miscellaneous – Tiana Feng

Addicted to Learning

October 29, 2012December 30, 2012Education, TechnologyLeave a Comment

As mentioned in a previous post, I have an irrational fear of losing brain cells. Now that I’m out of school, it’s up to me to keep fueling my brain, so now I am kind of addicted to learning.

Not only am I reading whenever I get the chance, but now there are a handful of online sites that provide university level courses for free. I am currently doing a course that teaches the fundamentals of Python coding on Coursera. I enrolled in a bunch of Coursera courses, but they are time sensitive and none of them have started yet. Most of the courses have start dates that are still far off in the future.

Other useful learning sites I am looking into include interactive programming community Code Academy and Udacity. I like these sites because they provide relevant courses for today’s modern world, something that my traditional schooling did not always consider.

Have any of you tried free online courses? I’d love to know your stories and experiences.

A Wallet Full of Stories

May 21, 2012March 10, 2013Inspiration, LifeLeave a Comment

I’ve had my wallet since grade 9 and since I’m 24, that was a long long time ago. It’s even had a hole in it for the last 5 years, but I felt no real need to get a new one.

I bought it during a childish and somewhat egotistic phase where I had to had my initials on everything. Tommy Hilfiger coincidentally used the letter “T” in their designs. When I look back at it, it’s pretty bulky and ugly but it held all the tidbits of my life, and would for the next 10 years.

Dad used to have the same tattered wallet for like 20 years (even though we would get him new ones) and I used to make fun of him for it. However, I understand now how hard it can be to let go. What we store in our wallets tells a story of who we are as a person. It’s often why we like to venture into the wallets of others.

Mine had memories of my first kiss, my first tattoo, and trips to china. There were pictures of people who I haven’t spoken to in years and buy-10-get-1-free cards from places I haven’t been to in years. It could probably tell you that I used to have a compulsive shopping phase, and that I like to hoard junk.

Today I got a new wallet as a gift, and I thought it was the perfect chance to start anew.

I was never really into overly girly wallets.

It’s much smaller than my previous wallet, so I couldn’t keep half the things I had in there. I’m not the same person I used to be, and my wallet doesn’t need to reflect that any more. A new story adventure is just beginning!

What’s in your wallet?

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.

Turning 24 is Weird

February 27, 2012Life3 Comments

I turned 24 on Friday and am rather indifferent to it, or at least I like to think I am. Am I turning old? I certainly don’t feel it, or look it, I’d hope. However, on my birthday I went to purchase some liquor at the LCBO and did not get carded. I always get carded. I had wanted to get carded on my birthday so I could be like Hah! I am actually turning 24 today! Maybe it was the fact I was taking out my Air Miles card. Who under 19 has an Air Miles card?

While I ponder turning 24, it certainly doesn’t feel that much different. Maybe I’m sleeping earlier than I used to, eating less candy. Actually, no I’m not. I didn’t have a party this year though. I spent my day of birth having dinner with my best friends and then attended a concert. I found it far more exciting than a drunken bender that I wouldn’t remember and would be still recovering from. I had many of those in my early 20s but the appeal has kind of disappeared.

As I ponder the future, I don’t actually want to grow up that fast. People around me are getting married, starting families but I still have dreams to fulfill and goals to meet before then. I’m not ready to know where my story ends, as I’m still adventuring in it.

What Will I Look Like When I’m Old?

February 23, 2012iOS, Life, TechnologyLeave a Comment

I blame curiosity on this post. Like most people, when I came across Aging Booth in the App Store, I was well curious. What would I look like as an old lady? Well the answer is this..

The one asian stereotype that I hope I do fall under is that I will look 20 forever and the above photo does not happen.

No Coffee Challenge: Half-Way Point

February 14, 201230 Day Challenge, Drinks, Food, Life5 Comments

February is a short month, therefore I’m already half-way through my challenge of giving up coffee for a month. I can tell you that time didn’t pass by fast at all in the beginning. The first few days were highly dreadful. I would wake up with headaches and quite nauseous. This all happened because I did not drink my usual cup of morning coffee.

I began to find ways to help my body feel awake and refreshed. Some things worked and others didn't. Here is what helped me:

Splashing Face with Cold Water
This sounds almost stupid, but the cold water on your face really does refresh and wake me up.

Walking the Dog
There’s nothing more refreshing than fresh air. Walking the dog became a good way to activate all my joints and muscles as well absorb some sunlight. Sometimes I think my mood is directly related to my weather and seeing the sun really does brighten my mood. I also love it when Teddy meets a new friend along the way!

Tea/Hot Chocolate
It’s really hard to give up caffeine entirely so for those times when I needed a bit of a jolt tea helped. I find green tea makes me sleepy though. Black tea works best. Hot chocolate with a hint of cayenne pepper and cinnamon is also a great way to spice up the morning!

15 minute naps
Sometimes you just need to nap and taking a little 15 minute power nap can be what I need. It’s a great way to rest the eyes and get them away from the a billion screens that make up my life.

I hope I can continue to ignore coffee for the month. However, I have a business meeting on Friday at a coffee shop called the Roastery. Would it be too pretentious to order a tea?

Yes, I Will Eat That Much

February 10, 2012Food, LifeLeave a Comment

I don’t know why but every time I go out to eat I get rather trivial looks and then am asked the question “Are you sure that’s what you want to order?”

tripleporkpoutine — Triple-pork poutine? Hell yeah I did.

Yes, damn it. Why would I ask for it if I wasn’t sure? I admit that me (and my boyfriend) are pretty small framed people. That doesn’t however mean I munch on salads and bite size portions. I enjoy and can chow down on any fat guy’s happy meal.

One day I was in BQM in Toronto and was faced with a dilemma: Should I get the bacon filled poutine or a delicious burger? The solution? I got both.

Continue reading ➞ Yes, I Will Eat That Much

Wreck This Journal #9

February 6, 2012February 8, 2012Wreck This Journal6 Comments

I avoided the journal for a while because I failed at finishing it all in December. I came to the realization that it’s not something I should necessarily set a deadline for because that isn’t the point in the journal. It’s an escape, a release and at the same time it’s supposed to be fun. It’s not a project that can have a deadline.

So I picked it up again with something easy first:

Continue reading ➞ Wreck This Journal #9

30 Seconds of Courage Goes A Long Way

February 3, 2012Life3 Comments

Despite being a quite sociable and easily approachable person, I can be very shy at times. However, over the years I have learned there is no reason to be. In addition, I’ve learned the importance of networking and meeting people in furthering a career.

Here’s a tip I live by: Pretend to be brave for 30 seconds.
Nobody knows who you are at these events and they don’t need to know you are probably peeing your pants when you try to talk to them. Just take a breath, introduce yourself and for 30 seconds pretend you can take over the world. The brave you (even if it’s pretend) will suddenly shine through and you’ll ask yourself was it really that bad?

This can extend past networking. Maybe it will help you talk to that beautiful girl/boy in the coffee shop window. Anything you are afraid to do or think you won’t be good at, just give it a shot. It took a lot of courage for me to start Youtube video reviews. but then I realized by doing them how much fun they are.

Take a chance at something.. even for 30 seconds.