get any sales item, you must get there first. Run. And if you came to an empty rack, glare at the person who has a mountain on their cart.

The lines are like the ones at Disney World. Forget express lanes. People on weekends don’t know how to count. Hey dude in front of me you clearly have more than 10 items. I’m only trying to buy these two tomatoes. Again, you also get the senile old people and the people who pretend they don’t know English (and therefore the sign) who cut in front of you. This makes going to multiple stores for sales a pain in the ass.

If you’re a weekly weekend shopper, I tip my imaginary hat to you. You must be a trooper. As for me, I think I will avoid this trip for a more subdued time of week.

Lessons I Have Learnt from Draw Something

April 5, 2012April 5, 2012Art, iOS, Technology, Video Games3 Comments

elvis — Really horrible drawing I did of Elvis

If you don’t know already, Draw Something is the new mobile game sensation. It’s basically a set of Pictionary that you can play with your friends who have Apple and Android devices. I have been playing it for a couple of weeks now and through observation I have realized and learnt many things.

Celebrities are really hard to draw. I try my hardest not to use words when I am drawing clues. I think it’s cheating. However, when you get hit with a celebrity, it can become hard.

drake — This is Drake, boyfriend didn't get it.

britney — Name the first generic blonde person you can think of!

People draw people that look like themselves. Whenever the drawing requires the use of a person to describe something, they always seem to look like the person who drew the picture. I’m guilty of this too. My people always look like the doodles of me that I do on My Life In Drawings. Other people do this too though. My friends who have blonde hair draw blonde people. Those that have curly hair draw curly haired people. Even if it takes an extra step to do these things.

pegasus — Guess the hair colour of the person that drew this.

It can be used as a genius marketing plan. Companies should insert their names into this game. Subliminal advertising after all. And hey, if your logo isn’t recognizable for anybody to want to draw it, maybe you should do something about that.

Continue reading ➞ Lessons I Have Learnt from Draw Something

Improv Fried Rice

April 4, 2012Food, RecipesLeave a Comment

I was never really taught how to make fried rice. Being Asian, I have eaten many different variations of fried rice. My favourite by far has been my mom’s. She usually just improvised with whatever meat was on hand and added the following ingredients:

Continue reading ➞ Improv Fried Rice

Mac and Cheese With Bacon

April 2, 2012Food, RecipesLeave a Comment

mac and cheese is really awkward to take a picture of

Having the house to myself again means more cooking adventures. Today I decided to make good ol’ Mac n Cheese from scratch. I read a bunch of recipes and basically did a spin of my own with whatever ingredients I had on hand. I used a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar as well as some thyme that was leftover from a random turkey I roasted last week (my parents liked the one I made at Christmas that much). I also added onion and bacon on top as garnish and it turned out delicious and worth making from scratch. I’m sure we all have KD in the cupboard right?

Here is my take on classic.

Continue reading ➞ Mac and Cheese With Bacon

Final Fantasy Distant Worlds Was Awesome

April 1, 2012August 22, 2013Entertainment, Music1 Comment

Last night I went to see an orchestra play music my favourite series of video games Final Fantasy. The tickets were a birthday present from my boyfriend. It’s one thing to hear the music in game, but it’s a completely different experience to see it all live. The composer Nobuo Uematsu was even in attendance.

–random video of a similar performance

They have a different orchestra for every location they play in; probably because it’s not financially viable to fly 70 people everywhere. It was conducted by the famous Arnie Roth who conducts mostly video game concerts. How do I make that a real career? Video game footage synced perfectly with each piece they played and I’m pretty curious as to how they did it. It is an amazing spectacle. I should have taken a camera, but I am really glad I didn’t because I wasn’t distracted by anything while I was taking it all in.

They played all my favourite songs (even the Chocobo theme) and ended with an epic singalong to SE-PHI-ROTH. It was one of my favourite nights in a long time!

Side note: My back tattoo seems to match the Distance Worlds logo.. sort of.