My hobbies:

• Obsolete Hobbies -
  • Hunting: During my very very early teenage years, I used to go hunting. About seven years or so ago, I suddenly realized the cruelty involved in this "hobby." All along, my father had been expressing and explaining this cruelty to me. Yet, it took a few years before it finally sank in.
  • Fishing: I can no longer bear the thought and sight of fishing, for the same reasons as hunting.
  • Film Developing: This just became too tedious. I used to develop films for "fun." I haven't touched this hobby for about 8 years now.
• Activities I still try to involve myself with -
  • Chatting: I consider this a hobby, since it occupies a large chunk of my free time. Up till about five years or so, I was an extremely quiet person. Thanks to P, who helped me become a more effective communicator, and for bringing out my hidden thoughts and feelings.
  • Collecting: Till about 8 years ago, I used to collect computer software. I have to thank B for getting me started in this. I have a collection of about 1200 disks. I stopped, since it just got too expensive and fruitless (computer software gets constantly outdated). At about the same time, I shifted my interest into collecting music. I have about 200 casette tapes. Then, a few years ago, I shifted to compact discs. Currently, I have about 270 compact dics in collection.
  • Cooking: We all have to eat. Preparing what we are eating can sometimes be fun, specially when done with friends.
  • Eating Out: Believe it or not, I consider this a hobby. I enjoy eating out and exploring different restaurants and cuisines. I used to do this quite frequently (at least three times a week) during my pre-Waterloo days. Given that there aren't much good places in Waterloo, I don't get a chance to do this as often these days. When I travel, however, exploring the restaurants and the local cuisine is always part of the agenda. Favorite restaurant cities: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Paris.
  • Promenading: There are some stuff whom, at first sight, makes my heart melt. Nature, cute kids (well, all of them are cute), and quite a few cute animals are among some of them. I love nature. I love the mountains, lakes, and the seas. I enjoy walking around nature or parks, and having fruitful conversations along the way. Other times, it's quite enjoyable to be merely with onesself. There are also times when promenading around the bright city lights can be a lot of fun. I guess it depends on my mood.
  • Shopping: Shopping may seem to be an expensive hobby, but who says you can't go window shopping, and enjoy watching people who have money buy the stuff you dream of buying yourself? At worst, you can go around planning which things you'll buy when the right opportunity arises.
  • Social Dancing: I'm not good at dancing at all. However, I love dancing the waltz, since I really enjoy Strauss. I originally got inspired to learn social dancing from watching my parents do it on the few occassions they get a chance. It looked unappealing at first, but I have to thank P and L, for being so patient in teaching and practicing various dances with me (fox trot, rhumba, swing, etc).
  • Sports / Physical Stuff:
    I enjoy playing all these sports. Whenever I get the chance, I try to play all these. I've played some of these in a competitive environment (If you know me, you'll never guess which ones). For most of the other sports here, however, I play it just for fun.
    • Aerobics - I have to thank M for introducing me to this, and for pushing me to try it. Thanks to K, who made sure I made it to those late afternoon sessions. Incidentally, to date, I still don't understand why males are a minority in this activity. It's a great way to build endurance.
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Bowling
    • Cycling
    • Kickball (cross of soccer and baseball)
    • Kung-fu
    • Skiing - skiied in Crystal Mountain {in the Cascades, just Northeast of Mt. Rainer, Washington, USA}, Kirkwood {in the Lake Tahoe area, close to Nevada, California, USA}, Chicopee {Kitchener, Ontario, Canada}, Glenn Eden {Milton, Ontario, Canada}, Beaver Valley {Markdale (Collingwood area), Ontario, Canada}, Bristol Mountain {Canandaigua (Finger Lakes region, central area), New York, USA}. I have to thank T for teaching me how to try to ski.
    • Racquetball
    • Running - Thanks to S, my "personal trainer," who was there for encouragement and to make sure I get help, in case I ever collapsed during those crazy 45 minute running and endurance training sessions.
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Swimming
    • Tennis - One of my recently adopted sport. One night, T was bored, and dragged me along to play tennis. From then on, I kept on trying to play.
    • Volleyball
  • Travelling: I love travelling. Well, to be more specific, I hate commuting, but I love exploring places. Spending 20 hours inside an aircraft is not exactly fun. However, the exploration and fun that comes with travelling often makes the commute worthwhile. Favorite cities/countries are: Chicago, Manila, Monaco, Paris, San Francisco, Seattle, Tokyo, and Vancouver. Click here for my travel plans for the immediate future.