If I think it ... you'll read it.

Learning a Language

2011-01-27T13:47:00.002-05:00

Ever try learning a second language? It's pretty tough. Your brain is "hardwired" towards one language once you reach a certain age, and it is challenging to adapt to another one.

But it's quite beneficial. Not only will you be able to communicate with new people (thus opening up new means of business, relationships and information), but it also helps your mind "grow". The challenge is perfect to help keep your mind sharp, quick and healthy.

So which to choose? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of spoken languages in the world. Some, such as Spanish, are convenient due to regional reasons. Others, such as Chinese, are profitable due to business. Still others, such as French, offer the allure of the culture it provides. Choose which is best for you.

When it comes to learning, there are different ways to go about doing it. You can take a college class, an online class, purchase a program for your computer, get a tutor, or simply learn it on your own.

I'm learning Japanese on my own. I am doing so entirely free of charge because I'm using the free resources that the internet offers. It starts off basic, learning alphabet's, grammar and vocabulary. But after that, you can learn as much as you are willing to try for ... and most of it is free!

So go ahead, find a language that interests you and learn it! You will only improve yourself by doing so.

Reflections on School Subject: English Class

2011-01-26T13:35:00.002-05:00

Being a Senior at my school is really unique, mostly because I get out of school at noon rather than 3:00. Due to this, I have the chance to gain a unique perspective on my fellow students.

Sitting at a table in the English classroom, I occasionally observe the class in session while I do random work on my computer. I hear the 6th grade learn about sentence structure., the 9th grade learn about various British poets, and the 11th grade learn read our founding documents and letters from our founding fathers in excruciatingly painful detail.

One may ask "Is this really necessary? Do we REALLY need to know about all of this?!" to which my reply would be "Yes."

English class, however boring it may be, provides you with the opportunity to learn about HOW to write, WHO wrote, WHAT was written, WHY it was written, and WHAT it did to the people of the time. Literature effects the masses, whether you notice it or not.

Ideas have consequences, some good and some bad. Ideas come to fruition on paper, and that bit of literature can have either little effect, or tremendous effect. Do you want to effect others with what you write? Then you better learn how people accomplished that in the past.

And you can only learn THAT in English class.

A little thing called courtesy...

2011-01-10T23:54:00.002-05:00

Did your parents ever come out of their room at night and yell at you "Turn down the TV!!!" If not, then your childhood was lacking, because mine sure did. And I learned: if you want to watch TV after bedtime, you better have that volume so low that you have to hold your breath just to hear the words.

Fast forward to today: I don't watch TV. At all. To me it's simply a waste of time. But my family ... boy, they LOVE their TV. Mom watches Soap Operas, sister watches Disney channel, brother watches MTV and dad watches ESPN and movies.

Whatever, I just tune them out with my ear phones. But know when you can't tune them out: WHEN TRYING TO SLEEP.

It's been an ongoing battle between me and ... well, the whole house: I try to get to sleep around 11:00pm, and my dad watches the TV with the volume turned up VERY high. And since my room and the TV are seperated by just as small wall, I'm the only one ffected by the constant sound.

No matter how many times I'll ask, the TV never gets any quieter.

So, what are the lessons to be learned:

*if you want to watch TV late at night, have respect for those who wish to get a semi-healthy amount of sleep.

*keep the volume low, no need to kill your hearing even further.

*if half the household is asleep, and you're watching basketball, there is NO NEED to shout "Oh!' every time the ball almost goes into the basket. I guarantee you it's going to happen a lot, just save the energy.

*Yes, Forest Gump is a great movie. No, you don't need to watch it at 1:00am just because it came on TV. I bought you the friggin' thing for Father's Day, watch it at a decent hour.

*machine guns sound cool ... except for at midnight.

*commentators on ESPN don't say anything that you don't know already. If you want to hear guys say "And now he has the ball ... he passes the ball ... he shoots!" ect., go in your room and listen to it on the radio.

*ESPN has this cool thing called "high lights". They show the same ones from 6:00am - 4:00pm everyday. You don't need to keep falling asleep trying to watch it until 2:00am just so you can see the end of the game ... it'll be on replay all day tomorrow.

*One word: VCR. They still make those for a reason.

P.S. Yes, I am ticked off right now.

