Reading Within the Lines

Hug me!

2007-01-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't really have any long or insightful posts this time... so you can rest easy.

I'm just currently wondering WHY I 'FREAKIN SHOCK EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY! It's really annoying...

They've been saying it's just the weather, but I think it's just getting out of hand for me. I'm pretty sure I've electrocuted half my school by now, and I can't freaking STOP IT. It's seriously near impossible to not shock somebody should I come in contact with a person or a metal object. I'm starting to think that I'm just a large mass of static electricity...

Somebody touches me?

ZAP!

I sit down in a chair?

ZAP!

I have to pee?

ZAP!

Is there some sort of hidden message here, or something? If so, then I'm really missing it.

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!

This Year's Finale

2006-12-31T19:21:00.000-08:00

After possibly the best Christmas to date, I can finally join everybody else as we close the curtains on 2006. It was certainly a great year.

'06 was full of experiences, both good and bad, which have all had a hand in changing me into who I am right now, and they'll never be forgotten. I know for sure that I need to be thanking God right now, because I've gotten away with a lot of things that I should've been smacked for... Thank goodness for the grace he bestows upon us.

Personally, I would describe '06 as "very interesting", but nonetheless fun. What can you all say about this year? Well, be sure to get it out, because it's not good to start the new year with regrets!

My best friend (In the entire world, thank you) is currently in Panama right now on a missions trip, so I won't be able to enter the new year physically with him at my side. But that's okay, I'll be waiting for him when he gets back. But man, do I miss him badly. I'll just keep praying for him in the mean time.

Well anyway, I'm going to my church to have a new year party with the youth, and we're staying up till 12:01 our time, baby (None of this east-coast crud)! It's going to a bunch of fun, and I can't really imagine myself with any other group of friends for the new year. It'll also be good because we're going to pray in the new year, which I think will be crucial for me in the upcoming year of '07.

So to anybody out there, I'm telling you to get with your greatest friends and enjoy each other's company into the new year! Go have a good time!

And so, as the last post of this year, I say to everybody:

Happy New Year! Happy 2007!

I blame random e-mails

2006-12-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy

The first time I took it, I got Cloud (Ambitious and Tough). But since I actually have the HTML code for this result, you get to see this one. :O

Edit: Just kidding, I totally found it again.

Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy

Uh...

2006-12-14T16:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGzmZJ6GCHM

'Cuz we all know that ff7 has the best job offerings.

I'm hip!

2006-12-10T21:58:00.000-08:00

My japanese name is 原 Hara (wilderness) 駿 Shun (fast person).
Take your real japanese name generator! today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

Well, that was interesting (Wilderness lol). You think I'd get a name meaning "One of extreme hawtness" or something. Maybe the generator got hacked... *KO'D*

Although it kinda makes sense... speed is really all I got. But I'm working on my strength and stamina lately... HONEST! D:

At least I'm not a totally rabid fanboy...

2006-12-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

(DISCLAIMER: If you're not a gamer, then don't even bother with this post. You just won't understand.)

Lately, there has been much debate on who the greatest video game character is. Who could win any fight against anybody in any given circumstance? That ladies and gents, IS the question.

Many like to say Cloud for some odd reason. I mean, he's cool and all, and has the (extremely overrated) Omnislash, but I just don't think that he's totally A+ material. He's just A-, if you ask me. Although he DOES have that totally sick motorcycle. NEXT.

Next was Sora. He's cool and all, but that giant key ain't gonna cut it, man. Although he does get a mention for having gravity-defying hair and a gummi ship. Those things are cool. But he's STILL not top notch in my opinion. More like B+. NEXT.

Sephiroth... oh good gravy. His sword is bigger than my ego, and he's like, the most evil villan of all time. HE KILLS FLOWER GIRLS!!! D:

Buuuuut, he still lost to Cloud, therefore he get's a lower grade. And since he's REALLY overrated, he gets an FFF-. NEXT.

After playing Metroid Prime (1 and 2), I can't help but have respect for this Samus Aran (Which a lot of people seem to think is one of the greatest heroes around 'skoo). Those guns are just way too freakin cool. Plus she get's some of the most tight looking armor I've ever seen. I can't really say anything bad about her, but she's still not number one in my book. She get's a solid A.

I know, I must be totally stupid, turning down people like Cloud and the almighty Sephiroth, but there's still one guy who i think could smack the ba-jeebers out of them both.

His name is Link. He come to town. ~~TO SAVE, THE PRINCESS ZELDA *slapped*.~~

Uh, have you seen/played the newest Zelda entry? trust me: Link is one baaaad mother in this game. All you other RPG heroes can rely on your stupid MP to help you out, while Link just reaches into his magical bag of holding and take out a boomerang the can create frikkin WHIRLWINDS. I need one of those. >_<>FATALITY :O. Plus he's got a horse for his ride (Which he can now fight on top of!). Who needs a mototrcycle that uses gas when you got a sweet ride that runs of CARROTS?

Oh yeah, and Link is right-handed now (Well, at least in the Wii version of Twilight Princess), so that's always cool. He's always been a lefty in every other game...

A++. 1337. Freaking yes/10! Link smears all other heroes IMO.

His hat > everybody else. Respect.

Scattered Thoughts

2006-12-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

(WARNING: This post is LOOOOOONG! Hope you have a lot of spare time...)

Well, I was thinking today, and I was wondering about what makes a leader a good leader. I mean, people says that not everybody has the capability to become one, and that you need certain characteristics to be good at it. It's kind of weird... it's like having a job without really applying for it, and you pretty much have the position as long as you meet the prerequesites.

Why was I wondering this. lately? Well, God just decided to remind that this is the position that I'm suppossed to fill. Funny part was, I didn't choose to become a leader in the first place, but he's been telling me (And so has everybody else for SOME time) that I am one.

