Dude mang. There’s a serious problem I need to discuss with you guys. It’s called multi-tasking.

I always thought multi-tasking was cool. Actually, everyone does. The ability to do many things (well) simultaneously indeed seems very impressive. For example, chatting on AIM and talking on the phone at the same time. Pretty standard. But then you throw in breastfeeding and painting a still life of durians, and you’ve got a smelly drowning baby. That’s not good. I don’t have to exaggerate; the simplest of multitasking can be hugely detrimental to all endeavors academic and social.

Let’s return to the talking-on-phone-while-chatting-on-AIM example. It’s something I’m guilty of myself. What happens in such an instance of multitasking is diverted attention on two fronts. The friend you’re speaking to will notice your responses devolving to the standard fare of “uh-huhs”, “you don’t say!”, “shiver me timbers!” and thus you heavily risk betraying the fact that you’re not really listening. And your AIM buddies will notice either delayed responses and/or inane conversation. Either put on your away message on or tell your friend you’ll call back later. Or die. You will find this especially helpful if you’re in a serious conversation or would like to contribute more as a conversationalist (and friend).

I love tabbed browsing. This new advancement in online browsing has initially led to feel more productive, having multiple windows open at the same time. It’s also (btw I can’t say also. I say “oso”) a subtle form of multitasking that produces obvious effects. I remember working on my paper on eating culture and opened up 15+ tabs of academic research from JSTOR. What resulted was that I took a brief glance at each source and continued tabbing more sources for my paper. Then I realized, late in my research: “How can I derive great insights on food culture when I don’t take to time to fully assess each article?” This realization led to one-tab browsing and it helped me get on the right direction to procure a decent research paper. Not bad Gale, not bad. At the basis of my argument against multitasking is the argument for quality over quantity. Less tasks = better, if not more meaningful conversation. Less tabs = deeper research. The list can go on and on (and on and on ~energizer bunny~ )

Motivations for multitasking. Sometimes people don’t realize that they don’t even want to multitask. But they begin to multitask when it comes with communication with people. And why is this? it’s because we all want to convey our social value - for example you want Jenny to think you’re really important for talking to her and on AIM at the same time. In a nutshell, how eye see it is that multitasking can often be interpreted as a subconscious outlet of our own ego, if not arrogance.

inevitable feelings after multitasking - incompleteness and emptiness. And sheer frustration that reading two pages out of Homer’s Iliad took you 3 more hours than it normally would without the distractions of music, dinosaur eggs, and pictures of nude people. Moreover, multitasking will greatly exacerbate ADD if you have it already, or perhaps develop ADD if you don’t have it. Whichever way you look at it, it’s lose-lose. So don’t lose. You know, multitasking is why polygamy doesn’t work. And why it’s illegal. The federal law states that you cannot multitask by having several wives at the same time. So by extension, multitasking should be illegal too.

The grand, now-obvious solution to productivity woes is simply single tasking. It’s the new hip thing to do. Even a jack of all trades studies each trade individually, not all at once. Instead of having breadth and little depth in your tasks, aim for depth in the things you really want accomplished. after all, treasure is never found on the surface, but deep in the ocean. so I leave that crappy analogy in your hands and hope you take that to heart, instead of reading this advice as your 20th tab in firefox while clipping your cheese-beladen toenails.EGGCEPTION: The only instance of multitasking that i allow, and even find honorable, is talking to someone while you take a dump. Then it’s not multitasking, it’s sharing. The gloriousness of explaining your friend how long and excruciating your bowl system is working will not only improve bonding time, but also makes for notable topics of conversation in the future.

So it doesn’t matter if you really really vacuum-suck at multitasking. just be good at single-tasking and you’re set for life. We’ll there’s a few other things to be successful, but keeping this in mind will undoubtedly jump your productivity to great heights.

Toodle do!

Your Wingman,

Gale Kim

p.s. as for the relevance of the picture at top to the topic discussed, well. that girl multitasks.

p.p.s. multitasking is single tasking times multiple

p.p.s. this is my best work.

ATTENTION ALL YOU GLOBAL CITIZENS OUT THERE!

