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Life lessons and a video

Oh no, I’m inspired by a video! Actually, it’s not just the video itself but the message in the video and now I’m taking a look at my life all over again.

Check out the video if you get a chance, it’s ten minutes long and it has quite a message. Basically one of those stories when life gives you lemons, go and make a lemon Bundt cake with chocolate frosting and candy sprinkles and if you don’t have the ingredients for that then make lemonade.

The whole story is very inspiring and I may actually go and purchase a knife from this fellow b/c he’s doing something that he enjoys, definitely a life enriching experience. Maybe in a few years I might take a similar route, not with knives but with other things, handmade items are always appreciated. I’ve been told that I have skilled hands and that I’m wasting it by sitting in the office and I sort of agree with it but at the same time sitting in the office gives me a paycheck. I also enjoy what I do for a job so it’s not so bad. I wouldn’t mind doing something on the side and maybe in a few years that is what I might do. In the meantime, enjoy the video.

Made by Hand / No 2 The Knife Maker from Made by Hand on Vimeo.

One down, more to go

Well I’ve made my first big payment to minimize my debt and it feels good. It’s actually not that hard as long as you’re real to yourself and stick with the plan, I do have to make choices and it’s not always easy.
An example of this is say car repairs or any repairs for that matter. I have to fix it but what do I do? I do have enough in my regular account to take care of it so that’s good but it also means I have to become a bit more frugal for the next week or two which isn’t that hard. It’s the small things that eventually add up so being a bit more frugal is not the end of the world. What I don’t want to do is use my card that I’m paying off so if anything I won’t touch that card, maybe use the other one to cover extra expense if it’s needed.
I have my other savings and there’s a nice amount in there but at the same time it’s my savings and I don’t want to dip in there unless it’s really needed and for repairs and small things, I’d rather not. It’s really just choices and the old me would not have made those choices, I would’ve said ‘take it from here and we’ll worry about it later’. Not smart at all but that was the old me.
2012 is about the new me, not that I’ve changed that much but it’s more about my attitude, trying to be upbeat and positive, it’s hard. As I mentioned in the 2012 resolution, I’m going to be positive, think positive, throw the negative out the windows and I’ll know that obstacles are part of it and how I deal with those will be the test. I’d like to say that I’ll be successful and it will be tough at times for sure but only I can do it, no one else can do it for me.
So I have one major payment down and some more to go, January is behind me and now focusing on February and when that’s done it will be March.

That’s it for now, I’m going to drink some tea.

Dennis is planning something

Yes, I’m planning something. What? I can’t really say b/c it’s in the planning stage. I’m gathering a few resources and once I’m sure of the plan, then I’ll let people know. For now, I’m planning something.
Sounds sketchy huh? Not to worry, it’s a good plan, kind of an artsy thing, nothing bad.
I decided to pursue a particular project that I’ve been thinking about for a while but never had any resources to continue. Got tired of waiting on other people’s promises that I figure I’d do it myself. You know that old saying, if you want it done right you gotta do it yourself. Basically, I’m doing it myself and it’s not going to be instant but it’s in the works so that’s a start.
What’s the plan, well it involves motorcycles, that’s one part and the rest, it’s in the planning stage. I will need some friends and dealerships to get in on it too, not too mention a racetrack or two. Let the imagination wander, the only thing I can say is ‘I have a plan’.

It’s 2012, Resolution this!

It’s 2012 and it’s going to be a year of sacrifice. I try to make resolutions but like many people, those resolutions drift off like smoke in the wind. Some things I’ve  managed to stick to but then find myself back in a rut. I am hoping that 2012 will be different, actually I know it will be different.

One thing that has always brought me down was the  energy around me, I always find some negative source around me and I tend to focus on that from time to time. This year I am focusing on the the positive even when there are negatives around. Negativity really sucks and it tends to suck everything else around it, like a black hole of sorts.