Fitness Tip #1 - Boost your Metabolism

2011-01-04T19:00:00.001-05:00

Everyone wants a good, healthy metabolism. For those that don't know, your metabolism is what helps burn the food you consume, so a healthy one is a great thing to have.

If your metabolism is fast, you'll be lighter. If it is slow, you'll be heavier. This is due to the factor of your metabolism burning off the calories you consume; fast metabolism = fast burn , slow metabolism = slow burn.

So, want to speed it up? Here's my #1 trick:

In the morning, as soon as you wake up: chug an ice-cold bottle of water.

Doing so will boost your metabolism by "shocking" it into action. Try to eat breakfast immediatly after this, due to the fact that your body is practically "starving" from not eating while you're asleep, and now you've just "shocked" your metabolism awake.

Follow this and you're on your way towards a happier life.

AlterEgo - a game about life

2011-01-01T19:43:00.002-05:00

Ever hear of a game called AterEgo? I didn't know of it until yesterday, but it's really a great game!

It's a text-based life-simulation game unlike others before. Sound odd yet? Keep reading.

It's not like other games at all. Basically, the jest of it is the following:

*the game begins before birth

*you choose your own gender - boy or girl

*as the game continues, you decide what you do

*each action you choose has a direct reaction to your game character

*you go throughout an entire life time

The game is really unique because YOU are making decisions for this "person" from infancy until death. You decide what type of attitude / values it has. You decide what job to get, when, how to go about the career. You decide if/when to start a family, and how large to make it.

I enjoy this game because it really fills me with awe to think of an infant growing into a child, learning lessons, developing character, becoming a teen, growing through issues, becoming an adult, starting a family, and living through the repetitions of life.

So go ahead! Try it out:

http://www.playalterego.com/

The difference a tip can make

2010-12-31T13:14:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, me and my buds drove a few hours to Rockledge and ate at a Chinese Buffet. Let me tell you: that was some GOOD FOOD! I especially loved the baked oysters.

Anyway, we had a nice Chinese woman for our waitress. Very polite, horrible English, but good service. I noticed, though, that during dinner hour this restaurant had very little business. It was probably one that was struggling to stay open, which was unfortunate because they had great food.

I remembered that I was reading about there being around 5 Chinese restaurants in that city. This one probably was just going out of business. It made me a little sad thinking that this polite young lady probably didn't get much pay for her work, and not enough tips to really live off of...

Then it came time to pay the bill. All of our meals were $10.75, and my friends all gave a generous 15% tip. But something overcame me...

I decided then and there that I was going to make her day. So, I slapped a $10 on the table and thanked her for her service. She was beaming! I make enough income with my job, and Christmas money, and my birthday coming up, that I can spare the money every now and then to make someone's day.

She thanked us repeatedly as we were walking out the door, and as she was chattering to her other co-workers excitedly I kept seeing her look over at me and smile.

Tip your waitresses. Generously, too. Usually, if one is a waitress, they aren't the most financially well off. Your simple generous tip can truly make their day so much brighter.

The Importance of Directions

2010-12-31T00:36:00.002-05:00

This evening, I drove myself and two of my best friends from Vero to Titusville for an evening of fun!

Our plan was to drive from here to a Chinese Buffet in Titusville, then drive to the Kennedy Space Center to see TRON Legacy in IMAX, then drive back home. I printed out directions for each section of the excursion.

The drive to the restaurant was flawless, the directions were perfect. After eating dinner, I began to drive to the KSC ... that's when trouble arrived.

Turns out my directions were flawed. It took me at least twice as long to find the way there, and that's ONLY because I stopped to ask for directions.

Afterwards, on the drive home, the directions were wrong again! Yet again, it took me twice as long because I had to use backroads just to get South. We had some nice scenic views, and we weren't really aggravated, but it would have been really bad kif we had to rush home for any reason.

So, after this experience, I've learned a few lessons:

* Print out more than one set of directions. Have directions for alternate routes, in case one doesn't work.

* Study the area. If I had known the roads, I wouldn't have gotten lost. But relying solely lon GoogleMaps got me into a bit of trouble.

* Ask for help! Really guys, it's okay! The people at the gas station were snickering at me a little bit, but who cares? It's not like I'll ever see them again.

Hopefully you learn from my mistakes and don't have such a hard time yourself!

Oh, and the movie was outstanding!