I’m always a little skeptical when it comes to making a few extra dollars online. I am relieved, however, that some PTC and PTR - Paid to Click and Paid to Read - Programs have been coming up and been legitimately paying their members. In less than 30 days, I’ve made $183.45 through a certain paid-to-click program. How these programs work is that you click on ONE ad and view it for 30 seconds, then get credited 1 cent for that ad. This system works because companies pay money to put their web pages on for you to view to drive sales to their own sites. PTC programs will share that bit of the profit with YOU by paying you a measley 1 cent per ad, with around 10 ads at most a day. So with such a slow way to earn, why bother?

PTC and PTR can put some serious pocket change in…well, your pockets. It can become a nice little stream of income that can help you take care of some inevitably recurring bills, such as gas. On the bright side, it’s a great way to save up for dates or splurge a little on gifts. So how can you possibly get a sizeable amount of money for clicking on these 1 cent ads? I’ll show you how.

Find a Reputable PTC program where you can BUY referrals

I’ll start off with the only Paid-to-Click program that has made me $183.45 in less than 30 days. The website is Bux.to and it rocks because it has many options for you to vastly increase your earning potential; with each referral that signs up directly under you, you get 100% of that referral’s earnings. That is a really reasonable compensation for introducing someone else to the program, considering most other PTC’s will give you maybe up to 50% at most. That means every 1 cent your referral makes, you make 1 cent.

Then the exciting part comes when you decide to invest in buying referrals: you may purchase “referral packs” of 15, 35, 100, or 500. After purchasing the referrals, Bux.to may take anywhere from 2 - 5 days adding them to your account. After that occurs, however, you’ll have the power of up to 500 (or more, depending how much you want to invest) referrals clicking for you. Assuming that each referral is a regular member and clicks 10 ads daily, you can realistically make up to $50 a day. Theoretically, after 10 days you earn back your expenses of $500 and everything is pure profit from there on out. In my own experience, this was true for the first few days. However, fickle clickers have led me to recoup my costs a little bit late - 17 days to recover my initial expenses. I don’t care, because this sure beats the stock market.

Another bonus to the program is that you have the option of upgrading to PREMIUM status. The dozen ads or so a regular member gets daily will rocket to at least 20 daily, but in my experience I have consistently gotten more than 35 ads a day. On top of that, every ad that YOU click and that your REFERRALS click makes 25% more, so each click comes out to 1.25 cents. This may not sound like much but if you refer back to that $500 dollar example earlier, you would’ve made $125 more in the same amount of time. What I did was to buy the special package 100 members + premium membership for $139 dollars; you save 21 because premium membership by itself is $60.

Now, here are some realistic CONS to the program that you will most likely have to deal with, but they will not really prevent you from making a profit in the long run (try it out for at least 30 days - it’s standard membership is free anyway).

1) Long Payout Time

Bux.to used to be a faster payer, but since they’ve been growing at such a fast pace, they changed their payout times to 30 business days for premium members and 60 business days for regular members. I’ll be honest with you and say that if you are really impatient, then maybe Bux.to isn’t for you. But one has to understand the logistics of paid to click programs - with they way PTC companies operate and make money, they cannot afford to offer immediate cashouts.

2) No Paypal, Use Alertpay (not really a big deal)

Nearly all PTC companies have switched from Paypal to Alertpay to compensate their earners, but I don’t see this as a problem - actually, Alertpay has WAY cheaper rates cause sending and receiving money is totally free under the standard account, and it’s free to send the money you earn right to your checking account. Don’t be like me and sign up for the Pro account - I only did because I thought I’d be making/withdrawing more money by now, but sadly that’s not the case :( So I pay a nominal fee for cashing out my Bux.to income. Alertpay is a legitimate way to pay - it’s endorsed by CNN and it’s really easy to set up.