One of the things I’m really trying to prioritize are my finances, this year will be a year of financial sacrifices. Trying to remove or at least reduce the debt load that I’m carrying. It’s hard but I know it can be done, I’ve done it before and I can do it again. This time though I have a bit more debt but that’s why it’s going to be a year of sacrifice. I figure if I can get by the first few months then I know I’ll be on my way, it’ll be tough but I know that positivity should get me through. If that doesn’t work then I’ll have to start playing the lottery.

Other things on my agenda for this year is to keep up the blog, maybe add more blah blah and ranting to it, I haven’t been very good over the past few months. I can blame that on the negativity around me, it gets you down and who the hell wants to rant about being down and out. So ya, I’m going to try my best to write a bit more be about nothing or something but at least I’ll be writing, whether someone is reading, well, that’s another story.

Alright, it’s time to eat supper and supper is a positive thing so I guess I’m off to a good start, yay 2012!

My Moto Story

I’ve always wanted to ride a motorcycle since I was a little kid. I remember sitting in the car and watching the motorcycles zoom by us. Zoom pop pop pop. I wanted to have my own make that pop pop pop noise.

In my early high school years, one of my friends had a PUCH moped, I rode it now and then, it was a blast. Shortly thereafter, I learned to ride a real motorcycle while vacationing in the Philippines, one of my uncles taught me. The motorcycle was an orange Suzuki, not sure of the model but it was under 200cc, I was 13 and there were no helmet laws.

A couple of years pass and I got my driver’s license, my parents refused my request to purchase a Honda MB50, I was crushed but still held onto the dream. One day my friend Scott says he wants to buy a motorcycle from a guy but is short a few bucks, it was a Honda CB 125. I made him a deal and that was to share the bike every other day. The deal was done and we shook on it, after all, a deal is a deal and a handshake seals it.
Scott’s father was cool with the whole thing, his father couldn’t have cared less. His mom was more aware and told us to be careful. I remember her mashed potatoes, they were awesome.
Scott grew tired of the whole motor biking thing, it lasted three years and it was a fun three years. I didn’t want to give it up but I had no choice. We sold the bike and split the money. Scott was good like that even though other people said he wasn’t, he actually was.

A few years pass and I’m in my early twenties and I still want my own bike. I eventually struck up a deal with a guy at the college I went to. He had a Kawasaki GPz305. He wasn’t using it as much and didn’t want that much for it b/c it needed some work. I didn’t care, I just wanted to ride. It took me four months to pay for it, I paid it in installments and took the motorcycle to a friend’s place for storage, it was November. This gave me all winter to think about riding, it was painful.

Winter was long and spring was wetter than wet with the motorcycle sitting in my friend’s garage. I figured I’d take it out once I got the chance and that eventually came along but the carburetors were gummed up and stuck. It took a bit more time to get it going. It frustrated me but it was the way I learned the art of motorcycle maintenance, I’m an expert now, sort of.

I think the hardest part of the whole experience was keeping the motorcycle thing a secret from my parents. I would drive to my friends place and then take the motorcycle from there. A couple of times I had accidentally brought the motorcycle helmet back to the house but then rushed back and put into my car, those were close calls. I think maybe my parents knew and never told me or maybe they didn’t know, I couldn’t tell. A few years pass and the finances start to become a little tight and had to give up the motorcycle, it was a hard thing to do, I get attached to my things, especially if there are good memories attached to them. Memories, it’s a funny thing.

That part of my life has long passed but my passion for motorcycling is as strong as the first day I first experienced it, perhaps even more so. I think two wheel travel is great, you experience things differently and look at the world around you with a new perspective. Yes, I can go there by car but I prefer to go by motorcycle instead.

Present day: I currently have a 2002 Triumph Speed Triple and a Yamaha YX600 (aka Radian). The Radian is undergoing a massive transformation and hoping that by next year at least 50 to 75 percent of the mods will be done, the reality maybe a bit different.

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