Unemployment

2010-12-29T23:20:00.003-05:00

^ CourageWolf, one of my favorite meme's ^

Ever since I've been old enough, I've had a job. At age 13-14, I started working at the local Minor League Baseball Stadium (Dodgertown) as a BatBoy. I did that for two seasons until it close down. Then I worked that summer at Lake Aurora Christian Camp in Lake Wales. I continued that for the next three years, while working at Chick-fil-A during the year. I even picked up a part-time job with Liberty Tax Services on the weekends!

I've been blessed with plenty of work experience. But so many of the teens my age can't get a job anywhere! I think there are two main reasons:

a.) They don't present themselves well - this is a big one. They'll either show up late to an interview, not look the person in the eye, not dress well, or not try to "sell" themselves as the best employee imaginable. They just try to "be themselves". Well, you aren't good enough if you're unemployed. Like I always say: Fake it 'til you make it.

b.) They lack work experience - this isn't all their fault, since no where will hire them. But volunteer at a church on a regular basis, or a summer camp! You can at least use these as job references...

I just think the majority of people my age need to REALLY try if they want a job. Otherwise, the years of their lives with the potential for the most productivity and progress will be wasted.

Jason, Jason, Jason...

2010-12-28T22:31:00.003-05:00

In my neighborhood is a kid named Jason. He's my age, and we've been in the same neighborhood for about 5-6 years. The only thing different with him is: he has Asperger's. (sort of like Autism)

Anyway, it makes things different, but oh so priceless. You see, he is obsessed with monsters and monster movies. Regularly, he will show up at my door in a costume with a video camera in his hand ready to make a movie. I don't always have time to, but when I do: it's hilarious.

Anyway, I think I'll go make a movie with him tomorrow, just to have a good laugh. He knows he's ridiculous, he just doesn't care! Which makes hanging with him lots of fun.

Trying to decide upon my MOS...

2010-12-28T16:38:00.002-05:00

I probably have about a month until I need to head back down to the Military Entrance Processing Station to sign up for the Air Force. Once there, I'll have to decide on what career I want. And let me tell you: I'm having a hard time deciding! Here's what I'm caught between:

*Airborne Linguist - I want this job for the reason that I may qualify for East Asia and get to be stationed there.

*Aerial Gunner - I'd love the "action" this would provide me with, and the travel. Also, I'd enjoy learning the mechanics of it all.

Unfortunately, Aerial Gunner is a hard job to get, so I may have to choose something else instead. Also, I can't go straight into Airborne Linguist, I'd have to choose something else first, THEN take the Defense Language Aptitude Battery to see if I qualify to learn a language.

I don't know, I'm just a little worried...

In other news: my quest to learn to write Japanese is going well. I've already learned 22 "letters": A, I, U, E, O, ka, ki, ku, ke, ko, ga, gi, gu, ge, go, sa, shi, su, se, so, za, + ji(zi). Two a day, baby! Two a day...

The Tale of Two Tricks

2010-12-26T21:38:00.001-05:00

My friend challenged me to write a short story, it had to be a fairytale told from a gangsta narrative. It is as follows:

The Tale of Two Tricks

All Shanaynay wuz to dem wuz jus aneder ho. She wanted to get wit sum ripped dude, but her dang cuz got to em foist. He was her “Pimp Daddy”, the most rippedest playa this side o de rich moat. And she wanted him … in a bad wey to. Like in the same way her 12 year-old niece wanted dat purple drank, or in de same way her real nephew wanted dat mustang … if only he hadn’t tried to stealed it while de king was galloping by on it.

Anyway, like I wuz saying: she wanted dat playa, but her cuz got to him afore she did. Shanaynay jus dint unduhstayand! I mean, sho, Fo’Quisha had dat nice trunk, and you can bet she let de junk hang outta dem linens, but don erry guy want a trick wit de nice brain? Well, I guess not: it seemed dat her “Pimp Daddy” wanted just anoder fine young thang.

“Why dis be always hatninin to me?!” Shanaynay cried out one night when she was walking da L-Block down by the castle. “Ain’t I nice enough?! Ain’t I smart enough?! Why do I has to look ugly?!”

Just then, a bright white light appeared. And when I mean bright, I mean BRIGHT! Like, brighter den de po-po’s lights when dey come afta yo fo ridin’ dirty. I mean brighter den de sun when you walk out yo jail’cell for the first time in 6 months cuz you don tried to hide yo brothers guap he got from pushin them tricks.

