Ask The Audience #10: Rodmond

Can you believe it...we started these ATA's in March just for fun and the response was overwhelming, y'all really really enjoyed it and that makes me really happy. It also makes me really sad that this is the end, for now...like I've said before, consider this season 1. And I mean...y'all liked it so much (and the views were great LOL) that I absolutely have to bring it back for season 2...eventually. I wanna give a BIG thank you to every single person who took the time to help me out and answer my crazy and personal questions lol. Can't wait for whatever crazy idea hits me next...cuz the ATA's literally just hit me hella random like oh this might be a cool idea...and it was a hit LOL. With all that being said, previous ATA's will be linked below as usual...

Ask The Audience #1: What Do You Look For In A Partner?

Ask The Audience #2: Red Flags

Ask The Audience #3: Best Dating Experience
Ask The Audience #4: Worst Dating ExperienceAsk The Audience #5: Best Advice
Ask The Audience #6: Failure, Rejection, Setback, Loss
Ask The Audience #7: Quarantine Thoughts
Ask The Audience #8: Memories
Ask The Audience #9: Strengths & Weaknesses

For today's ATA aka the SEASON FINALE...I wanted to do something different, something special...it's all about MEEEEEEEE. No but I'm not tryna be narcissistic lol but I thought it'd be cool to ask people what they thought and what they think of me. I asked a mixed bag of people who've known me for YEARSSSSSS and people who've known me for a short while. NOT ONLY THAT, but I told them that I'd also leave them a personalized response as to what I think of them and also any other things that come to mind. With that ALL being said...enjoy!

So the question that I asked everyone is:

How/when did we meet? How long have we known each other? How well do we know each other? What was your first impression of me? Has that changed throughout the years/what do you think of me now? IS there any story, memory or experience that comes to mind>

Guy #1: We met each other back in elementary school in grade 7 when I first moved to Markham... which I guess makes it around 15-16 years now! I would say over the years we have gotten to know each other relatively well, although we haven't kept in touch as much as we used to. You and I had a pretty rough relationship when we first met, from fighting during recess to saying childish things we didn't really mean. As we got into high school and especially university, I think our relationship changed immensely. As we got older, we gradually got into deeper and deeper talks about growing up, girls, our passions, pretty much opened up to each other about a lot of things. I would say the most memorable thing would be our conversations with each other during every exam period. We would both be "studying" but really barely, because we usually just ended up chatting for hours into the early morning LOL. Although it gets harder and harder to keep in touch with each other, I still cherish all the times that we do spend together, from chatting to whooping his ass in ball, and everything in between! 

RT: You're one of those people that I hated growing up LOL...but over time we just clicked and became really good friends. You're also one of those friends I don't get or need to see often but it's always love when we do hang and catch up. I think when we first met, I was definitely jealous of you and that jealousy turned to a competitiveness towards you, for the longest time in high school I saw you as my rival, as the benchmark I wanted to hit and surpass, not sure if that's something I ever told you. I'll never forget the 4 am conversations in my basement, looking at cute girls on facebook and instagram LOL. I remember you asking me to play in a basketball tournament at the YMCA, and this was still when I hated you...so I was hella shook when you called me. But the one thing I hold dear to my heart to his day is when you and our mutual friend visited me in the hospital after I hurt my knee, with apples and an Archie comic (that I still have lol). You're a genuine nice guy and I think we both share that sentiment that nice guys deserve good girls. I'll still slap you up in ball tho, just name a time and place.

Girl #1: We met at Uniqlo. It was hate at first sight. I thought you were a noob. Turns out you were. So my perception hasn’t change. JOKES. Haha but in all honesty you're a good buddy and I enjoy working n hanging out with you even tho you can be hella moody. We have good laughs. 