And you know what? I still don't really get it. I mean, being a leader is a huge responsibilty and whatnot, but I often saw myself a kinda lazy. But I guess other people didn't see that in me (Heck, I didn't even try to hide it!). So in due time, God showed me that I'm not as lazy as I thought I was. So then I started thinking to myself: What kind of things define a leader? What kind of things do I need to grow it?

Well, based on what I think (And what hundreds of other people have said), I'm pretty sure I can boil the idea down to some basic concepts. Stick with me, now.

First, leaders have to be strong. You can't lead people if you're all willy-nilly about your desicions and don't stick up for stuff you believe in. There are too many people who just get walked all over and shrug it off (Or cry it off, or WHATEVER they do) and let it happen again and again. Lemme share something with you all: Those people annoy me. And I almost never let myself get walked on. It's one of the things I hate the most.

Second, you gotta know how to lead yourself before you lead other people. This is a fact. How can a leader lead if he can't see where he's going? The simple answer is that he can't. It's a sad sight to watch people tackle things when they don't know their limits. Sad indeed.

A leader must assess himself and know (And admit to) his weaknesses before taking other people with him. He then has to try and overcome his weaknesses for the sake of becoming a stronger individual. Of course, whatever things he can't get past on his own, he can always rely on the team/people he's leading. Being a leader doesn't make you a one man show; it just makes you the leading role, per say.

And like all shows/plays, it takes the lead role and all of the supporting roles to make it success. See what I mean?

Third, a leader needs to be smart, wise, and able to think on the spot. This requires the least explination due to logic itself, but I'm sure a metaphor would help.

Ever heard that saying "I'll follow them off a cliff/to the ends of the earth."? Hopefully you have (If not, you just heard it now), so we can take it into perspective. If the leader is a complete idiot (Or makes and incorrect or unwise desicion) and just happens to (Metaphorically) drive himself off a cliff, he taking everybody else with him.

---

In the end, you really can't have one without the other two. Example: If a leader is a powerful one, but is a moron, he going to stand strong and go down fighting for the wrongs things and the wrong reasons. Or if he's really smart and knows how to lead, but is totally weaksauce on everything, nobody is going to follow him.

You can mess around with different scenarios, but in the end, it takes a balance of all three to lead efficiently.

---

And because I'm a huge literature buff, I'm all about symbolism and hidden meanings in writing. And what kind of things can illustrate the 3 mentioned points to a T? Why none other than my 3 favorite animals of course!

Tiger - Tigers are known to be strong and fierce, as well as downright scary when you piss 'em off. From literature to martial arts, the Tiger is a popular animal to symbolize power and strength, and they are rightfully portrayed as such. Do you think you could (literally) walk all over a tiger and get away unharmed (Or even alive?). Unless you weigh next to nothing, the answer is heck no.

Wolf - People seem to be suprised that I love wolves, though I dont know why (I have a freaking coffee mug with wolves on it! Erhg, whatever...), but they totally rank as some of my favorites. Blah, I'll rant about that in another post.

This animal isn't so much symbolic, as it is literal, but I guess I am using to to symbolize my concept so I guess it could be... *smacked*

Anyway, let's cut the crap. Frequently, we see/hear/read about wolves in packs, yes? Well, in a nutshell, they live and die in packs so they won't get killed and whatnot. But in every pack, there is and alpha male, who is the leader (NO WAI!). Now does the alpha male do all the hunting by himself? No. Does he think he's invincible? No (If not, he'll end up on one of your snazzy coats!). Does he perhaps have to rely on the rest of his pack now and then? DING DING DING!

Alpha males are leaders and are indeed strong, but they don't do everything on their own. They're with a pack for a reason (To not die. Duh.). They gotta know their weakness so they can count on the rest of the pack to help them out. If not, they ALL die. In real life, a lone wolf would be killed REALLY fast in most cases.

But in a figurative manner, sometimes a leader needs to do the "lone wolf" thing (But not completely alienate himself from everybody) to check himself before he's ready to lead others (Not to be anti-social!!). And for those of you with colorful minds, we are NOT in danger of getting shot and/or made into coats and such. D:

Now, would you really like to take on a pack of wolves? For those of you idiots who say yes, you can go ahead and try, but the alpha male is gonna be the first one to take a chomp outta you (And your pride), followed by the rest of the pack.

Fox - It's safe to say that foxes usually symbolize cunning and intelligence when put in a story. They stay level-headed in hot situations, and overcome their problems with smarts and deft-mindedness. Ever heard the term "outfoxed"?

(To a lesser extent, old indian folklore symbolized the wolf as a sign of wisdom and leadership... For those who care.)

I've liked those three animals for more than just their cool factor, I love their characteristics and what they symbolize! Maybe it's just the writer in me, or something, but I like to think that I have favorite animals for different reasons than other people.

But who would've thought that they'd help show me some key charactersitics of what it takes to be a good leader? Well, I'm sure God did (That's probably why he made them my favs), but I sure didn't!

'kay, the lecture's over. You may resume your lives.

(DISCLAIMER: I'm not an expert on animals or being a leader. If you got somethin to discredit my whole animal thing, don't share it with me. But if you insist, I'll eat you. Right on the spot, no excpetions.)

There's no Wii in Mii

2006-11-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

*piledrived for his horrible title (For those who get it)*

Maaaaaaan, all I want in mah Wii! I'll be up into the "wee" hours of the morn playin Zelda.

Heh "wee"... "Wii".

GET IT?! HARHARHAR!!!

>_>;

Well, anyway, we put up our Christmas tree today, which is good. But it's a little bit shorter than me, which is bad. (Hey! "Me" rhymes with Wii!.... haha-- What?! <_<). So we have a midget tree at the moment, but we're working on a way to make it look taller through the use of... something. We don't quite know yet.

In other news, I can almost play a full worship song on my bass, albeit a bit slow, but at least I can do it! Either I just got a natural ability for this, or those songs are really easy (Mel, don't answer to that. U KNOW THE TRUTH!!!). :O

So back to that Christmas action! It's gonna be sweet this year :D. I can hardly wait!

