Well I thought I'd get to the airport early and have time to write at the lounge. But then I didn't get here so early and lines were long and now I've only got like 10 minutes in the lounge. But that might be enough. Let's see.
Yesterday I went to Toastmasters for the first time. I wasn't 100% sure what it was going into it, but I knew it had to do with improving your speaking skills. I think that I'm a perfectly fine speaker, but our CEO has mentioned to me a couple times that he thinks I should take some classes or something (which is ironic, cause he's kind of a monotone, boring speaker himself). I don't think I necessarily need it, but I know it definitely won't hurt. So I looked into it. And while I couldn't find a public speaking course, per se, I found a ton of Toastmasters clubs. One is even run by Caterpillar, so it's also an industry thing and a good networking chance. So I went.
As I learned yesterday, Toastmasters actually is kind of a class. But a self-paced, peer-evaluated class. And it's not just for public speaking, it's training for communication in general as well as leadership. And it was a great, friendly, open environment. So I definitely plan to go again. Plus it will get me out of the office the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month, assuming I'm even in Shanghai. Which I don't think I will be for the next couple. But we'll see, and I'll go when I can.
Ok, that was my big thing to write about. Otherwise I stayed home, relaxed, packed, watched Wet Hot American Summer (the TV show, which is amazing and hilarious), had xiaolongbao, and now I'm at the airport and need to go get on a plane. Luckily I pre-prepped the music part of this, so that'll save me a few minutes.
Today's band really needs no introduction. Foals are putting out their new album, What Went Down, at the end of the month, and I cannot wait. Their last album, Holy Fire, was incredible. Their first two were good, but there was such a progression from the 2nd to 3rd album, it was like a whole new band. Well, kind of the same band, but just a much better version of themselves. Anyway, it's got me super excited for album number 4, at which we've had a few peeks. The first was the title/opening track, which is a solid song. Then there was today's song, Mountain At My Gates, which is fantastic. And the video is really cool. The visuals themselves aren't anything special, but it's an interactive 360 degree video that you can control yourself to see the entire environment. So I'm using the video today instead of Soundcloud or something. Also, last week they put out the single from the album (which is also the closing track), called A Knife In The Ocean, which is also a solid song, and should make a pretty good close to the album.
Yesterday I went to Toastmasters for the first time. I wasn't 100% sure what it was going into it, but I knew it had to do with improving your speaking skills. I think that I'm a perfectly fine speaker, but our CEO has mentioned to me a couple times that he thinks I should take some classes or something (which is ironic, cause he's kind of a monotone, boring speaker himself). I don't think I necessarily need it, but I know it definitely won't hurt. So I looked into it. And while I couldn't find a public speaking course, per se, I found a ton of Toastmasters clubs. One is even run by Caterpillar, so it's also an industry thing and a good networking chance. So I went.
As I learned yesterday, Toastmasters actually is kind of a class. But a self-paced, peer-evaluated class. And it's not just for public speaking, it's training for communication in general as well as leadership. And it was a great, friendly, open environment. So I definitely plan to go again. Plus it will get me out of the office the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month, assuming I'm even in Shanghai. Which I don't think I will be for the next couple. But we'll see, and I'll go when I can.
Ok, that was my big thing to write about. Otherwise I stayed home, relaxed, packed, watched Wet Hot American Summer (the TV show, which is amazing and hilarious), had xiaolongbao, and now I'm at the airport and need to go get on a plane. Luckily I pre-prepped the music part of this, so that'll save me a few minutes.
Today's band really needs no introduction. Foals are putting out their new album, What Went Down, at the end of the month, and I cannot wait. Their last album, Holy Fire, was incredible. Their first two were good, but there was such a progression from the 2nd to 3rd album, it was like a whole new band. Well, kind of the same band, but just a much better version of themselves. Anyway, it's got me super excited for album number 4, at which we've had a few peeks. The first was the title/opening track, which is a solid song. Then there was today's song, Mountain At My Gates, which is fantastic. And the video is really cool. The visuals themselves aren't anything special, but it's an interactive 360 degree video that you can control yourself to see the entire environment. So I'm using the video today instead of Soundcloud or something. Also, last week they put out the single from the album (which is also the closing track), called A Knife In The Ocean, which is also a solid song, and should make a pretty good close to the album.
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