RT: My first impression of you was lazy, like hella lazy LOL. I kept having to ask you to do the same task over and over again, I guess that impression really hasn't changed since getting to know you, you're hella lazy LOOOL, but so am I and I think that's why we have a jokes time at work. The earliest memory I have is us hanging bras in the stockroom and talking lol, don’t know know how we got to where we are now but I think we just get each other's humour and don’t really take things too seriously lol. I appreciate how rational and level headed you always are when I'm going off about things that seem bigger than they are in my head/ You know the moment that I really felt like we graduated from coworkers to friends lol...well 2 come to mind now that I think about it. One is for sure the library, seeing such a different and personal side of you was kinda surprising but really cool lol. Two is when we were at the mall and I told you about some stuff and you were like super chill and supportive about it which def eased my mind and made it less of a big deal. Thanks for being cool and for the dope conversations and good times we have.

Guy #2: We met in May or June in 2005 when I transferred to Stonebridge. We've known each other for 15 years. My first impression had nothing to do with you but more circumstance. I was bitter when I moved and was resentful initially. You know me tho I don't dislike anyone. Most memorable times would have to be our grade 8 volleyball team. I remember your serves were unstoppable and I wanted to be very much like you. 

RT: I was lowkey intimidated by you a first, you're a scary looking dude at first glance. But looking at you now and knowing you for numerous years, there's never a moment I don't see you smiling. Most people have a very calm resting face or an RBF, I'm convinced your resting face is a smile LOL. I just remember in any context, whether sports or in life, you were and still are the ultimate team player. Always encouraging people, always trying to make sure everyone is involved. Especially being a super shy kid and you being hella popular, you really helped me find my voice growing up. I remember all the heart to hearts we had and also third wheeling you and your ex every singe lunch and even after school (sorry bruh LOL). Thank you for being a nice guy and a great friend.

Girl #2: Thinking back to how we met is kind of funny, especially with how our friendship has changed so much through the years. I first met you at church, but we were kind of just acquaintances by association. What I consider as the moment we became real friends was the incident with the bananas CrossFit dude. I have no idea how I started talking to you about it, but I remember that we ended up getting bubble tea or Tims because I was freaking out and didn’t know how to deal. We started hanging out a lot more after that, and I think that we discovered that we’re kind of on the same wavelength (not sure if that’s a good description haha). It doesn’t seem like we have that much in common on the surface, but I think that we have a special connection where we get each other’s vibes and humour. We were able to open up to each other a lot and pretty quickly as well. Yeah, we’ve had some rough patches where we drifted apart, and those were really sad and actually pretty hard on me, but I’m really happy that we worked through our problems and that our friendship is stronger now. I consider you to be one of the people who knows me best in this world, and I hope that we can continue to stay close for as long as possible. Ahh jeez sorry for being cheesy LOL. 

RT:I totally forgot about banana boy LOL, honestly, my first impression of you and the first thing that comes to mind when I think about when we first met is that damn bright ass mustard jacket LOL. From there it's all a blur to how we got to where we are now. But I remember all those late night timmies and bubble tea runs and conversation in the car. We've definitely shared way too much about our personal lives with each other LOL, to the point where it's sometimes weird...but that's how I'd define our friendship because we're so different yet similar and we know each other really well. I think at the end of the day, we'd both go above and beyond for one another when the other person needs it and there's so many instances I can recount of being there for the other person or going above and beyond...surprise parties, flat tires, heart to heart conversations and an overwhelming amount of tears LOL. I know i don't say it enough, but you're a great friend, and I also don't have that many female friends I can talk to like I do with you, so take that for what it's worth lol. Like you said, we just get each other...from quirks to personality to humour...it just kinda clicks lol.