So that ends Part 1 of my MMO (making money online) series. In a nutshell, PTC programs like Bux.to are a legitimate way to earn extra income online. For Bux.to, the amount of money you want to make is up to your own discretion because you can buy as many referrals as you want (500 at most at a time). And it takes no work at all - you can just click on an ad, wait 30 seconds while you look at another web page you want - you’re not demanded to even look at the ads you click on as long as you wait 30 seconds. So what I do is just blog and check out CNN news and click the ads every once in a while. Getting paid for surfing the net can’t get easier than this. Well, good luck to all your endeavors and I hope you check out Bux.to

your slightly richer wingman,

gale

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I’m excited to present to you, for the first time, a guest article from my dear friend. I’ve always considered him wise, sensitive, and above all an excellent writer, and hope that you take much from what he has to say

__________________________________________

If you’ve ever watched a sitcom, you’ll always come upon many episodes where everything screws up because there’s a breakdown in communication. Approaching the communication in a relationship is no different: you can whisper a million sweet nothings into her ear, but nothing will speak to her more than showing her that you respect her. And I’ve learned that there’s nothing sexier than a guy who listens.

1) Eye contact

The biggest issue with eye contact is the lack of it. A friend of mine talks to me about how a lot of guys let their eyes wander down her body while they’re talking to her, failing to be subtle about their scrutiny. The point isn’t to be as subtle as possible; it’s to focus on HER. Keeping eye contact with her during a conversation is the first step to showing that you are paying attention to what she is saying. It shows you are focused just on her words, not on how low her shirt is.

However, don’t let your eyes bore into her; most people don’t like prolonged, fixed stares. (Blinking helps.) So how do you keep your eyes on her without letting yourself wander? Simple. What I like to do is occasionally shift my focus to a point on her face near her eyes; that way, you keep the connection without creating an awkward situation. You can also shift very briefly to a point just outside her ears, but don’t let your gaze stay there long. You only need a brief second or two to relieve possible direct eye contact tension.

2) Pay attention

The next thing, besides the all-important eye contact, is how you respond to what she says. When she talks, you have to LISTEN. Her words need to do more than enter your head too; you have to absorb and process. Treat her words like they’re valuable (which they often are), and you will set a more solid foundation for a trusting, understanding relationship. I’m sure you’ve heard many times that “two people just didn’t connect”, or “there was a lack of communication” as the reason for a breakup. Communication is a two-way street; guys who complain about their rambling girlfriends have to accept some fault. A relationship is built on compromises, which can’t happen without both individuals participating.

If your girl is telling you something that seems important to her, take a step back and think. Nod along as you take in her words, and to convey that you are taking her seriously, repeat back the main points she’s trying to get across to you. Then, it’s no longer just a rant; it becomes conversation. And that’s what you’re in a relationship for, the ability to have someone who will listen to you when you need him/her, and also care about what’s being said. And in the process, current and potential problems become resolved. Then your bond becomes more meaningful, and you’ll feel awesome when she tells her friends that she’s got a guy who listens to her (see, it’s GOOD to be sensitive). She’ll appreciate you all the more, and both of you win in the end.

One final thing to note: sometimes, she just wants someone to rant to. She won’t be in the best mood, and she’s just got a lot to get off her shoulders. Guys, sometimes it’s better just to let her resolve her issues on her own. You don’t have to be her knight in shining armor every time something rains on her day (you’ll get rusty really quick). You’ll know when you hit a situation where she doesn’t want your opinion, and even if she seems to a bit stubborn about it, just let it go. Everyone deserves to be stubborn sometimes, so don’t offer your perceptions unless you feel it’s appropriate. As for you ladies, know that if a guy sometimes suggests something that you don’t particularly like, he’s not trying to piss you off. His words are generally well-intentioned (if sometimes a bit badly timed), and you know that sometimes the best solution is not the one you want to hear. Just listen to him (two-way street, right?), but don’t bite him. After all, you don’t need more people to be angry at.

And that’s my two cents for now, I’ll write again if anything else comes to mind or if you have any requests.

Guest Writer:

-Zack

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“She broke up with me.”

That’s never easy for a guy to say. It has something to do with pride and the inevitable question: “Is there something wrong with me?” I’ve asked myself the same question once and I’ll answer it for you too: “Is there something wrong with me?” is the wrong question. It doesn’t focus on the big picture. When things go wrong, the main perpetrator is lack of balance.

