Survivor.

i will be on this show someday. just you wait and see.

awkward friend time!

okay, we've all been there, being that one new person in the group of good friends. not really knowing how much to contribute to the conversation: say to much, you come off as overbearing and trying too hard or say to little and be potentially be perceived as shy and weird.

the peak of these situations would be being stuck in a car with no radio on, leaving you only to chuckle at the jokes of the present company.

due to moving around a lot, starting at new schools, and working at an assortment of places, i have been at the short end of the stick in this situation many a time, so i definitely have a sensitivity when i know someone is feeling a bit weird. BUT when on the other (and preferred) end of the stick, i often find it to be no easier. you acknowledge, you inquire, you set a comfortable atmosphere... and people be awkward anyway.

sometimes this just seems like a lose-lose situation.

i think, what it really comes down to, is a personality issue. some people just have problems with adjusting to new situations and adapting to a different environment. we just need to little patience and kindness, followed with the right amount of persistence.

but really, nothing beats a good time hanging out with friends you love.

-Kel

hot, sweaty wreck

back when i lived in downtown winnipeg, i used to go the Y almost everyday.

now, i think that regularly frequenting a gym is just a wise life choice, no matter what type of physique you have. of course, you'd have your Cristiano Ronaldo and Venus William type people who are there, but then you'd have your John Candy and Rosanne Barr type people who are up in the gym, doing there things. what i love about all this was, you'd have every type of person giving it there all, trying to attain the same goal. it was actually very inspiring for me to see Ronaldo and Barr givin 'er on the treadmill, not caring what the other was thinking.

so, for me, you can definitely expect me to the hottest, sweatiest guy getting off the treadmill.

i don't go to the gym to look good, i go to the gym with aspirations for a better body and better health. so should you!

say what i mean, mean what i say

"People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison."

James

when it comes down to it, i think one of the most important, and arguably one of the hardest, characteristics to acquire is the one of 'honesty'. now, i know this idea is always played up as some kind of virtue and people look to it when they need a certain answer from someone, but i really think this concept should spill into other facets of daily life.

here's a story a friend recently shared:

gretel "what do you think of this shirt and skirt?"

hansel "...it's ...nice" :D

gretel "is that what you really think? you were just going to let me walk out in this ugly combination?"

hansel "i'm sorry! i didn't know what to say!"

okay, maybe not the best example, but "gretel" [not real name] was testing to see if "hansel" [also not real name] would comment on the ugly clothing selection. yes, maybe it was a form of entrapment, but at some point we all want to see if the friends we have will be honest with us, even in a controlled situation.

silly clothing situations aside, i want to be someone who is honest with his friends, and be surrounded with people who value honesty. being told when i'm doing or saying something stupid is huge for self-betterment, and not knowing when i'm in the wrong is just detrimental to living in general. if your goal is to be artificial and/or attractive, it probably should be high on your list of attributes not to pick up.

don't be the yes-friend that says only what people want to hear, say what needs to be said.

K