Remember your new year resolutions list?

- Work out 3 or 4 times per week
- Get a full time job
- Get a new pair of glasses
- No more tears
- Read 10 books or more
- Drink less coffee
- Eat less junk/fast food
- Vegetarian diet one day per week
- Try to find someone you love
- Hold your temper
- Start a blog
- Dental check-up / cleaning
- Save more $ than spend
- Keep my room clean and tidy
- Learn a new skill, language, whatever
- Think positive and be happy always





Can you believe this? It's already the 4th day of Decemeber. For me 2008 has been a turbulent year to say the least. There were times of good and bad, up and down, smooth and rough. Some promises I made to myself on Jan 1 were kept, some were kept for a short while and later dismissed, some were completely forgotten.

In the past two days, I went to the dentist for cleaning and also went to the the optomitrist to get a new pair of glasses (it's been 3 yrs lol). Just to get some more items in before the year's end!

Birthday

I hate holidays or any kind of celebration. I haven't celebrated any birthdays since 2005. What happened on my birthday that year has changed me. But that's not the point.

I dread family reunions on holidays, in particular. I hate to pretend to be interested in how relatives are doing. The same goes for reunions of old frds, but this is much easier to take.

It's my birthday and I cannot find no cause for celebration...

This is a line in Jason Mraz's Mr. Curiosity. I listen to this song every year on this day...

Mr. Curiosity - Jason Mraz
From 2005 Album "Mr. A-Z"

Utopia

The word Utopia comes from a combination of two Greek words, defined as"the good place" and "the place that cannot be".


Novemeber 26, 2008.
Hundreds are dead and wounded in Mumbai.


It's another one of those horrific days in our times. It's hard to understand why people would use such methods to express their radical world views, their disagreements against so many innocent people.


November 26, 2008.
My first day of work... I enjoy working there. My coworkers are fun to be with. But honestly, I don't want to work there. I believe I deserve something better, but I'm so tired of waiting. I'm so exhausted of the fruitless search. I'm sick of the continuous bad news in the economy.


I'm so tired, exhausted, and sick.

烏托邦 - 謝安琪
(From 2008 Album "Binary")

曲/編/詞: 周博賢

聽說有處 怪誕到極限 哄騙虜拐偷呃 獲豐足三餐
處世太正派 會有大難 靠正宗真功夫被視作不懂得 轉彎

叩拜富貴 不休的戀棧 判斷正反忠奸 著重多少資產
哪個較拮据會遭到待慢 越是有千億家財 越得到偏袒

爭相要脫貧致富 個個也發難
未習慣會漸漸慣 社會雖荒誕 起碼包裝燦爛
大眾向利字進發 已閉起雙眼 不去分好與爛 腐化 被盛讚

盼要富貴 多麼的簡單
(RAP: 放暗箭 出口術 投機 擦鞋搞關係
沽名釣譽 踩住人地個頭上 做世界仔)

再信致富靠儲蓄太浪漫 現在每一分耕耘 獲七分孤單
這些叫與時進化 過去已破爛
未習慣會漸漸慣 社會雖荒誕 起碼包裝燦爛
大眾向利字進發 已閉起雙眼 不去分好與爛 腐化

未習慣會漸漸看慣 社會雖荒誕 起碼包裝燦爛
大眾向利字進發 已閉起雙眼 恐怕越見越煩
不慣也會漸漸變慣 試放開感歎 且看花火燦爛
一眾已向利字進發 為瞬間璀璨
手法不需設限 腐化 被盛讚

Three Dark Months.

There are no signs indicating this will end soon. It's unpleasant to say the least, more close to torturing. Disappointments after disappointments. I think I'm more pissed off then sad now.

Pick Yourself Up, Start All Over Again.

Pick Yourself Up - Diana Krall (Live In Paris Version)

Nothings impossible I have found
For when my chin is on the ground
I pick myself up, dust myself off, start all over again

Don't lose your confidence if you slip
Be grateful for a pleasant trip
And pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again

Work like a soul inspired till the battle of the day is won
You may be sick and tired but you'll be a man my son
Don't you remember the famous man who had to fall to rise again?
They picked themselves up, dust themselves off and started all over again

Hardwork brings success. It's a notion I've learned since kindergarten, maybe a little later. It has always worked for me in the past 20 yrs or so - you study your ass off and you get A's; simple as that.

This notion was shattered this morning.

In the real world, where money talks and everything else walks... no matter how hard you try, how dedicated you are, how much potential you have (or they say you have), all they care about is the final result. And if you haven't shown any track record of success, they just don't care.

Another lesson learned.

I pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again.

Roberto, Sammi, & Dominic Baggio

94世界盃決賽，巴治奧射失一球十二碼，親手將獎盃送俾巴西成為罪人。被遺棄的日子裡面，仍然堅決不低頭，為爭取更多正選上陣機會，毅然自降身價，轉踢中型球會，誓要重奪國家隊席位，捲土重來。

同時，香港亦有一個束起小馬尾的米蘭名牌時裝店香港區最強營業員 ── 羅拔圖。佢一直努力工作，全心進軍米蘭總店，可惜因為一次失誤，白白放過一個黃金機會，加上命運不濟，傷患影響事業跌落谷底，從此被所有人稱呼為「巴治奧」。羅拔圖命運同做人態度與巴治奧不謀而合 ── 再次發奮谷底反彈，重返中環進軍米蘭。

Dominic, a 2008 university graduate in Toronto, with a pretty good resume, earned various school and workplace achievement awards, still cannot find a job after three months of job searching. Faced with the biggest global financial crisis since Great Depression, rising unemployment numbers, mass-layoffs and bankruptcy declared by many reputable organizations, Dom is in the deepest trench of his life.