I shall confess to you my previous love affair, a most grandiose story that end with much blood and tears, and even some missing body parts. Before I do that, however, I’d like to quote my spunky friend abby:

“a perfectly equal relationship is not a relationship, but a math problem”

The above is good to keep in mind because good relationships don’t necessarily thrive on perfect equality, but rather on a healthy balance between two (I hope) people.

At the most basic level, problems result from lack of balance. You’ve all heard of the phrase “mo money mo problems”. Our ozone is depleting from too many pollutants in the sky. Anorexic people (read: Nicole Richie) look unhealthy because they don’t eat enough. It’s always too much or too little or something. Sounds obvious and simple, but I didn’t realize that until my last relationship ended with a two-hour phone call.

The problem with my last relationship? LACK OF TIME. And perhaps incompatible personalities. But mostly the former. I won’t get too much into it. It was a humbling experience when my ex broke up with me, especially when I was least expecting it. No, I didn’t slash any tires or jump off the roofs of midgets’ houses. But in case you were wondering about the blood and guts I’ve referenced earlier, I’ve deceptively lead you here:

how to deal with breakups

Ok, I lied. My breakup was as normal and casual as could be. No blood and tears. But I certainly felt like there were. That’s the thing - I was acting like the breakup was some tragedy. At least for the first two days. I didn’t hurt because the relationship was a brief two months, but I thought that it should hurt since that’s the normal way to feel about a breakup. After that realization, I was a happy chap again. Oh, one thing; I wasn’t lying about that bit about the missing body parts. I got my head shaved the day after my breakup. I guess that helped a little.

Actually, it was one of the dumbest things I ever did. So learn from my mistakes and consider the following…

1) Make It Fun(ny)

My buddies helped me with this one. I made fun of my breakup, by making it melodramatic, grandiose, and ridiculous. In doing so it helped me see that even on a realistic scale, my sad mood was a bit ridiculous. I was (and still am!) young. With many passions, such as punch-boxing and drinking chilled water. I was going to travel to my favorite country, Africa. Why would I be sad? A little bit of humor goes a long way.

2) What is Love? (Baby don’t hurt me…)

The affirmation that I wasn’t in love and never said “I love you” (always take this phrase with utmost seriosity) helped me move on quickly. Especially when it comes to physical relationships, knowing that there wasn’t much genuine love involved, or that it was a fling, greatly helps you move on. So before you drown yourself in wonton soup (who knows what people drink these days), ask yourself if it was really love or the illusion of it.

3) Drown yourself in wonton soup
In slight contrast to above advice (I’m a pretty fair guy), I suggest setting a time to feel sad. No, really. Jokes aside, I know I suggested not to be too sad. But I also realize that sometimes you just can’t force it. I mean, if you’ve been holding and kissing and hugging your significant other every day for the last 366 days of the year, you’re not gonna be a happy chap 1 day after the breakup. In fact, forcing yourself to be happy or into a sudden social scene may NOT always help out. When you’re sad, there’ s no helping it. So set a sad day for yourself. Tell yourself “okay, I’m gonna take a walk while listening to Bjork and coldplay and all the other music I told my friends was gay but listen to myself. Just today, cause goddamn, I have a paper to write. ” Speaking of papers…

4) Set some deadlines and dates.

Simply writing down and planning things to do will greatly improve your mood. Just a little reflection will help you realize that there IS a lot of stuff to look forward to. Like watching The Office episodes for free online and getting back into the that’s-what-she-said mode (I owe you my life, Michael Scott.) After your emo day, set happy days. Hang out with your friends. They need some serious attention after you freakin’ hoes-before-bro’ed them. But seriously, I was so glad that I didn’t abandon my friends during my previous relationship. Saved me a lot of social capital.

5) Have a nice cup of shut the **** up

When people ask, it’s in YOUR best interest to keep information about your breakup to a minimum: “Oh, it just didn’t work out” or “It’s in the past, so don’t worry about it” will be clear enough. I mean, is there really any need to draw out all those old and foreign emotions out on the table? Moreover, RESIST the urge to talk smack and gossip and rumor; doing so will only convey to people 1) you’re not over her and 2) you’re a bitter, bitter, black-licorice man.

And most importantly…Save the Best for Last

6) Don’t Shave Your Head.

Self explanatory.

