Category Archives: Life
Why I Don’t Normally Take the Bus
I typically take Uber or Lyft for a few reasons—mainly for convenience and to avoid dealing with the unpleasantness of public transit. After all, when you’re in a car with just one other person, it’s usually a lot more comfortable than being crammed into a bus with a crowd of strangers. But today, I decided to take the bus to save a little money. And well, this decision was a reminder of why I usually avoid it.
As I was approaching the bus stop, there were already two people waiting. Then, just before I got there, a grown man arrived—he was the third person to show up. The bus came shortly after, and instead of waiting in line like the rest of us, this guy rushed right up to the doors and got on without any regard for the line. It was frustrating to watch. I don’t know if it’s entitlement, impatience, or both, but it was just rude.
That was bad (and yes, I’m aware it happens many, many times, every single day), but it got worse once I was on the bus.
I found a seat facing the back window, so I wasn’t directly across from anyone. But in my line of sight, there was this grown man with his female companion. His seat was facing the left window, and from where I sat, I could see him doing something incredibly gross. This man, without any shame, began putting his fingers into his mouth like he was flossing. Flossing. On a public bus. He did this repeatedly—put his fingers in his mouth, pulled them out, and wiped them on his hair. Then, as if that wasn’t gross enough, he put those same fingers back into his mouth, and later wiped them on his pants. The entire thing was just… disgusting.
I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. Public spaces already feel a little more uncomfortable since COVID, but seeing someone behave like that just reminded me why I avoid public transportation. It’s not just about the hygiene (though that’s a big part of it), it’s also about the lack of consideration for others.
And no, I don’t want to drive. I get it, driving might seem like an easy alternative, but sometimes it’s just easier to let someone else handle the driving. But public transit, especially after everything that’s happened, is just not worth the hassle for me anymore.
At the end of the day, I’m sticking with ride-sharing. It’s cleaner, quieter, and, most importantly, a lot more respectful.
The Manager Didn’t Appreciate Me: A Tale of Frustration and Unfair Treatment
There are moments in your career that make you question whether your efforts are truly valued, and for me, those moments came all too frequently. From trying to take time off to move into a new apartment to dealing with a lack of communication and support, my experience with my manager left me feeling unappreciated and, frankly, disrespected.
It all started when I was preparing for a big move. Moving is stressful enough, but I also had a job to balance. I requested several days off to pack and get settled, hoping that my boss would understand the importance of this personal task. Instead, I was granted a grand total of four hours. Four hours to pack up my entire life and move it into a new apartment—hardly enough time to even get started. To make matters worse, I watched as other colleagues were granted more generous time off for personal reasons. One teacher was allowed to take time off for a trip to San Diego, and another was given several weeks off to go on a missionary trip to Guatemala. But when it came to my request, I was treated like an afterthought.
The disparity in treatment became even more evident in the day-to-day management of the workplace. I remember one time, I was eating lunch at the mall food court when I received a call from the manager’s assistant, begging me to go cover a class. The catch? I hadn’t been told about the class beforehand. I quickly grabbed an Uber and made my way to the class, which ended up being only 1.5 hours. The lack of communication and foresight was infuriating, yet I still went out of my way to help out.
Then there was the time I asked for time off to call a hockey game on a random Wednesday night. I thought it was a simple request, one that wouldn’t cause any issues. After all, I had informed both the manager and the assistant well in advance. But when that night came around, I was bombarded with texts and calls asking why I wasn’t in class. I explained that I had asked for the night off to pursue my passion for hockey announcing, something I thought they’d understand and maybe even be proud of. Instead, they responded by telling me to tell my student that I was “sick” and couldn’t make it. Not only was I being asked to lie, but it also became clear that the issue wasn’t my absence—it was their failure to manage their schedule properly.
Months later, as I found myself being phased out of the job, the frustration continued to mount. I requested a schedule from the assistant, hoping for clarity and some semblance of organization. Instead, I was met with attitude and was completely disregarded. She forgot that just a few months prior, I had dropped everything I was doing at the food court and taken an Uber to cover a class due to her own incompetence and lack of communication. Yet, instead of appreciating my dedication, I was met with disrespect and a lack of professionalism.
The atmosphere at the front desk only added to my growing dissatisfaction. Instead of fostering a productive and professional environment, the front desk was often filled with giggling and idle chatter, which felt like a distraction from the job at hand. There was a complete lack of seriousness and accountability in how they managed the business, and it made my job increasingly difficult.
In the end, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had been taken for granted. My efforts to go above and beyond were ignored, and the inconsistencies in how requests were handled left me feeling undervalued. It’s a frustrating realization when you put in the work and go the extra mile, only to be met with incompetence and indifference from the very people you’re trying to support. This experience has taught me a lot about knowing my worth, setting boundaries, and not accepting treatment that doesn’t reflect the effort I put in.
It’s a shame that so many workplaces fail to appreciate their employees, but I now know that I deserve better than to be treated this way. I can only hope that in the future, I find a place that values my time, my contributions, and my passion. Until then, I’m taking this lesson with me and ensuring that I never again settle for less than I deserve.
People are assholes
People can really be difficult sometimes. I had an experience sometime ago with a teenager from Langley that left me wondering about the lack of accountability and effort some people have.
I was teaching this student in a one-on-one online class. The goal was to help him learn how to annotate a book properly—a simple enough task. I figured the best way to do that was to give him a physical copy of the book, A Life of Knuckleballs, which I had written. Instead of just sending him a digital copy, I wanted him to have the real thing, something he could hold in his hands and interact with.
