amchow

10/31/2021 Wow.... two months. Time seems to go by so fast when you are fully engaged in life. I've been busy as per usual. Work, all the church small groups I'm in, tending to my apartment. I even upgraded some of my technology aside from my computer. Also learning good ways of managing money, looking for sales for shopping. So many things that have to do with that thing known as adulting. Tbh, I like the business. I am finding more and more that being idle is not always a good thing. While having times of rest is good, too much is not good. There's gotta be a balance (which I working out what that looks like ). That's my update for now. Until next time....

8/29/2021 It's been a couple months since I last checked in. Life's been busy with all sorts of things since I became more independent and I've been enjoying life. I also have been going through a personal healing and recovery ministry at church so I have been making sure to put in the time for that and invest time in healing from a lot of personal stuff. Aside from that, I used a bit more of my hard earned money to upgrade my speaker system and get my first pair of Bluetooth Headphones. Being careful to not spend too much. It feels good that I can enjoy some new toys and in general enjoying higher quality sound. Work is going well. I'm gelling with my team now that I've been there for a few months now and I'm enjoying job irregardless of slow or fast days. In general, life is good. Until next time.

7/2/2021 Life keeps getting better and better. I began to take steps to make myself more independent such as starting new accounts at a credit union to take full responsibility for my funds and start taking on responsibility for what is in my possession. This time, it feels good. There is no fear. I have a motivation and my faith and trust in the Lord to bring me to more maturity and wisdom in managing things as a fully fledged adult. The transition is a bit hard and overwhelming, but I know it will pay off for good. I am also getting a significant upgrade in my personal tech. A colleague is offering to build me a PC with a lot more ram and have other high spec components for a high performance computer that will last a lifetime. The price tag is higher than I have spent before, but with higher quality components + being able to replace components rather than the PC tower as a whole, it will be worth the cost. Plus, this colleague has done it for others with no complaints. I am happy about my personal life advances and continuing to level up and now advancing into a true adult. Till next time, folks.

I was an avid reader even before I stopped gaming. I would still read. Although it was at a lower frequency than when I wasn't gaming at all. The frequency has gone back up now that I don't game. More so into crime thrillers than fantasy novels at the moment.

Pretty sure anyone on this forum (including myself) would tell you not to play it at all. Going back to the vomit isn't going to do any good for you. While the game does get you to move around and get out of your home, the 'Gotta catch em all' aspect is what will spiral into addiction. Better to suffer through the pain of the first couple weeks going cold turkey and be free of it for the rest of your life than to continue remaining an addicted slave to any kind of game.

My advice (as hard as it sounds) is to trust your mom and her judgement here. I also had a mom who did not support me gaming. When I was your age, I didn't understand why. However, now after many years of loss in terms of lack of social life, strained relationships with my parents, and whole lot of apathy brought on by addiction, I now understand why she tried to stop me from playing. She has your future in mind and it is better to get rid of gaming sooner rather than later as the losses from that get more obvious, serious and more costly as you get older. Plus, you will find later on how you get left behind in a lot of areas while your peers who don't game end up speeding ahead of you. That's just my take on it based on personal experience.

6/6/2021 Wow. Life has been busy for me. Work is picking up speed. I am doing actual design work that takes a lot more brainpower than in my previous job. Personally, I love it. It's what I want to do with my career. Plus, I am now getting opportunities that I would never had gotten had I stayed a contractor. I'll be heading on a business trip to Arizona in a couple of weeks to my company's proving grounds where I will be with a senior design engineer supporting some rework/rebuilds that is being done on one of their mining trucks. I legit stoked for it and it will be good to get out of my town for a time after being cooped up here for the past year. Loving life and continuing to enjoy my new job. Till next time, folks.

5/12/2021 Apologies for the lack of comms as of late. My new job has been very taxing mentally due to the steep learning curve and I've been struggling a bit with the ambiguity surrounding most decisions. I've been busy with life in general as I am still getting used to my new job and the new conditions that come with being a direct hire. It's been hard to be honest and a little discouraging at times. I tend to struggle with the ambiguity and any time where things are not super clear. In fact, this job makes me feel insecure and as a newbie, I am even more uncertain. I just need to keep plowing on.