I will probably post again just once before finals and totally rip up this website and redesign during spring break.

your wingman,

gale

p.s. If you realized some words were made up or some facts were not really facts, good for you. My faith in the public schooling system has returned.

Please subscribe to keep up with my latest posts, use the contact form for any specific questions, donate to help me cover the costs of operating this blog, or check out some fantastic ways to make passive income. Thank you!

click on the above and sign up for BUX.to, a free program where you get paid to click on ads. More on this in a future post. But when I become a millionaire via your help, I swear I’ll buy you a drank.

The following was an email sent to me during Winter Break…I thought it was the funniest contact-form question yet, but didn’t want to embarrass the email-er. But then I thought, heck, I’ll just make this anonymous. So have a fun read and I hope you all learn a little about handling some…not so straight situations.
_______

I partied a little to hard on New Years night with a guys night out party. My best friend gave me a ride home to my house. I was in no shape to do anything and soon I passed out. When I awoke the next day and clearly recall my friend kissing me and massaging my buttocks during the night. I was so drunk, I couldn’t do anything to stop it. The next day, I acted like nothing happened. What should I do? This guy has always been my greatest bud and straight (I thought). I am now thinking he only hangs out with me because he has the hots for me

_________

Dear Anonymous Victim of being Sexually-Taken-Advantage-Of,

Thank you for the question - it’s definitely one of the most interesting ones I’ve come across. There’s no other way to settle this but in a direct manner. I suggest handling the situation in person instead of over email or telephone. I’d avoid going about it in an accusing or confrontational way - ease into the conversation. Here’s an example: “Hey (friend’s name), I was really drunk on New Year’s Night and I felt somebody touching me and stuff. Since you were the only person around when I fell asleep, do you have anything to say? If there’s something going on, you need to let me know.” Take care that you ask your questions in a light, but firm way - avoid expressing anger or fear. If you asked these questions, you’ll find the answer no matter how your guy friend responds. If he acts all nervous, looks away, and basically looks like he’s freaking out, then your friend may be gay. Keep an open mind, however - was your friend also drunk that night? If he was, then there’s a chance that your friend was a) too drunk to remember and will be pissed at your accusation or

b) what I call a “drunk gay”. I have a friend who gets REALLY touchy when he’s drunk, and he acts pretty homosexual (getting close to men and making them uncomfortable), but he hasn’t kissed any guys. Also keep in mind that when girls get drunk, they often make out, but that doesn’t mean that they’re lesbians. I’m not entirely sure if it’s the same case for drunk guys - it may be a possibility. I’ll conclude with something for you to observe - how did your friend behave other times when he was drunk? I hope you found my response useful and I’m open to any further questions. Above all, I hope that your friendship will carry on smoothly despite this slight aberration from heterosexuality.

your wingman,
gale

Please subscribe to keep up with my latest posts, use the contact form for any specific questions, donate to help me cover the costs of operating this blog, or check out some fantastic ways to make passive income. Thank you!

p.s. did you know that even if a man does gay things, he is not necessarily homosexual? In a human anthropology class I once took in college, I learned that there is a vast difference between one who would engage in “homosexual acts” and still be straight, as opposed to “real” homosexuals who not only have sex with same-sex partners, but also think romantically and have the mindset of one from the homosexual community. I’m not an authority on this, but just some food for thought.

My general advice for guys is not to use pickup lines - save for some few exceptions. You may ask, “Why not use pickup lines, handsome and supple Mr. Gale Kim?” I’ll tell you why: women are sharp and will easily catch on to what you’re trying to do, which isn’t that hard to figure out because most pickup lines center around getting into someone’s (a girl’s) pants. Holy crap that was a long sentence.

Pickup lines can work, however, if you use them in the right context. For instance, if you’re a girl. Because girls have less ulterior motives than guys, they can get away with any amount of pickup lines. If you’re a guy, I recommend using pickup lines as jokes - then many a giggle will ensue. Or use them on a potential mate that you’re really comfortable with. Practice on strangers if you want to get turned down easily and build immunity to rejection. Pickup lines have a great many uses, but not for setting a great first impression. SO I won’t beat around the bush, here are the 10 pickup lines that’ll be sure to make any girl slap you.