Guy #3: I met you at church. I think we’ve known each other for about 12 or 13 years now. I would say that I think I know you pretty well as I consider you one of my closest friends. My first impression of you was that you were really intimidating, and I didn’t expect us to be friends at all. I don’t know why but I guess I was just shy since you were a few years older than me. Also, I was an awkward kid that felt shy all the time, so I thought everyone that was older than me were intimidating. My original impression of you has definitely changed as we grew up together. Right now, you’re definitely one of the easiest guys I talk to and I genuinely think we can talk about anything. I don’t ever feel stress about having a one on one conversation with you. As we got older, our age gap just kind of disappeared and our conversations became more meaningful and chill. A specific memory I have of us together is definitely spending New Years 2019 together. Although things didn’t go according to our plan, it was still a dope ass night. Just having some drinks and literally talking till 7 am was so chill and stress free. Something that I have noticed is that we both have the same perspective on friendships. We both agree and understand that as we get older, friends come and go due to busy schedules or other reasons. It sucks but that’s the sad reality. However, if you really do care about a friend then you will try to put in the effort to spend time with them to avoid the situation where the friendship slowly fades away. Its sick that we both have this perspective and it really makes our friend group tight because we understand that we shouldn’t take each other’s time for granted. 

RT: What can I say that I haven't told you in person or when I was drunk lol. If this was 2k, our chemistry would be 99, I love how well we just get along...we can chill and make stupid jokes but also somehow have hella deep conversation till 7 am lol. One thing I always think about is how when you were younger, our mutual friend and I would always roast you for wearing the same clothes and how derpy you were, but at the same time you had hella potential and we both had to get in our jokes at that time cuz we knew once you got older, matured and put it all together, we wouldn't be able to roast you anymore LOL. I really like how you're understanding and not judgemental especially when I tell you the stupid stuff I've done. It's been hella dope seeing you grow from literally a little boy to a young man. I've definitely told you this, you're just somebody I never feel the need to worry about when it comes to finding jobs, the future or succeeding in life just cuz there's something about you that draws people towards you, people wanna help you and see you succeed, add me to that list as well.

Girl #3: We met when you used to help coach volleyball with Mr. Russell @ Stonebridge! I'd say we're social media friends, def have gotten to know you more thru your blog the moments I do have time to read them. It's always fun when you ask random questions like this, cause I guess it's a break from my mind to think about things I usually wouldn't. My first impression of you was that you were super shy, but also kind! I think once we became social media friends that actually interacted, I realized you weren't as shy as you came off to be & pretty jokes.
The one memory I have of you interacting with me directly was during a volleyball practice...I think we were both going to put a ball away...and I saw you go for it, while I was going for it...then there was this hella awkward pause & then I started walking away cause it was just so awkward - like i think we both reached for it at a point. Anyway, I think you ending up putting it away lmao, super random but good to know the ball was eventually put away LOL :) 

RT: LOL I've never heard of the term social media friends until now, but I would definitely agree haha. I def don't remember much during the Stonebridge volunteering days, but once we became social media friends I remember seeing that you were a cheerleader and I was oh shoot that's super dope that PET did something like that. I mean other than that the one thing that comes to mind is that you're always super encouraging and supporting when it comes to the blog and I always appreciate that. Even if it's the littlest comment or something like that was a really dope post, it really does go a long way. The other thing that comes to mind that I really like about you is also the way you use your platform...just a lot of self love, being confident in your skin and a lot of like body positive things. It's really cool to see you so open and honest about yourself and your experiences, but moreso to maintain and try to spread taht love and positivity to others is super dope.

Guy #4: I met Rod at church and if you just looked at the two of us, you wouldn't think we would be friends in the beginning. We had different interests and we hung out in different groups. It wasn't until praise team when we started to interact more. First impressions... a thug? LOLL Always saw him playing basketball, listening to hip hop, rapping, etc. Praise team allowed us to work together and I think we got really close when we had car talks and late night dinner after fellowship. It's been about 13 years and our friendship has gotten stronger. Whether it was going to wrestling events, taking photos for his blog, eating out, ranting at things that bothered us, etc. We were always there for each other and he's one of the few that I fully trust (even though he almost killed me by making the slowest left turn at an intersection...). 