No it's NOT for the Wii (Well, okay, maybe not totally for the Wii...), cuz I'm more looking foward to Pops getting home. That way the whole family will be together for Christmas. A'INT THAT SOME'FIN?

I don't really know why, but I always seem to get all worked up around this time of year. Maybe I'm part elf, or something, CUZ I HAVE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!!!

...

Did I mention that I want a Wii this year?

I'm Now a Rockstar!

2006-11-20T13:15:00.000-08:00

So yeah, last night was totally my musical debute.

How, you ask? Well, it's only cuz I PLAYED T3H BASS ON STAGE!!! :O

Even though it sounded totally crappy, it was probably the most fun thing that I've done in my life so far. Probably cuz I wasn't even playing for myself; I was playing for God. And that alone, made it feel like the best 10 mins ever.

But who was I playing with? None other than my BEST FRIEND ON THE DRUMS!!! It was a first-nighter for the both of us. We're rockstars now.

God really did some work last night, for sure. Breakthroughs and revelations galore, not to mention the re-kindling of everybody's spirit! It was also Pastor Pat's birthday. :D

I'm not sure if God was presenting us with an opportunity, or rewarding us for sticking close to him, but we got to get our praise on! And I think we're going to be part of the band soon, too.

It was seriously the coolest party ever.

(Oh yeah, and I got pulled up to sing with the choir, too. That was even more unexpected!)

I so totally rock, but God so totally rocks even more. WORD.

So Totally Not Dead

2006-11-14T20:50:00.000-08:00

And you all thought I wouldn't update one of these days (Heck, even I didn't think I would for a while there >_>)... BUT, my blog is still alive and kickin. Yes sir-ee.

So life has pretty much progressed as usual; I go through school while combatting people and their lame-ness for the sake of greater good and whatnot. All the while I'm still growing into a better christian (complete with spiritual values. No preservatives added), becoming a better musican (Now I'm turning back to the bass. I almost forgot that I personally one one...), artist (...), and martial artist. A'int that just the best?

Well it keeps life from being boring, that's for sure.

But yeah, art and drawing seems to be coming along pretty well, even though drawing the human figure in all sorts of poses can get a bit frustrating if you don't know what you're doing (And I usually don't at first, mind you). I mean it wasn't until tonight that I realized that I could just draw my OWN figure as means of practice.

So I literally stood in front of the bathroom mirror and drew my own body (Had to have my shirt off so I could see stuff like shoulders and waist in detail). It's actually turning out pretty well.

But I still have trouble drawing hands... And even when I have a figure in front of me, drawing people still takes a while for me.

Argh, Melissa! How do you do it?! WHY DO YOU MAKE DRAWING PEOPLE LOOK LIKE NOTHING?!

I weep in jealousy. ;_;

ROFLCOPT4R!!!

2006-10-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Man, Kyle, every time we talk on the phone, our conversations always end in insane hilarity. I'm still making those stupid cartoons thanks to you... Are you proud of yourself?! AND STOP TRYING TO STEAL MY MONEY! my speed stat smears the crap outta yours, even if my defense sucks. SO BACK OFF!

o_o;

Aaaanyways, I got two new books on art and drawing the other day. At least now I can draw folds and stuff in clothing to make everything look more realistic now (I lol at my carboard clothing skills from a while ago). Trust me, drawing decent clothing is a good thing. A very good thing.

The other one was just about drawing the human physique of a male in detail, with all the muscles and stuff. It also had some stuff on drawing hands (Which I STILL abhor with all that I am), and dynamic poses and stuff. Drawing hands is pretty hard, sometimes... and so is drawing baggy jeans... (My record is seriously like 1 for 7 right now). Oh well, at least I'm making progress. Even if some of my sketches turn out like crap, I'm getting to the point where I can actually go back and fix them! SCORE!

And nothing, I mean NOTHING, beats cartoons made from inside jokes (Mel, you know what I'm talking 'bout). Seriously, it doesn't matter how good/bad they look, they still are packed with the kind of funny that very few people will get; making them great. And thanks to Kyle, I now have a bunch to do...

(>_>;

<_<;

The assassins are still after me, Kyle. I'm never safe... NEVAR!!! :O

*runz*)

Guess what?!

2006-09-26T21:49:00.000-07:00

I HAVE A STALKER!!!

My Titles = Phail

2006-09-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

Man, it's been awhile since I last posted... hope ya'll didn't miss me too much!*slapped silly*

Aaaanyway, I mostly blame school; it eats up all my time. Darn you school, darn you, I say!

Given, all my grades are doing fairly well due to the time and effort I'm actually putting into things (unlike last year >_>), and everything seems to be flowing a lot smoother that it once did. Even martial arts... which I find to be a little suprising since I'm balancing that AND school, but you know how life works like that. Or maybe I just have super-sexy-mad skillz.

My artwork has been steadily improving, even though I feel nowhere ready to go on DA or Sheezy Art... But still, I'm much better than I was about 3 months ago (looking at my old sketches is the most painful things of all time. All you other artists can sympathize with me.), and I plan to get even better until I get my new compy so I can actually use programs like Photoshop. That'll be sweet. Once that happens, I'll totally be swamping Mel with all my ~~crap~~ artwork so she can give me with some pointers. But as of right now, I'm way too shy about my art to show anybody... I'm such a wuss =P.

I've also gotten back into writing stories and stuff, but most of them are based off of characters and universes already created, so they're really nothing more than fanfics/fanservice. But you know, sometimes I find fanfics to better that the things they're based off of (Ex: a Zelda fanfic > The Zelda game series imo). But whose to say that I lack creativity? I actually have one going right now that totally original, even though it's a bit sketchy, and will probably go through some changes in the long run. Well, at least it's a start.

And there's also my music career. I'm a bit out of practice due to everything being so hectic, but I'm slowly getting back into practice (I finally dusted of my bass, again. Did you miss me, baby? I know you did...). BUT, that doesn't mean that I'm going to neglect the guitar or the upcoming violin... it just means that I have to learn to balance all three of them. No problem, right? I'm just a music man, I guess.