However, Dom has decided to fight on. He'll find a part-time job now and keep looking for any full-time opportunities. In some ways, he should be glad that he's presented with big challenges at such an early stage of his life and career. This would give him strength and experience to eliminate and deal with other obstacles later on in his life.

以最美的風度　著最閃的戰袍
受過苦的心境更加高
從前輸過都好　在谷底給我漫舞

My Theme Song:

輸得漂亮 鄭秀文

作詞：林夕　
作曲/編曲：金培達　

錯甚麼　舊時做到太好之過
自信可立正去承受賽果
誰都想　趁慘敗去羞辱我
偏偏很高貴地說未跌低　就當做打和

怕甚麼　越贏越怕最終出錯
害怕輸 習慣了贏盡最多
誰都想　以獎座去打敗我
只因不敢失去甚麼
讓我知錯　其實我不需要贏只要做我

難和天去比高　我輸得起都驕傲
以最美的風度　著最閃的戰袍
受過苦的心境更加高
從前輸過都好　在谷底給我漫舞
我要再進一步　看似輕於羽毛
就算這壓力如像天高 誰都想看到

Seven More Days.

I'm giving myself seven more days. That's all. Then, I'll just go with part time.

An Obama Nation.

Congratulations to The OBAMA Family.

It must be such an emotional night for Americans from coast-to-coast, Barack Obama, the first African American President of United States, has been elected.

There's been a lot of talk going on about how the rest of the world would view America if Obama, a colored man, wins the election. Well, I think no matter what race you are, where you're from, everyone must be so proud of this choice. It can happen.

A well managed and successfully executed campaign (enormous size of motivated ground staff, innovative fundraising, unified message, smart use of technology) was probably the key reason for Obama's well deserved victory.

Let's hope his strong leadership skills and clear judgement will stay with him throughout his term in the White House. Let's hope he keeps his promise and will bring reform to Washington. Let's hope he'll take appropriate measures to resolve this huge financial crisis and restore prosperity in U.S. and abroad.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

A little bit of respect goes a long way.


A simple rule of thumb for socializing that I learned quite early on: "If you've got nothing nice to say, then don't say anything."


That's all I'm gonna say. I'm rising above.

One Month...

Today is September 14. A month has gone by. Thirty-one days with nothing to do....

No specific purpose in life, no sense of security, and declining self-confidence.

It's like I've entered a bridge to nowhere (not in Alaska though, haha). Everything is still an unknown.

I revisited campus on Friday for the Philosophy Dept. Awards Night... It was good to be back, it was like returning home yet it's not exactly home to me anymore. Actually, it felt more like a deja vu... it was like I FELT LIKE I've been here before, but it was just a feeling, nothing was realistic about it, nothing was familiar anymore....

With Prof. Kim Chow-Morris, enjoyed her American Pop Music class a lot!!!! Learned so much about the history of pop music and the stories, causes, and social impact of each genre. Beatles, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen are just some of the artists I started listening to and fell in love with after this course!



Photos Taken & Editted by: Dominic
Date: Sep 12, 2008
Location: Ryerson University, Toronto
Was Listening To:


Paranoid Android - Radiohead
Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen
Independence Day - Martina McBride
Not Dark Yet - Bob Dylan
This Flight Tonight - Joni Mitchell
走過的路 - 蔡健雅
歌 . 頌 - 陳奕迅
The Best Is Yet To Come - at17
下落不明 - 黃耀明 (Feat. 林憶蓮)
她成功了他沒有 - 楊千嬅

So Dark...

I felt extremely depressed in the past couple of days. Some old glitches along the path of life resurfaced while new ones emerged.

I feel really lost and the sense of insecurity is eating me up inside out. I'm now at a place where I can't see the end of the tunnel, it's all so dark. Too dark.

Last night, I relistened to Martina McBride's version of the "Help Me Make It Through The Night" on her Timeless classics remake album. The acoustic arrangement with pedal steel solo, her intimate and vulnerable vocals were a perfect match for the mood of the night and how I felt.

Dark, dark, dark....

Martina McBride - Help Me Make It Through The Night (Live)

Yesterday is dead and gone,
and tomorrow's out of sight.
It's so sad to be alone,
help me make it through the night.





Photo Taken By: Dominic
Date: Dec 2007
Location: Main St. Unionville (again)

D N'd (The End).... is a new beginning

The date & time: August 14, 2008. 9:23pm.

After the exam, I walked out of Eric Palin Hall. Went by the student residence building and into Rogers Comm. Center. Took the bridge that connected me to Kerr Hall and Library. I went downstairs to the exit of the Library.

I realized, this is my final time taking this routine route. My university life has come to an end.

It was dark, cold, and quiet. My ipod played Exit Music (for a film) by Radiohead:

Wake from your sleep,
the drying of your tears,
Today we escape, we escape.
Sing us a song,
a song to keep us warm,
there's such a chill, such a chill.



I took a good look around, not sure when or whether I'd be returning any time soon. This school, these people, these memories, all seem a million miles away.

What seemed to be a second home for me in the past 4 years, is now a place that I'll no longer be a part of.

After a longer (slower)-than-usual walk to Dundas station, I paused and thought about what will be next. Uncertain, don't know yet.

假期過完 有甚麼打算...
走過一個天堂　少一個方向...
不能滿足　不敢停站　然後怎樣...

What I know, is that this chapter of my life is over. And, a new one is just about to begin. I'm sure that He'll look after me. He'll have my back.

Now, this school, these people, these memories, are a part of my history, they'll always have a very special place in my heart.

(My first blog entry is dedicated to my business buddies at Ryerson, everyone I've met here in the past 4 years, and this very special campus.)






Photos Taken / Editted By: Dominic