1. How do you like your eggs…fertilized?

2. May I read your shirt in Braille?

3. If you were my homework, I’d do you.

4. (for Math nerds) May I lie tangent to your curves?

5. (for your hot calculus teacher) Would you like to see the exponential growth of my natural log?

6. Hi, you’ll do.

7. If I said you had a nice body, would you hold it against me?

8. Your shirt looks nice. But it would look better on my floor.

9. Your name must be summer, cause you’re HOT!

10. Make your legs like a banana and split.

Hey hey hey - I didn’t say that these pickup lines were gonna be good. Hence the title “10 LAME Pick-Up Lines”. But I would love to hear your complaints via your comments. And please, if you have some great pickup lines, PLEASE share :)

your wingman,

Gale

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Make Money By Clicking on Ads Using the Two Free Programs Below. For more information, check out my page here

HEY GUYS AND GIRLS!

I’m sure many of you reading this post right now have been in or are in a relationship right now. After reading my list, please add to the discussion by including what YOU think are mistakes that people make in relationships. As for those who haven’t been in the relationship or have been out of the relationship scene for a while (don’t worry about it), here are a few things I’ve learned NOT to do from my past relationships. I’m sure that they’re pretty universal. At least from where I’m from ;)

The Following 10 (in no particular order of severity) I brand as MISTAKES…

1. Share the Password

This is a big electronic No-No. Couples at the beginning of their relationships are always gun-ho about sharing everything and being really into each other’s lives. Cute, I know. In the midst of their excitement, such adorable couples may swap their EMAIL and Instant Messenger passwords. Just avoid this situation because 1) there really is no need to do this (lol) and 2) in case of a bad break up, having a known password is just dangerous - you’d have to change to an email and notify everyone of your new contact, which is pretty lame.

2. Complain About Ex’s

Complaining about your ex’s may be somewhat flattering to your current bf/gf in a certain context, but I’d rather avoid it like the plague. By complaining about your past relationships, you put stress and a heightened level of unhealthy expectation on your current love interest. Hearing your complaints may not only make YOU look bad, but it may also make your current bf/gf nervous about you JUDGING them. Oy.

3. Never Share a Definition of What a Relationship Is

After the honeymoon period is over, you and your significant other have got to figure out how each of you feel about the word “relationship”. Many short-lived relationships and flings occur because each party has his and her own idea of what makes a good relationship. It is ideal that before getting into a serious commitment, one should at least get a decent grasp of what his potential long-term lover feels about “relationships”.

4. Forgetting your Roots: Friends and Family

There’s a reason why the phrases “bros before hoes” and “chicks before dicks” are so prevalent in our modern vernacular (did I use vernacular right?) Those who forget to pay attention to their strongest social networks - family and friends - may risk being ostracized by those very cliques. To forget your roots can be offensive to people you are (*were) close with, and on top of that, you’re more apt to become cLiNgY. Investing all your attention and emotional energy in one individual may also be self-damaging in the way that you might forget your passions and goals in life. It may sound like a stretch but it’s always something to keep an eye on.

5. Get Sloppy

Just because you got your girlfriend doesn’t mean you should stop working out. Or stop the good habits that have in some way contributed to you being in a relationship right now. Many couples have the subconscious expectation that once the chase is over, it’s all coasting from there. Not so much! Being comfortable with each other is definitely a good thing, but that’s no reason to not keep it sharp. So keep it exciting, man.

6. Rush to the Conclusion that He/She is “The One”

Just like avoiding talk of marriage early on in a relationship, imposing the expectation that your girlfriend/boyfriend is THE ONE may place incredible pressure on him/her to “be good”. There is such a thing as too much responsibility and too much commitment. Just relax and let things play out - after all, the fun part is the slow creation of a healthy relationship, so no need to rush and claim your bOo as THE ONE.

8. Using the words “Never” or “Always” in Argument

When it comes to hard times, one person or another may employ the conditionals “never” and “always” to dramatize argument and make their complaints bigger than they really are. Such conditionals are employed to help us win arguments but do nothing to solve problems. Want to resolve issues? Use the words “we” and “our” more, which directs blame away and moves the conversation towards compromise.