Oh yeah, there's the singing part, too... but I still hate the way I sound. Other people seem to like it, though. Ak-ward >_>.

In other news, I got asked by somebody to the Homecoming dance at school (Even though the GUYS are supposed to be doing the asking part), but alas, I declined. I mean, I was flattered and all that somebody wanted to go with me (And apparently somebody else, as well), but I really just am not in the mood to take anybody from school to the dance. No offense to them, of course.

Well take a look at it from the guy's point of view. We gotta get a crap load of money somehow, make dinner resevations, arrange rides and pickups and whatnot, buy/rent a suit, get a fancy flower thing to put on (and a matching one for the lady, of course), buy the tickets, and lastly, pay for the super-fancy dinner. That's a lot of money, time, and stress that us guys have got to put into all this, and we have to consider all of this before we so much as THINK about asking the girl we want to take. It's not easy, mind you.

So in other words: I better like you if I'm going through all of that just to impress you. It takes alot of effort to pull all of this off, hence why I'm not going to go with some chicks that I'm really not interested in... whether they realize it or not. I'd seriously only do this whole "jumping through flaming hoops" business for very few people.

Actually, come to think of it, there's only one (Count it; one) person who I've ever done this for, and she's the only person who I'd ever want to do it for again. 'Cuz to me, she's totally worth it. And she knows who she is.

All right, I think that's enough for now. But now you people can't say that us guys have it easy just cuz we can take a leak standing up. We stab our wallets to death for you, girls. AND WE LIKE MONEY. D:

UH, BUT WE LIKE YOU MORE. SERIOUSLY. OH GOSH PLEASE DUN HURT ME! *runz*

(P.s. I got interviewed twice by two different people for the school yearbook! Pretty cool huh? I actually might be in the yearbook this year for something besides my picture! RAISE DA ROOF!)

Uh... Rawr?

2006-08-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

Man, the nicknames that people give you around school are really weird.

Today in my AP US history class, there was a bit of an issue. You see, there are 3 Chris' in the class, and we all sit in the same area. So whenever somebody says "Hey, Chris!" we all turn around and get confused and stuff. Not cool.

So, we came up with the solution of nicknames. At first, I was just going to be "McCoy" because it's simple and easy to remember... but then it got kinda crazy.

Apparently somebody thought that it would be nice if they made my name a play-off of the pro golfer, Tiger Woods, so they started calling me "Tiger McCoy". For some reason, it kinda caught on, but by no means did it stop there. Ohhhhh, no.

Somebody else thought that the name "Cheetah McCoy" sounded better, and some people started calling me that. Their reasoning was that Cheetahs apparently suit me better than Tigers. Personally, I didn't really care, as long as I had a name to go by... but then there was a thrid name...

Another group of people arugued that my name should be Jaguar/Panther McCoy (I forget which one). They just said it was because it sounded cooler and because Jaguar/Panthers are sexier. Apparently I seem to give off a sexy cat appeal to people. Weird.

But seriously, what's with the reoccuring theme of giant cats?! I could've just gone with regular "McCoy" for my nickname, but nooooooo.

Leave it to people to go insane with stuff like that. Now I have three nicknames, all cat-themed. Great (And it's not like you can just shake names off by telling people you don't like them. They STAY with you. >_>;)

Oh well, at least I have an identity apart from the other two Chris' now.

(Cheetah McCoy kinda sounds cool, though lol)

The Day You've All Been Waiting For...

2006-08-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

Yup, it was my first day of school today. Yay education.

Got to see a bunch of my friends that I haven't see over the summer and whatnot (The girls always hug too much lol), and we got to compare classes. I got at least a few friends in every class, so I think I'll manage this semester.

I guess making a lot of friends pays off after a while. :D

And that's good, but I also plan on making more friends this year, cuz that's just how I am. My friend circle at school always has to grow.

It doesn't necessarily make me "popular", but at least a lot of people know who I am, and call out to me in the hallway. Too bad that usually leads to me running into pillars and stuff.

And my teachers are pretty chill, but a couple of 'em are kinda crazy... oh well, it beats having normal teachers, I guess.

And in other news, I already have a homework assignment and a test tomorrow.

That's right, a test.

Pretty lame huh? That's what happens to you when you take AP courses.

(Oh well, at least I'm getting college credit for a few of my classes. w00t for over-achieving!)

I'm So Fustrated I'm Using Multiple Colors...

2006-08-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

(My apologies in advance, people; this post has almost no correlation and pretty much goes all over the place. I'll give you a pin and a cookie if you can honestly understand it all.)

Man, I'm tired of everything going wrong, and I'm tired of being punished for doing the right thing. Because lately, that's all that's been happening to me.

This "Nice guys finish last" thing is more real than I thought, and I've discovered that people aren't always what you thought they were.

It's saddening, really. Knowing that somebody that you deemed your friend and trusted is completely fake, and they really aren't your friend at all. I guess this is what I get for being too trusting with everybody.

To tell you the truth, I honestly can't understand why somebody would even do that in the first place; is life just one big game to them? If that's the case, then I've truly no idea what I'm supposed to do.

Most people have just said "Forget about it and move on" or "It'll only bother it if you let it", but those people have absolutely no clue at all. If I were to just forget this problem, or ignore it like I've been advised, I'd be abandoning the issue altogether. And when you abandon problems, you abandon people.

News Flash: I don't abandon people.

This is why I oftentimes do NOT share things with people, seeing as they feel it's their duty (For some lame reason) to try and fix my problem, or find a way to fix it. I hate that. I do NOT want your help, nor your advice. YOU wanted to hear what was wrong with ME, but people these days seldom listen anymore. Funny how I need people to listen, yet all they do is keep talking and flapping their yap like they can always fix everything. Suprisingly, they can't.

And ususally when I follow their "great advice" it doesn't work, and makes matters worse. Shocking, isn't it?