Anyway, like I wuz saying: a bright light appeared before Shanaynay!
“Shanaynay! Why are you looking so distraught?” spoke the white light.
“What you be sayin’? Who are you?”
*ehem* “I am Drey, your fairy-god Daddy!”
“I has a fairy-god Daddy!”
“Yes, you do! I am here to help you. You may have one wish, but there is one catch: you must work for 1 week if you want to obtain whatever you wish for.”

Shanaynay was so happy! She was happier den a bruddah wit a big ol box of fried chicken! She was happier den her auntie when she caught dat catfish AND found a watermelon growing in her neighbor’s gahden!

Anyway, like I wuz sayin: she was happy!
“Okey den! I wish to be beautiful! I want to be more beautiful den my hussy of a cuz Fo’Quisha!”
“Erm, uhh, I don’t know how we can do that in just one week.”
“Whaddya mean?! Ain’t you my fairy-god Daddy?!”
“Well, yes, but it’s just that …”
“Well den?! What is it?”
“Well, I just see that …”
“Out wit it Atlas!”
“IT LOOKS LIKE YOU FELL OFF THE UGLY TREE AND HIT EVERY BRANCH ON THE WAY DOWN! I MEAN DANG, DID YOUR PARENTS PUT YOU IN A SACK WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD AND BEAT YOU WITH A STICK?! HOLY COW, THAT DOCTOR MUST HAVE SLAPPED HIMSELF WHEN YOU CAME OUT OF THE WOMB, BECAUSE HE PROBABLY THAT HE WAS HAVING A NIGHTMARE! YOUR TEETH LOOK HORRIBLE: I BET YOU CAN EAT CORN THROUGH A FENCE LIKE A FREAKIN’ HORSE. AND GOSH DARN IT: STOP FLOODING MY WALL WITH THOSE STUPID MYSPACE POSES! IT JUST ISN’T ATTRACTIVE WHEN YOU TAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR PUFFED OUT LIPS AND THE PEACE SIGN 200 TIMES IN A ROW!”
“So, what‘cha trying to say, Drey?”
*sigh* “I can help, but it will take two weeks. Fair enough?”
*Okey! Les do dis!!!”

And so the work began. Drey taught Shanaynay how to act like a lady:
“You tryn tu tell me dat I ain’t s’posed to sit wit my legs wide open when I be wearin’ a skirt?!”
“No Shanaynay, you’re not.”
“But how am I supposed to air out this skank rash I have down der?!”

… he taught her how to eat properly.
“No no no, Shanaynay. You eat porridge with a spoon, not with your hand.”
“But mah hand can get it in mah belly so much fastah!”

… he taught her how to talk like a person … sorta.
“Repeat after me: It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure to see your meat.”
“No, that’s perverted. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“It’s my pleasure to be pleasur…”
“NO! It’s a pleasure to meet you”
…

Finally, after two weeks, it was time for Shanaynay to try to win over the heart of her lover.

“You know, Shanaynay, I never did find out the name of the gentleman you want.”
“Oh Drey! He has de mos bootiful name in the world: Reverand Dr. LG Whitechocolate!”
“Erm, okay then. Let’s go.”

The King was throwing a poppin’ party, and Rev. would be there. This would be the place for Shanaynay to make her scene.

They walked into the palace and saw Fo’Quisha feelin’ all up on Rev. Dis jus enraged Shanaynay! She ran right up to Fo’Quisha:

“You two timin skank! You stole mah man!”
“What you screamin’ ‘bout now, hoochie mama?”
“Hoochie mama? Hoochie mama?! You’re cabbage to me! You hear that: cabbage!”
“Aww gurl! No you di’int!” *turns to her gurlfran* “Gurl hol my earwangs!”

A fight broke out between the two of dem. Dey wuz pullin’ each udder’s weaves, and rip off necklaces. When erryone in de palace start chantin’, dat’s when Rev. stood up:

“Ladies. Ladies! LADIES! HEY HORRS!!!!!”
*all wuz quiet*
“Listen up to me tricks, cuz I’m only gonna say dis once! Fo’Quisha: I never liked you. I simply chose you because I was depressed!”
“Why wuz you sad?!” Fo’Quisha exclaimed. “Wasn’t I purty enough fo you?!”
“Fo’Quisha, you be bangin nice. But I never had feelings fo you. I always done liked Shanaynay…”
*Shanaynay started choking’ on her tabacco*
“I chose you, Fo’Quisha, because I was sad dat Shanaynay didn’t like me at all!”
“Whitechocolate, I luv you! I did all of dis tah git choo! I just di’int had dda courage to tell you dat before. But now, I want duh whole ghetto-kingdom to know: I love you! I want you to be mah baby’s daddy!”
“Shanaynay! I love you too! I want you to be my baby mama!”