RT: LOL I love that if people saw the 2 of us, they'd never expect us to be friends let alone as close friends as we are. My first impression of you was definitely quiet, like I never saw you talk and could never imagine myself befriending you and opening up to you in the way that I do now lol. Definitely can't recall what happened or how we got to the point we're at now where we can literally say the most randomest stuff to each other and not be phased at all lol. You're my brother, simple as that. We've both shared some of our most personal experiences with each other, to the point there's just an unspoken level of trust we have with one another. Thank you for trusting me so much, but also thank you for being there whenever I need to rant and never ever judging or looking at me differently. Random photoshoots, car rides, food dates, wrestling events and your signature rants where you unleash nuclear bombs lol. I'll never forget all those early morning practices where we spent about 20 minutes practising and 40 minutes just talking lol. Or hiding in your trunk and learning about the emergency pull tab in case I ever got kidnapped LOL. Just the fact that we've been through so much, seen so many people come and go and have shared with each other so many experiences and memories, I appreciate you more than I'll ever be able to let you know. 

Girl #4:We met in high school but I cannot for the life of me remember when or how. I do however have memories of how truly big of a heart you have. You've always been so kind and supportive towards me. I always knew from day 1 that I could trust you and be myself around you. This first impression has definitely not changed over the years but only grown more true. You are one of the kindest people I've ever met and you care so deeply about others. I also have always appreciated how happy you are to show those you love that you care and are willing to do anything for them. Truly loyal to the end! 

RT: So I actually remember exactly how we met LOL. You and your friend had approached my friend to sign like a birthday card and I was with him, that was when we first kinda 'met', I think I like added you on msn or facebook after that and we kinda just hit it off and became really good friends. I always loved that you were super friendly and bubbly, but also had like a lowkey fire about you...probably where the red comes in to play eh LOL. I remember we literally never had any classes together until like grade 12 I swear. I don't know if you remember this but I remember you came over one time with our mutual friend and we played cards and it was hella awkward cuz my dad was there just kinda perusing around lol. But the one thing that comes to mind is when you left for university and came back for a bit and we got to reconnect and you took me out for my birthday one year, that was super dope being able to catch up and see how you've been doing and what you've been up to. It's funny because not much of my opinion on you has changed, you're still a super friendly, dope and beautiful person and I'm glad to call you friend.

Guy #5:We met at church must've been 11 years ago now. We know each other pretty well - we have the sorta relationship where even if we don't see or talk to each other for years we can link up and its still the same way cuz we been brothers for so long. My first impression was this was just a fun dude to chill with. I think over the years tho you've gotten more comfortable sharing things that bother u or being vulnerable about shit u just thinking about. I fw that heavy, the blog has helped u with that too I'm 100% certain. Too many stories to count man. 

RT:When I think about my first impression of you, all that I can picture in my head is tank top and ball shorts LOL. I remember we would joke about how fresh you would dress at school but whenever we saw you it was tank top and ball shorts lol. I'll never forget one of the first times meeting your dad and he called me RT, then going to your house and your whole family called me that LOL. I'm glad we've kept in contact throughout the years, especially when I've lost contact with so many of the other dudes we grew up with. Like you said, it's all love and always a vibe when we do link it which is hella dope.

Girl #5: Rodmond and I met through work and I’ve known him for almost two year. I wanna say we’re not extremely close on a personal level but I’d like to say we’re pretty good friends at work. When I first met Rodmond I had thought oh man this guy seems not so friendly and probably doesn't want to talk to me as he lowkey has a resting bitch face. My impressions were completely wrong as he is very outgoing and humble. I really enjoy working with him as he always jokes around and doesn’t take things too seriously so it makes the working environment a lot more enjoyable. I think it is also cool that we both have similar fields of study as he has once introduced me to volunteer opportunities that I would love to be a part of. 

RT:The first thing that comes to mind when I think of you is StockX LOOOL, still waiting for that plug tho. But on the real, I feel like we have a similar sense of humour, which makes getting along pretty easy lol. It was def cool finding out we're in the same program and being able to tak about that and our past experiences and what drew us to that program. You\re also fun to roast for some reason LOL. Def really fun working with you and I'm sad to see you go but I'm excited for you to continue in your program and get the most out of it. Who knows, maybe we'll be coworkers again somewhere down the line LOL.