I will not call any names (But I could name a handful of people right off the bat), but those who do that have a tendency to piss me off to no end. I'm tired of people not knowing when to shut up and actually hear what others have to say. This is why there are very few and select people I can talk to...

So basically, I already got some issues, and the "helpers" who have the characteristics stated above actually stack onto it. So now there's a problem within a problem. You can kinda see where I get extremely annoyed and aggrivated.

Funny how when people try to fix a problem, they ususally become part of it. Wow, Concept.

Frankly, I'm about ready to rip somebody's head clear off their shoulders.

Now, even while all of this is happening, this doesn't mean that I'm going to stop being a nice person (Although if you question me after reading the above comments, I won't blame you), it just means that I'm tired of being a complete door mat and being walked all over.

Well, I could go for hours on this whole thing, but I'll stop here for the sake of the post not sounding like I'm going psychotic. So let's wrap it up with what Bengal has learned:

1) Fake people suck.

2) If nobody asks for your advice, don't give it to them. Not everybody wants to hear how you'd fix their problem, because in the end you aren't them. (<-- OMG IZ DAT GUY 4 R3AL ROLFLOLWTFBBQ????!!!11!!SHIFT+ONE!!?!11!!)

Saavy? Good.

Now if you'll excuse me while I go violently play an instrument and draw meaningless cartoons...

IT'S LIKE IM MAKING A RAINBOW :D

2006-08-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm testing for orange belt tomorrow. yeah.

Just wish me luck and hope I don't die (Or you can hope I do kick the bucket if you dislike me for some reason lol).

I hope I do pass though, mainly because orange is a far superior color to something lame like yellow.

Yellow's a wussy belt color imo.

A Good Rivalry Never Dies...

2006-08-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a person who you'd always compete with on just about everything? Have you ever had a rivalry that has lasted for years and still isn't settled? Well, I have one...

A friend I haven't seen all summer gave me call today, and after the ususal "How was your summer?" stuff, he cut straight to the chase.

Apparently he wanted to strike up some new competition with me (like he always does), and he proceeded to smack-talk and rant on about how he would completely own me at these things if I even tried to compete.

Since I'm the kind of guy that absolutely loves proving people wrong, I fell easily into his little mind game... he predicts me way too well. So here I am, eating the bait out of his hand, ready to go kick his fannie at a bunch of new/old things that he lured me (back) into.

Funny part was, some of the things he was talking about actually sounded pretty weird (Even stuff like busting out old-school video games we haven't played for years, or who can endure something the longest), but it didn't even bother me that much.

Even if the stuff is kinda dorky by yourself, it's always ten times more fun when you do it with a friend. Sitting around for an afternoon, trying to see who could beat Super Mario the fastest was actually a lot more fun than I thought... but maybe I'm just really weird like that.

But man, I'm such a sap for that kind of provoking... but it's a good thing that most people can't provoke me the right way. Luckily I don't know any psychics lol.

Ugh, while I do despise being played like a card, I can't back down from a challenge! HE'S GOING DOWN.

RAAAAAWR!

Good End to a Bad Week

2006-08-04T23:18:00.000-07:00

Man, this week sucked for me. Nothing went right, I was constantly in a bad mood, and on top of that, MY FAVORITE PENCIL BROKE. Writing stories an making sketches will never be the same without it... ;_;

Anyway, it was a pretty rough week over all. There was much of confusion and anger and all that regular teen-issue stuff, along with my own problems involving intrests and worries and plans for world domination and blah, blah, blah. Enough about that. Chaotic fustration is lame, especially if you're me.

So anyway, enter Friday.

For some reason, everything seemed to be going a million times better than usual. My sketches went really well (I'm actually satisfied with a few), as well as having that stupid rain cloud over my head disappear for once.

So after yet another brutal martial arts class (Where I learned one of the flashiest kicks ever: the crescent kick), I finally was given the chance to test for my next belt! That alone brought up my mood, considering that I've been working hard like no other trying to get a shot at my orange belt for a while now. I'm happy to see that at least I know I'm ready to test for it.

When I got home, I shared it with mom like it was an "A+" drawing from 2nd grade.

Afterwards, my Sis and my other sis (Arlene) picked me up and offered to hook me up with some food from Denny's, seeing as how they rock like that. Being the predictable guy that I am, I asked for a monstrous burger and some gnarly seasoned fries to go with it. I seriously needed something really big to chew on... and it HAD to have bacon. I guess eating bacon helps relieve my stress for some reason lol.

So anyway, I'm chilling at home (Doing some art requests for a friend), and I hear Sis and Arlene come in with the food. Since I was still kinda grumpy, I stomped downstairs and demanded mah chow. Lo and behold it was what I asked for and more.

The girl who made my burger told Sis and Arlene that she put extra bacon on it, and it totally made me happy when I saw it.

I didn't even see or meet the girl, yet for the moment I felt like I wanted to marry her. Yes, I temporarily fell in love witha girl (not really, but whatev) cuz she made my burger as if she knew exactly what I needed at that specific time. I sure hope my wife will be able to do that...

But seriously, that made my week like you wouldn't understand.

WHERE EVER YOU ARE, MYSTERIOUS GIRL, MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU. BEFORE IT DIES OF ARTEREY CLOGGING, OF COURSE. (Stupid bacon with it's heart attack-inducing grease...)

Okay, joking aside, it's kinda funny how God can make things work like that. Even if it's just the little things: like a friend giving you call for no reason, or recieving random revelation, or even having somebody make your burger just right... It doesn't really matter.

The point is, God knows exactly what you like. And when you're feeling down, he finds the wackiest and most random ways to cheer you up. (Even if it involves meat that has the potential to endanger your life lol)

You gotta love it.

*Stuffs food into mouth*

Blast from the Past

2006-07-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well, Pops left today at about 10 am this morning, so I made sure I was there to see him off. But you know, even though he was here for 18 days, it sure went by really fast!

But there's really no need to worry, he'll be back before we all know it.