4/26/2021 After a little over 24 hours of no internet, it finally was restored when I came home from work at the office. It made me think quite a bit. So much of even my current entertainment is reliant on the internet. Made me go 'Hmm...' But anyway, back to describing last week. It was a good first week at the office. My new team is quite nice. They are quite snarky funny rather than the sarcastic funny my previous team was. But I still get quite a lot of laughs out of it regardless. So far, the new job has already introduced a new level of being detail oriented as a lot of decisions are meant to be new improvements rather than maintenance oriented changes which brings a whole new set of challenges. I like the new challenge though. I've learned through experience that things being too easy is rather boring. In the meantime, i keep on working hard and being successful. Until next time, folks.

4/16/2021 Today felt even more fulfilling than a week ago. Strangely, it felt good to be finishing one phase of my career and transitioning into another one. It also feels good to be going into the weekend without any outstanding work nipping at my heels for once. I was also in a celebratory mood due to the fact that I was finally kicking that stuck up project leader of mine to the curb and saying 'See ya and good luck on the project' and left him to deal with his own dumpster fire that he had been causing. It felt good and I was able to walk away with no regrets + a boss and super boss (senior manager) who gave me lots of praise on the daily team call and wished me luck on the next phase of my career. All in all, it's a good end to a long week. Now, I must sleep and rest and enjoy my weekend before the start of my new job on Monday. Till next time, peeps.

4/9/2021 Well today felt fulfilling. Worked under a tight deadline and got things done. Now it's just smooth sailing until I transition into my new job on April 19th. It's going to feel really good. Meanwhile, my parents are leaving for Texas tomorrow after staying with me for a week. Tbh, I always feel a twinge of sadness when they have to go. Hopefully they will be able to move closer to me soon. In the meantime, I keep living life and continue to excel. Till next time, folks.

3/30/2021 Well, after a week of waiting, I finally get the news from HR. I got the job, folks. In two weeks I will be working as a direct hire employee! It feels good, better pay and more growth opportunities. However, all things have their obstacles. I will now have higher expectations and more than likely more stress. But I love what I do for a living and I love the company I work for so I am driven to meet those expectations and do well as a Design Engineer. Until that begins I keep doing well where I am at. Until next time.

3/22/2021 Decided I will at least try to post and check in every seven days or so as only so much happens in a day whereas quite a bit happens in a week. Things are picking back up for me in terms of the in person interaction sphere. Aside from church, I am getting connected in small groups at the church I started attending about a month ago now currently I have at least one in person gathering a week from how things are shaping up. I am quite glad as I was craving in person interaction prior to that. Plus, my birthday is in 2 weeks and I am looking forward to my parents being here for that + I get to enjoy my mom's cooking yet again. :D In summary, I am happy. Also I have a job interview for a direct hire position at the company I am working at. Hopefully I will get it but I have no idea what the outcome will be. At least this time, if I don't get it, I have my current job to fall back on. That is all for now. Until next time, folks.

3/13/2021 Thank God. Last week was over. It was just one of those really tiring weeks. I lay in bed for a long while and just rested... and it felt really good. Got up, did my weekly chores and listened to news. Listen to music afterwards. In general, i just relaxed. Nothing else one should do on a weekend after doing chores aside from that. Parents are doing well and everything seems to be at a bit of lull, but I am okay with that. 😄 Until next time, folks.

3/5/2021 Well, time is going by fast. It's already March and thus 1 month before my birthday has arrived. Am 100000% looking forward to it as my parents have informed me that they intend to travel up to where I am for my birthday. I look forward to their company and even more good food. Meanwhile, I am starting to settle down at the new church I started attending and again, it feels good to be around people in person again. I really needed it. That's all there is to report for now. Until next time, peeps.

2/24/2021 Not been writing much lately as there hasn't been much to report. At least until last weekend. It had been a while since i had any in person contact as cell group was postponed for a while. Went to cell group, ate some REALLY good pasta, had good social time and had a good Bible study. In fact, I had no in person contact for so long, my brain took a bit to adjust to being in a social environment again. Guess that is one of the things about being an introvert. Takes a bit to adjust to social situations after being away for so long. Another thing... I also started attending church in person again. I went to a church closer to my apartment complex that is just a 5 minute drive away rather than a 15 to 20 minute drive. It felt good and I came home feeling mentally and emotionally refreshed. Plus, at the moment, I am working on a different project at work while the one I was working on previously is in the release process. It feels good and refreshing to be doing easier things for a while. Just need to not be so timid about technical detailing after my experience on the previous project. Overall, a lot of good things happening in one weekend compared to the two weeks that came before it. Until next time, everyone.