In the midst of this, Drey took Fo’Quisha and brought her to a man who jus wanted a poppin’ body, and they wuz happy … until anuder poppin’ body came along, den dey had to duke it out.

Whitechocolate and Shanaynay got hitched that night at de poppin’ party in de palace. Dey went on to have lots of chilren runnin’ round de street. And err night, Shanaynay would tell the story of how she learned that true beauty is most visible when you fight for the one you love.

And dey lived happily ever after.

I love these moments...

2010-12-24T11:46:00.002-05:00

Whenever I see an ambulance, I am frightened. Not for my own safety, or even for the safety of anyone I know. I'm most frightened for that stranger, who's life can be hanging in the balance. Who's family is scared out of their wits at the moment. And I'm most afraid that the ambulance won't be able to reach them in time.

That's why it always amazes me to see every driver on the road get WAY out of the way of the ambulance.

Think about it: most drivers don't let ANYONE pass them. They don't drive with others in mind. But whenever an ambulance is coming, everything STOPS! Everyone clears the entire road, and the ambulance has a safe and speedy passage.

To me, it's truly amazing. I'm actually filled with a sense of accomplishment when I get out of the way, as if I feel that I played some small role in saving someone's life. In all reality: I probably didn't.

Hats off to every driver who aids in the rescue of a person in this manner.

Re-Birth of my Pokemon phase?

2010-12-23T11:14:00.000-05:00

I slept in late this morning, but when I got up my brother and his friend asked me if I still had Pokemon cards...

*flashback*

I was a PokeManiac. I had all the gameboy games, even one from China. I had thousands of cards. I had the Pokemon memorized ... at least the first 251. I loved Pikachu and slept with a Pikachu doll. I watched all of the episodes, beat each of the games, and played everyone I could. I'm not sure why I stopped, though...

*flashforward*

So, I gave them a box of my cards to play with. Now I'm afraid I'll fall into it again...

What am I doing?!

2010-12-22T18:14:00.000-05:00

I've been planning on joining the Air Force for a LONG while now. In fact, I'm so dead set on that, that I didn't even bother applying to any colleges.

This morning, I woke up at 5:30am in a cold-sweat / panic, thinking "I need a back-up plan! I ALWAYS have a back-up plan. Why haven't I applied for any colleges?!"

Seriously, what's wrong with me? SO irresponsible to not even have a back-up plan in case the Air Force falls through.

Therefor, I will apply for colleges tonight. I'll post back what I applied for.

Japan

2010-12-22T00:32:00.000-05:00

Japan: it's all I can think about. You see, I'd LOVE to be stationed there when in the Air Force. In fact, I want it so badly that I'm immersing myself in the culture.

I learned how to use chop-sticks.

I'm watching an anime show called "Welcome to the NHK".

I eat Japanese food everyday.
I'm learning the Hiragana.

I listen to Japanese Pop constantly.

I WANT IT!

It's all I'm working towards. I try to learn two new letters of the Hiragana per day. So far, I've learned: a, i, u, e, o, ka, ki, ku, ke, ko, ga, & gi.

I'll keep updating my progress, but that's what I'm working towards!

2010-12-21T10:21:00.000-05:00

That's the sight I had of last night's Lunar Eclipse! It was quite hard to take the picture, as I had to take an exposure using a camera not meant to take exposures, using a tripod for my telescope! Still I'm glad I worked it out. :)

Lunar Eclipse Tonight!

2010-12-21T01:18:00.000-05:00

I love the night sky. Simple as that. I'm torn between when my favorite time of year to view the sky is: Summer, or Winter.

The Summer skies are warm and I generally have more time to view the stars; but the Winter skies are clearer, have a lack of bugs, and feature ... this year's Lunar Eclipse!

It's going to be fantastic.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/17dec_solsticeeclipse/

I should be able to get a great view around 2:45am, so I'll write back what I see!