In other news, I'm finally getting a new computer (Thank the heavens!)! And since I'm going to trash the one I'm currently using, I decided to go through and look at some of the random stuff I made from way back in the day.

Needless to say, I'm very happy that my writing skills have improved, 'cause some of that stuff barely even qualified writing... embarassing. But on the bright side, I found a bunch of hilarious (Okay, so maybe they'd only be funny to me and Ell >_>;) short stories based off of all of our inside jokes, antics, and fictional characters. Ah yes, never forget the fictional characters...

Ranging anywhere from small adventures, to fake news interviews, to (extremely) exaggerated everyday problems, I had myself cracking up for hours. Most of it gave me a heavy case of nostalgia, though...

In any case, I think that looking at old stuff you've made is always fun to do. I'd encourage all of ya'll to do the same thing one of these days; you might be suprised at what you find (I know I was lol)!

((And Ell, you better believe that I'm gonna flood you with all of this stuff when you come over again... THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM YOUR PAST!!! *shakes fist*))

He's Baaaaaaack!

2006-07-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

After what seemed like an eternity, I'm happy to announce that Pops is officially home!

For those of you who don't know, he was gone on his job which took him all over Europe for a few months. The family has missed him badly, so you can all imagine how we felt when we saw him walk through the terminal.

Since he's only back for 18 days, we have to get in as much family time as possible. He already said that he's taking a few days just to spend with the family (And a couple of days for quality father-son time), I'm totally excited.

And I'm sure that as soon as he shows his face at church, everybody will practiacally maul him, so I gotta get a head start on our plans! Cuz personally, I'm not so sure I'll be able to get him back after this Sunday; who knows how many people are stop by and whatnot! Oh well, I got no reason to worry, cuz I live with the guy lol.

YA HEAR THAT, PEOPLE? HE'S MY POPS. MINE, I SAY!

RAAAAAARW! jk

But man, it feels so nice to have the whole family together again. These next days are going to be a lot of fun.

Oh Boy...

2006-07-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hey, have you ever heard the line "I'm my own worst enemy" or something like that? Of course you have; in cliche movies and books and stuff. Well apparently I needed to hear it for real yesterday... I really AM my own worst enemy. Yikes.

Looks like I'm gonna have to deal with this one... even though I've trying to for months! blargh-and-a-half.

In other news, mom is starting to give me vocal lessons! That's right! Pretty soon I'll be hitting high notes like no other and breaking glass, so plug yer ears, kids!

Nah, not really. I'm actually just really tired of sounding like complete 'n utter crap whenever I try to hold a note, and I actually want to be able to sing when I play mah GUITAR (Well, preferably guitar... but I'm sure I could sing with other stringed instruments if I really tried...). In any case now you all know that Bengal actually wants to sing.

Yes. WANTS TO SING.

Quite the shocker, ain't it? Heck, it sure was to me.

Hold on a Second!

2006-06-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

You are 60% Aries

How Aries Are You?

^Forget that link above... just use this url below.

http://www.blogthings.com/howariesareyouquiz/

60 percent?! I freakin AM an Aries!

If i'm not even a true Aries, than what the heck am i?! this is really confusing...

YAY APPLE!

2006-06-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

You Are Apple Red

You're never one to take life too seriously, and because of it, you're a ton of fun.
And although you have a great sense of humor, you are never superficial.
Deep and caring, you do like to get to the core of people - to understand them well.
However, any probing you do is light hearted and fun, sometimes causing people to misjudge you.

What Color Red Are You?

Yeah, I decided to take the same quiz that OctoberLily took.

APPLE POWAH!!! XD

FREEDOM

2006-06-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

Oh, yes. It is summer time now, which means that school no longer has its evil, educational grip on me. I am free to go insane upon the world as i see fit. isn't that great?

To kick it all off, I had martial arts class last night. Mucho divertido. We were practicing a cool block and counter technique where you pretty much bash the attackers arm out of the way and... well i wont go into details, but it was pretty brutal.

Anyway, being the ~~idiot~~ good student that i am, I volunteered to be demostrated on. ~~Stupidiest~~ Best idea ive ever had. When I went in for my strike, my instructor (Or Sensei, or Sifu, take yer pick) pretty much annihilated my arm when be blocked it. That's right, all he had to do was block my attack, and he smashed one of my nerves, causing my entire arm to go numb for almost 5 mins. Ow.

And then, after class, they busted out the most amazingly painful, self-torturing, why-am-i-doing-this-to-myself, insane-o machine: The Rack.

*Insert horror music and death scream of your choice here*

This little piece of work doesn't look like much, but it is a man's worst nightmare if you have no flexibility. It kinda looks like the two leg-rest-type things that are attached by a wheel you crank in the middle. Bascially, the more you trun the wheel, the farther it spreads your legs, forcefully. Of course, since it was my first time using it, Sensei insisted that he crank the wheel for me.

OH DEAR HEAVENS

DDD:

I will say nothing more, except that im one step closer to doing the splits...

Why do I do this to myself...? X_x;

Finals Suck

2006-06-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

That's right folks, I'm still in school and it's finals time! But please, there's no need to get excited for me, as I want all the fun to myself.

Yesterday, I took my spanish and math finals, but those weren't so bad. Today, I took the chemistry final, which was freaking insane. And trust me, I know insaity when i see it (Or experience it) and this test takes the cake. So far this holds the title of the hardest test I've ever taken. Seriously.

And it's not because i didn't study, seeing as how i put about a solid 3 1/2 hours the other day into review and studying, as well as the week prior to this final. but it still wasn't enough... ow, my brain.

I'm telling you, some of those questions should have been illegal, or outlawed, or something. Because that was not high school material. And just about everybody in the class had the same reaction as me once they finished the test: "WHAT IN THE NAME OF PLUTO WAS THAT. D:"

It was seriously a test that was made to make people cry.