9. Rely on Opposite Gender Friends for Emotional Support

IT’s just not a good idea to (physically) go to your best opposite-gender friend for support when you and your significant other are dealing with kinks in the relationship. It’s only fuel for further argument and jealousy. While you need time away once in a while, don’t do it to spite your sig. other (in an “oh I don’t need you, I got friends” way). Take a run or walk around the city to clear your head. Problems tend to magnify when you’re away from the person and complaining to your friend, because most friends want to agree with you and comfort you. But I’m glad to have some friends who tell it like it is, because they make me realize that I just want them to say something I want to hear.

10. Thinking That There is a “Template” for Good Relationships

No relationship is the same, just as no two people are exactly the same. Be flexible; you’re bound to make some mistakes and so’s your significant other, so roll with the punches. I have a friend who used to go through boyfriends like tissues . She found in each relationship some small problem and dumped each boyfriend in quest of a perfect relationship. I regret not saying something to her then, which is that perhaps she’s the problem in the midst of all those breakups. Good relationships come from overcoming problems together, as a couple.

So that concludes that post for now. Feel free to throw in suggestions and comments and any of that good stuff. And I’m really looking forward to some insightful commentary by the fellow DTA.

your wingman,

gale

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So my New Year’s Resolution is turning out pretty well so far - about 2 weeks waking up at my desired time (7 am) everyday! This is not impressive to most people in the working world, but I consider it a personal feat as a college student (pat self on back). That’s not to say waking up early has always been a cakewalk, but it’s gotten a lot easier through some things I’ve learned. Now I would like to share with you (like it or not) methods I’ve used not only to wake up consistently every day, but also to start the morning right and stay awake throughout the day. Here goes!

1. Be a Fatty

I am constantly thinking about food, so one of my main motivations to wake up everyday is to dive into a bowl of SPECIAL K and crunch in heavenly happiness. Having a breakfast to look forward to will really help you get out of your head. Not only that, but getting some grub in the morning will help you start metabolizing and thus provide you that extra boost you need during the day. SO I suggest you get some cereal foods that you love to eat so that you can have something nice to wake up to. Speaking of which…

2. Wake up to Music

The feature I love most about the Ipod is the ALARM feature, where you get to set exactly what music you want to wake up to! I absolutely hate the deathly “deet-deet-deet” of traditional alarm clocks, the sound of which invariably make me feel panicked and rushed the moment I wake up. In fact, you will be less likely to press the snooze button on your music because you’re not waking up to an irritating sound anymore. Now I actually look forward to waking up to Jack Johnson’s Banana Pancakes or Will.I.Am (baby where’d you get yo’ body from?!) You don’t necessarily need an Ipod to wake up pleasantly to music - I believe most modern mp3 players have this feature. But in case you have an Ipod and DON’T know how to use the alarm feature…

1. make a playlist of the songs you want to wake up to by holding the middle button over desired song
2. save the playlist and remember the name of it
3. go to extras > alarms > create alarm
4. alarm sound be “ON”, check that the Date is correct, and in “Time” set the time you want to wake up to. In “Repeat”, click “Every Day”
5. Go to “Sounds” > Playlist > Choose the playlist you made
6. If you so choose, go to LABEL and label this as “wake up”
7. Precaution: after all these, if it’s your first time - check that your current time and date are correct (Settings > Date and Time) - i wouldn’t want you to wake up 4 hours late to your interview!
8. Lastly, PLUG IN your Ipod to your fav Ipod Docking advice or just a Speaker that you leave on throughout the Night.

IT sounds complicated NOW, but you only need to set this up ONCE and now you can wake up to great music every morning :)

3) Acknowledge Some Things

Acknowledge that in the morning, you are more likely to feel “tired” and “depressed”, but this is just a temporary effect of waking up. The trick is to GET OUT OF YOUR BED IMMEDIATELY - know that the longer you think about waking up, the more likely you’ll go right back to sleep. Don’t think about it - try to just get out of bed automatically. Imagine that your secret lover’s going to bust in any second and you don’t want him/her to see you in your morning ‘do (with eyecrap and drool etc), giving you even more reason to get UP and SPLASH your face with some COLD WATER. Cold water is great for waking up. Afterwards, dress up. The act of dressing up helps you get started in your day, and you wouldn’t want to mess up your nice shirt by falling back asleep anyway.