2/11/2021 Well, it's been WAY too long since my last post. Mainly due to having a ton of work to do with work and having to stay up later than usual to get work done. Although I am not getting paid for it, it feels good and a whole lot fulfilling working late instead of playing games late. After all, I did get a good comment from the boss when he noticed me working late during a time he was doing the same. :) The project I am on seems to not be ending as the project engineer seems to have no idea what project scope he wishes to go with (if he even has one to begin with). Plus, he knows management is pissed at him for the delays and has been doing a lot of ass covering and blame deflection as of late. However, it feels satisfying watching him squirm after he unprofessionally dragged me through the mud several months back. Anyway, it's late and I must be off to bed. Looking forward to the weekend and another Blue Bloods Friday. Until next time, folks.

1/31/2021 Wow, it's the end of January 2021 already. Time is flying by fast. Well, in spite of time going by fast, the days are more or less the same. Maybe it's because its winter and I am inside most of the time due to Northern winters keeping everyone inside. Oh, well. Looking forward to the warmer weather. Aside from work, I've found myself more interested in staying informed and keeping up with the news in past year. In all honesty, when I was still gaming, I never imagined sitting down and listening to talks and podcasts would become a thing. But sure enough it has. And I am enjoying hearing different opinions and views on things. Meanwhile, I listen to Kpop, learn Korean, and am reading a rather thick book that contains the main Lord of the Rings Trilogy + the appendices. No matter how many times I have read the Trilogy, it never gets old. Until next time, folks.

1/22/2021 Crap.... it's been nearly two weeks since I last wrote. I got so caught up in the news and world happenings + general busyness at work that i neglected to write for a long while. Apologies everyone. Anyway, work and keeping up with world happenings has been my focus. Miss my parents still and I am just going through the usual stuff with work. I am looking forward to a small group meeting this Saturday and I look forward to when the company I work for starts letting people return to the office at some point. From the update I got today, it sounds like a potential plan is in the works but I don't have any details yet. I'll see what happens. In the meantime, I am enjoying being in my comfy and warm apartment and keeping my time out in freezing temps to a minimum. Before I finish this entry, here's a LEGO model I finished some time ago of a character you may all be familiar with:

1/9/2021 Not been writing much since there hasn't been much that happens when I live by myself. All I can really say aside from what I usually think about how things are now is "Midwest winters suck...." Mainly because of the below freezing temps up north and the snow and ice accumulation on my car. Couldn't go to a small group meeting tonight due to being too comfy inside to the point where I forgot I am in the middle of winter and that it takes much longer than 5 minutes to get several days of ice and snow off my car. Going to have to deal with that during the day tomorrow. Well, aside from that, there isn't much else to report. Stay safe all and stay comfy. Till next time.

1/3/2021 Well, it was quite a good time with my parents. However, I am really missing them right now. Having the additional company and all the good food made me feel really good. Now that they are not here again, I have to deal with no company for a while again. 😔 I'll deal. It just feels hard is all. Will just keep plowing on.

12/25/2020 Haven't written for a while. Same reason. My parents are here and I've been keeping a lot of my attention on them. Here's the update: Quite positive that I gained weight over the past month or so. Been incredibly spoiled with food and some simple gifts for Christmas today. Food mainly consisted of fried chicken, potato casserole and some fried wontons for the Christmas meal. Was quite full and am heavily satisfied. Going to have leftovers tomorrow while my parents go shopping during post Christmas sales. Looking forward to having some time to myself. Until next time, peeps.

12/19/2020 Didn't write much these past 5 days due to being busy with work and spending time with my mom before my dad returns on Monday. Am really looking forward to Christmas break. Aside from what I've mentioned, everything else has been well. Safe to say, I've been incredibly spoiled by my mom's cooking and have certainly gained a few pounds from the Indian and Chinese food she has been cooking for me. I'm going to miss that when she and my dad leave on the 1st of January. Staying safe for the most part and keeping warm in this winter weather. Until next time, folks.

12/14/2020 Last week and a half of work before Christmas break. I can do this. Looking forward to a week and a half off from work to spend with my parents. It will be good in spite of all the Covid craziness. Aside from work, currently working on a model for the Disney Pixar character WALL-E. Will be a work in progress for a while. Will post when done. Until next time. :D

12/12/2020 Today was a good day. Had a good time with my mom + good food + good small group meeting that included a small baby smiling at me while I spoke with her mom + in general good social time. I also am writing now to present to you all the Old Fishing Store LEGO model that took a LONG time to make but it was all worth it in the end. See attached pic for the render. Onto the next model. :D