Of course, after i finally put down my smoking pencil and turned in my test, i went about the usual end-of-the-year activities, such as yearbook signing and stuff (Some of the people sign some weird stuff in my yearbook...

but now that the major part of the educational gauntlet is over, i can rest easy, as tommorrow i virtually do nothing. I have a regular test in english class, and for P.E., we're swimming.

Ah, Summer's just about here...

The Mall will Never be the Same...

2006-06-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

Today was definately something new for me. Basically, a large group from the church was attending this conference/seminar-type thingy, and we pretty much learned how to communicate with people without speaking *christianese. It was a pretty cool deal-io, and everbody seemed to grasp and understand the concept really well.

The person who was giving the entire lecture was actually a very humorous man, so it made the whole thing (which pretty much lasted all day) go by pretty quickly, and made it much more interesting to listen to. I actually don't feel bad about dropping two martial arts classes for this; it was worth it.

Personally, it stood out to me that we don't need to turn every single conversation over to christ when talking to people we've just met. In my own opinion, way too many people think they need to, which is why the can never connect to those people. Tsk, tsk, tsk...

But basically, we learned to talk to people without using words like "Revelation", or "Anointing" or other words that make peoples' brains implode in regular conversations. Rather we learned how to say those same things, but in a more modern, easy to understand and connect type of dialect. Very useful.

Now, everybody in the seminar was completely fired up about all this new knowledge and stuff, until the teacher said we were going to the nearest mall to put it all to use.

:O

OMGROFLBBQCHICKEN IS THIS MAN SERIOUS

DDD:

I dont know about everybody else, but i for one had no intention of using these newfound skills, the day i learned them. Lemme go kill a grizzly bear with my bare hands while skydiving without parachute naked and blindfolded while yer at it... it seemed easier.

So yeah, off we went to the mall 'n stuff. Once there we broke into groups in which everybody had a different job. One person's job (they were called the "catcher") was actually just to pull people aside and bring them to the rest of us, on whom we would pretty much practice our skills on. We were supposed to tell these people that we just attended a seminar that taught us how to encourage people (Which was pretty much what we were doing), so they wouldn't disconnect simply because we're christian folk. Sneaky.

With the first two encounters, our group was pretty much sweating bullets, but after a few runs, we got in touch with the holy spirit... and that's when the fun began.

It was actually pretty cool, becuase all we had to do as open our mouths, and the holy spirit took care of the rest. Between my best friend and i, we pretty much had a tag-team thing going on, which was neato. Basically, one of us would get something to say to the person to establish a connection, while the other one would ~~attack or pounce on the victim from behind~~ get another word of knowledge to follow it up. You'd be suprised at how many people we nailed dead on... heck, I was suprised. But it really was rewarding to see their face light up once you connected with them. It did my heart good to see that we actually brighted the day for some people; maybe even their life.

But yes, it was very interesting to see what kind of people i connected with best.

Personally, I seemed to have the best things to say when it came to people who like to be individual and different from the crowd, as well as those who like to be outgoing. Very cool.

And though we were there for only 45 minutes, we were extremely busy, because our catcher was flippin insane, and brought in tons of people in zero time. Seriously, this woman was running on a christ-powered battery, because she was flying around like a freaking ninja. Nobody escaped her wrath! Extreme.

So yeah, we weren't at the mall for the sole purpose of leading people to christ, but instead to show them his love while connecting with the people.

It was a very eye-opening experience, and id definately would want to do it again. w00t 4 jesus.

*chrisitanese - A type of language taken from the engilsh speech, which can only be understood by those in the church who have already established a connection with God. Not reccomended for the "Morining Coffee Pot Talk" at work, as it will lead to brain implosion (As stated above), if the recieving dialouge participant has no previous understanding. n. adj.

Yearbook Day!

2006-06-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

Oh boy! Today was the day that yearbooks come out, so you know what that means... I got to wait in line for a good portion of my life (Well, at least it felt like it) while everybody in the free country cuts in front of me!

Of course, once i finally got my little bundle of joy, I quickly tore through the pages to find my picture. Well, you could say that my reation went something like this:

:D

:O

D:

Yeah, my picture looked like comlplete crap, imo. I mean, I have a moustache in my picture. A moustache.

I can't stand those. I tried so hard to recall WHY in the name of pluto I was even sporting one in the first place. Not to mention the fact that I look like I should be on a Mentos commercial with my cheesy smile. I can see it all now...

"Mentos. The yearbook maker."

All in all, I think I pretty much look like a dork. But I just have to remember that yearbooks are meant to remind of our good memories, not over-sized caterpillars growing on our faces. Stupid moustache...

(To all moustache lovers - I don't hate moustaches period, but I just don't like them on me. So you can put down yer pitchforks and shaving devices...)

I guess I really am that chill...

2006-06-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

You Are Iceman

You tried to live a normal life, but it just wasn't possible
A bit of a slacker, you rather tell jokes than cultivate your powers

Powers: turning self and others into ice, making ice weapons, becoming nearly invisible

Which of the X-Men Are You?

I got IceMan. Meh, he's pretty cool (no pun intended) so that result doesn't really bother me.

At least i didn't get a super-cliche and over used character like Wolverine. He's great and all, but i think he's just a little (Meaning insanely) overpowered. And plus, everybody likes Wolverine the best. Talk about no variety.

In case you couldn't tell, I hate cliches...

Viewed in the Wrong Light

2006-06-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember, my friends have always treated me a certain way, and now I'm sick of it.

Basically, it feels like none of my friends ever take me seriously, and they just use me for laughs and crap like that. All they do is make fun of me, and crack jokes loaded with heavy sarcasm aimed at me, and they never stop. People don't even take time to see how I feel, or if I even have feelings, and it begins to hurt after a while.

Whenever I try and talk about serious subjects and things with my friends, they always blow me off, as if i'm some kind of unfeeling monster whose sole intention is to find out about your personal matters and make fun of you about it... but that's not the case.

This may be a shocker to some people, but sometimes i like to know what's bugging my friends, too. But nobody ever wants to talk to me about things, seeing as how i apparently don't have a personality at all; i'm just there to make fun of to your heart's content.