4) Light it Up

Open curtains/turn on lights immediately. Try to get your eyes to see sunlight as soon as possible when you wake up - exposure to natural sunlight scientifically makes you more alert and helps you stay awake longer. It’s only natural that darkness is conducive to sleep just as brightness is to being active.

5) More “Me” Time

If time permits, wake up so that you can work on a light or continuous habit/hobby you have. For me it’s actually turning on the computer and reading the latest news on CNN or read a chapter in my fav eBook. It’s always easier and more enjoyable to do things (like waking up) when you have something nice to look forward to. In fact, always have something nice to look forward to. There, your chronic depression is cured :)

(Warning: My advice is not to replace conditions requiring serious medical help…)

Alright, It’s time for me to snooze now. See you at 7 (or earlier) tomorrow!

Your Wingman,

Gale the Male Whale

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Widely notorious as a “shock jock”, or radio personality on the Los Angeles Station KQBZ-FM, Tom Leykis is one guy people love to hate.

As a result of his controversial and often offensive radio program, Tom gets daily hate mail, gets his front door peed on, and gets kicked in the head by random strangers. But Tom Leykis is also filthy rich and has a great deal of fans, who are mostly males from their 20s to 40s. That’s a significant demographic. At this point, your interest may be piqued about Tom Leykis, or if you already know of him, you’ll enjoy this enlightening discussion about Tom.

I enjoy listening to Tom’s talk show program every time I’m in the car. It’s interesting, provocative (read: provoking), and always gives me a laugh during my drive. Tom has so many listeners cause 1) he gets people pissed and 2) he is fantastic at arguing. In fact, some may say that Tom abuses people who call him. People accuse him of “manipulating” callers through his argumentative tact and also, being a misogynist.

Tom appeals to so many men because he tells guys what to watch out for, especially when it comes to women and relationships. Having been divorced many times, Tom is sure to let his listeners know that he is AGAINST marriage because in his opinion, it takes away from his independence and what he wants to do. Tom builds on these ideas by making most women seem like money grubbers and party poopers. I guess that’s why people call him a misogynist.

An example of Tom’s fun and effective way of arguing:

Caller: “Tom, you are a misogynist”

Tom: “Why do you think that? I LOVE women!”

Anyone who argues with Tom inevitably loses. One time, a caller commented along the lines of “the majority of your listeners are dumb white trash”, to which Tom responded, “I’m SO sorry you think of yourself that way!” Those who try to argue with or impress their ideology on Tom always come out fuming because they don’t realize one thing: Tom’s just a radio personality - he’s doing his job. A lot of people (mostly female) criticize Tom Leykis as a bad influence on society, but I think the reverse; he helps make listeners responsible for what they listen to. The funny thing is that people think Tom is arguing with their ideals, while he is really just arguing his own point. For instance, Tom is very anti-marriage and having kids, because the duo makes him unhappy. Consequently, he preaches advice based on his preferences. Remember to think twice about any advice, even what you’re reading now, before being too impressionable.

On a societal note, Tom represents a largely ignored side of the gender equation. As the gender gap is slowly closing (and thank God for that), men can be exploited by women and even become victims of sexism. By proliferating such legendary phrases as “DTB” (dump that bitch), Tom Leykis’ program may actually be a healthy outlet to vent - and educate - about the mistakes they’ve made with certain women. While I’m no fan of vulgarity (k maybe once a week), I think that Tom Leykis does add an element of moderation to the modern discussion of gender equality.

I would like to conclude that Tom is both a hero and a jerk. Whatever your opinion, listen responsibly!

your wingman,

Gale

Other Articles to Salivate Over:

• be nice to nerds
• 4 Steps to Become a Better Listener
• Be Beautiful - 5 Quintessential Beauty Tips

Please subscribe to keep up with my latest posts, use the contact form for any specific questions, or donate to help me cover the costs of operating my self-hosted blog. Thank you!