So, I ordered the book from Amazon and had it shipped directly to him. The tracking information showed that it was delivered. But the student said he never received it. At first, I thought maybe it was just a mix-up, so I asked him to check with his guardians or neighbors to see if they had taken the package by mistake. His response? “Nope, no one has it.” Okay, I thought, let’s sort this out.
Now, I could have sent him a PDF of the book by email. But the teenager claimed he had no access to a printer. And the point of letting him have a copy of the book was so that he could annotate directly on the pages. So, I thought, okay, let’s get the physical copy to him somehow.
I then reached out to the school manager, asking if he could deliver the book to the student’s address. The manager’s response? “I don’t live in Langley, and I’m not going to go there.” That was it. No willingness to help, no problem-solving, no accountability.
So here’s the deal: the teenager didn’t take responsibility for checking where the book had gone. Maybe he was being lazy, maybe he didn’t care enough to look into it further, or maybe he just didn’t want to deal with it. Or he lied about not receiving the book and just threw it into the garbage. But either way, he didn’t put in the effort. And the manager, instead of stepping in and helping out, just shrugged it off, saying he didn’t want to go the extra mile. So now, not only did the student fail to learn how to annotate, but he got out of doing any work at all. And the manager didn’t show any responsibility, either.
It’s frustrating when people don’t take ownership of their actions—or in this case, their lack of action. I was trying to help, but the student didn’t care enough to make sure the book got to him. And the manager couldn’t have been bothered to assist.
This whole situation made me realize that responsibility is becoming a lost art. It’s not about things always going perfectly—sometimes life happens. But when things go wrong, taking responsibility and making an effort to solve the problem is crucial. Instead, the teenager lied about not receiving the book (again, Amazon’s tracking information indicated the book had been delivered), and the manager couldn’t be bothered to help.
If you’re going to ask for help or try to learn something, the least you can do is put in some effort and take responsibility for your part in the process. Otherwise, don’t be surprised when nothing works out. It’s a shame that both the student and the manager didn’t do what they should’ve. And at the end of the day, it just left me feeling disappointed and frustrated with the whole situation.
Some people know the truth, while others are a**holes
But there are also students who know the truth: that I’m a star and inspire them and guide them well. In fact, several students this week approached me to say they appreciate my teaching and how I help them to learn well, more than what other past instructors have done for them.
I’m a star. I know it. Serious students know it.
Just those a**holes who try to railroad me don’t. Or those cheating a**holes who use ChatGPT or whatever other software to cheat and then think they’re better than they are. But that’s what the world’s coming to now, right?
Anyway, the sun will still rise the next day. Those who are a**holes and think they’re better than me, etc. etc. Well, guess what. When you go do your business in the toilet, you stink just like everyone else. Keep acting like you’re superior, etc. I can remember one guy named Kenny in high school, Asian guy just like me, who said my name is “Kok,” so my father must be “Dick” and my mom “Vagina.” Yup, Asian guy. There are and will always be a**holes like that.
Just keep knocking me down. I still get right back up. The sun still rises the next day.
Wally Pipp’ed Without Being Wally Pipp
The title of this story should be “Wally Pipp’ed without being Wally Pipp”—but to keep to the hockey theme, we’ll call it “The Unraveling of My Hockey Dream.”
I had always loved hockey, and when I discovered an opening for a camera operator with the local amateur team, I jumped at the chance. I believed that showing up early and doing the job would secure my spot—unlike Wally Pipp, who lost his position to Lou Gehrig for taking a day off. I was determined to avoid a similar fate.
The media relations guy welcomed me warmly, and I made it a point to arrive early every time, pouring my heart into each game. To feel like a true part of the team, I ordered their hat and shirt, ie. merchandise with the team logo. You could not buy them from the team directly but had to do so online from a third-party store. Little did I know that this small investment would lead to a nightmare. The store’s communication was poor; they insisted I download the “Shop” app to track shipping. Long story short, downloading that particular app—again, for the purpose of tracking the shipping—wrecked my phone, costing me $140 for a new one. By the time my gear finally arrived, my excitement had soured into frustration.
Then came the gut punch. Two weeks after I had received the merchandise, the media relations guy texted me, casually mentioning that the team management was bringing in a college student to take over the camera work. My heart sank. I had invested so much into this position, convinced that my dedication would pay off. Instead, I felt like a placeholder, just another face until someone else came along.
I couldn’t shake the words of a relative who had questioned my spending on the team’s merchandise: “You’re probably spending more than you’re making.” I had brushed it off at the time, thinking my passion justified the costs. But now, those words echoed in my mind, a bitter reminder of my misplaced priorities. The shirt and hat I wore with pride felt useless—tokens of a dream that had slipped away.
Disgusted and disheartened, I reflected on the experience. I was reminded of something I should have already known—it doesn’t matter if you show up early and do the job. It does not matter that you are fairly competent and reliable in the job. In other fields, in other workplaces, people often keep their jobs for showing up late, being incompetent, and being rude to customers. Life stinks, and sometimes it feels like everything you pour your heart into can crumble in an instant.
I had hoped to contribute to something I loved, but instead, I felt cast aside, much like Pipp, who had been replaced without a second thought.
As I packed away my team gear, I realized that passion alone wouldn’t secure my place in this world. I would need to find a new path, one where I could truly thrive—not just as a fan, but as someone whose dedication could lead to something meaningful. It was time to redefine my journey, seeking opportunities where my passion and effort could truly make a difference, ensuring I wouldn’t be left behind again.
Update: I’ve decided to give that store a one-star rating as a review.
k. p. wee 