Blog 7 - Black Friday

Although Black Friday is for many people, the biggest shopping day of the year, as a family, we have only woken up early to shop once. That one occasion was last year when we had woken up early in order to fall in line to purchase a laptop for one of my cousins in the Philippines. I firmly believe that the reason we do not wait in line to shop is due to my mom. She has and still does not like to feel rushed or stressed out when she shops. While in the past I always just viewed her opinion as being fussy, after lining up last Black Friday, I can now see the merits of her opinion.
My experience last year was in a word, hectic. We had woken up early and driven over to CompUSA in order to get a good spot in line. We arrived rather early with only a few people in front of us in line. However, once the store itself opened, we were forced to get into another line in which we found ourselves further back than we were outside. This was rather frustrating because the staff at the store provided very little in help or direction regarding the procedure for purchasing the laptop we had come for. Not only was the line rather long and slow moving, but also the line wasn’t for getting a laptop but instead for getting a number that would then allow you to get a laptop. On top of all this, by the time we were given our number, we were notified that the particular laptop we were waiting for had been sold out, the last taken only a couple spots before us. Therefore we were forced to purchase a similar, more expensive laptop so as not to have waited in vain. Although we did end up finding a laptop, the trouble we had to go through to get it far outweighed the savings, especially since the laptop we ended up getting was abundant in numbers in the store and could have easily been picked up later in the day. Needless to say, this whole experience turned me off of shopping on Black Friday that is of course, unless I find another particularly good deal on an item I really want.

Blog 6 - Watches

Watches are another fashion accessory that I had paid little attention to while I was growing up. To me they were simply a way to tell the time if you didn't have a clock around. For the most part they all looked the same to me, and in the case of analog watches, they were simply confusing. That being said, I did have a watch that I wore all the time as a child. It was a Disney watch of Mickey Mouse where the hands of the watch were created from the hands of Mickey Mouse. It wasn’t particularly technical or rugged or beautiful, but it had Mickey Mouse on it and that was good enough for me.
As the years went on, my opinion on watches didn’t change much except the style would change to reflect my style at the time. It wasn’t until maybe a couple years ago that I started to really appreciate watches as more than a fashion statement. I’m not exactly sure why but I began to appreciate the intricate details and mechanics that go into making nice analog watches. My love of watches began to blossom and now I find myself browsing through the random watch magazines I find at book stores. While an interest of mine, the problem with fine timepieces is that they are very expensive. Many celebrities wear these watches, such as John Mayer, who has a watch worth around $40,000, among a collection of many others. As with many other hobbies and interests, the cost is a large limiting factor. However, I have already determined that once I get a job, one of the first purchases I will make will be a watch, and Omega branded watch to be exact.

Blog 5 - Snowboarding

Snowboarding is one of my favorite ways hobbies and ways to spend my time. However, this is a rather odd choice since I am from Southern California where the winters barely get to a temperature capable of supporting snow. Despite this obvious setback, I have found an extreme passion for the snow and especially snowboarding. It all started when I first learned to snowboard at the age of 10. Even though I learned to snowboard rather early, I didn’t really start to go regularly until I reached high school when I would only go a couple times during the season. This was mainly due to my lack of ability to drive, but I was still able to go with my cousins whenever they decided to take a trip to the mountains.

It’s hard to explain what snowboarding feels like to someone who has never been before. If I had to try to explain it, I would say that my most fond memory of snowboarding made me feel like I was driving through a cold winter night with my favorite song playing (I listen to music while I ride), but instead of a car I’m riding on a cloud. I can’t think of a feeling better than riding a line through fresh snow on a nice sunny day on the mountain. Although snowboarding is for the most part an individual hobby, as with many other things, snowboarding with friends is a different and exciting experience. Chasing your friends down the side of a mountain strapped to a plank of wood was never so much fun. Even though snowboarding is a simple way to spend ones day, as the many people say, the simple things in life are the best things.