However, people have no problem talking to a guy like my best friend. He's always there, always open, always listening, and I thank God that he's my best friend. But sometimes i wonder what makes us so different... Because nobody ever tells me anything. Ever.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining that i want to know about everybody's personal life, but i'd like to be taken seriously, too. With my best friend being the only exception, it feels as though nobody I've ever known has taken the time to see the other side of me, and they probably never will.

And when I'm not making people laugh with jokes, it's like i'm completely invisible and ignored. Whenever i'm not fufilling my duties and a joke punching bag, im slowly pushed outside the circle and nobody even notices im gone; or even if i'm hurting.

And because people never share anything with me, I'm always miles away even when im talking to them face-to-face. It sucks.

I wrote this quick poem yesterday... it should illustrate how i feel much better than the paragraphs above. Read it if you want some insight to me, my mind, and my heart.

(Also, keep in mind that this poem isn't aimed at anyone in particular... meaning that i'm not trying to single anybody out.)

The Abandoned Shadow

Am I nothing but a shadow
Which you don’t see out of the corner of your eye?

Or am I that single ugly bird
That flies solely unnoticed in the sky?

I’ve held my hand out to you
I’ve had my arms open wide

But you’ve discarded me so many times
I've slowly died inside

I can be nothing more than a jester,
Or the fool in a royal court

Too many times I’ve been treated like garbage
To the point where my mind will distort

Keep your chin up, be positive
Are the true Christian ways

But I always feel so distant
God was my only friend for days

I’m just like that thing you forgot
That dusty broken toy

But in the honest words of Pinocchio:
“I’m a real boy!”

Or perhaps I’m something scary
Like a furry, feral, beast

But at least you could say you’re scared
Notice me in the least

Perhaps I’m missing something
Is this a plan to make me feel protected?

If it is, I’d sure like to know
Considering I feel rejected

This sucks, this stinks
Life isn’t fair

But I guess these thoughts are between me and God
Because it’s not like any of you care

But then again, I guess I don’t have feelings
And if I did, how would you know?

Because after all, or so you say

Am I nothing but a shadow?

-Bengal T.

So here i am spilling my guts out there for you all. I'm not trying to start a pity party for myself or anything like that, but people need to know that i have feelings, too (Wow, Bengal T. has feelings! Amazing!). And seeing as how my best friend is pretty much the only one who even bothers to talk to me about serious matters and stuff, it looks like i have a long way to go before i gain any respect; but i should aim for being treated like a human being first.

they say that you can tell your friends anything, but why do my friends tell me nothing? Funny how that works out...

I speak a new language: idiot

2006-06-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Today the youth group from my church took a trip to the beach. Yahoo. It was actually pretty fun, complete with football, boogie-boarding, and getting buried in the sand to the point where you can't move. Also, I almost got stung by a dead jellyfish that floated by my butt at one point. My best friend pointed it out, so I backed away before it touched me (Dead jellyfish can still sting, right?). In any case, pretty much everybody from our youth group was there, including my crush, so leave it to me to look like a complete buffon out of my idiotic male ways. Go me.

Basically, she was in her bathing suit and all, but she was wearing a towel over herself to cover it up. I asked her why she was doing that, and I deducted that she was nervous or scared to be seen in her swim suit (She told me that she was "self concious" about it, but I'm not sure if she was just saying that to get me to shut up, or something.). I tried to tell her that she shouldn't be so self concious about it, and that she probably looked fine (I wanted to say "great", but I'm kinda of glad I didn't, as you'll soon read below). I thought I was doing the right thing and all; with the attempts at self-esteem boosting and whatnot, but as I walked away, i realized what I had probably just done.

I probably came off as a shallow-minded perv, who was just trying to get her to take off the towel so I could see her in her swimsuit and such, thus fufilling my primitive, brainless, and above all stupid desires.

But in all out honesty, that wasn't my intetion at all. I was just trying to get her to step out a little, so she could see that she doesn't look as bad as she thought she did. I was trying be a nice guy, not a pervert. But leave it to Bengal T. to screw things up in his attempt to be a good person, and come off as a dimwitted simpleton who is only governed by testosterone-driven impulses! And if she didn't want to be seen in a swim suit for a completely differnt reason, that means that I looked even more fatuous*! Go me!

You know, it's funny. I bet if anybody else told her the exact same thing I did, it would've sounded 100 times better, and not stupid. But of course, because of the position I'm in, it comes off with a completely different meaning than what I intedned (Yeah, try the exact opposite meaning. Go figure.). I had to talk to my best friend about it, just so I could get it off my chest 'n stuff, which actually helped me out a bit. But that whole towel ordeal turned out just swell.

Now regardless of the numerous paragraphs i wrote about the incident, my crush was not actually the focus of the beach trip (Suprised?). I went out there, and enjoyed myself with my friends, and had a good time like I should've. But that little fiasco was eating away at me towards the end... but perhaps i'm just thinking way too hard about it. She probably forgot about the whole thing anyways...

*If you don't know what fatuous means, go look it up. It's never a bad time to improve yer vocab, kids.

A textbook, a white belt, and a little bit of concern

2006-06-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

School is almost out, and teachers seem to be going on their ususal "end of the year" rampage. I've been up against a book report, two projects for history and english, and some stuff in chemistry for the last week, and I'm getting sick of it. Luckily the year's almost out, so I just have a little bit more to go (A little bit meaning another full week and then three days for finals), but I'm hanging in there.

Outside of school, I've just recently started taking martial arts again as of three weeks ago. Needless to say, I felt like a complete wimp and idiot my first few days, considering that I was starting to sweat after the warm-up exercises, when the people twice (or even three times) my age were showing me up big time. Now, I thought that I was already in good shape before, considering that I wasn't obese or anything, and I had some muscle, but after my first class I got a good idea of what really being "in shape" was. Now that I know, I can see that I wasn't even close. Isn't that great?