#1 I recently gained pajamas, robe, and slippers.
#2 I have never had ANY pets. I had a pond with fishes when I was like a small baby, and I’ve taken care of my cousin’s pets, but never actually owned them.
#3 Band is draining my life. AP Classes are killing my life. Yea…I’m pretty dead
#4 My dad cuts the internet at 10oclock. Whoopiee. My dad takes my phone away at 10 oclock. Whoopiee.
#5 JAY LIN IS A PIMP. and NELSON YOU MAKE MY DAY XDDDDD
#6 I play piano, violin, flute…but I’m pretty sure most of you guys know that by now
#7 What you didn’t know is that learning all these instruments help with my sight reading
#8 I have met two new people around my age online…but I will never get to see them Well…maybe one of them…but thats a low chance of happening xD
#9 I have been to Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and around the USA
#10 I went to Los Altos Elementary, then Newton Middle School, then Los Altos High School. After that? I have NO IDEA
#11 I should start thinking about SATs…but for some reason it’s not really applying to my brain…
#12 I HAVE A LOT OF NEPHEWS AND NIECES!!!!! And a brother in law and another sister other than my biological sister LOL
#13 I used to go to Disneyland once EVERY YEAR when I was kid to watch my sister perform for dance That’s probably why I’m not so caring about Disneyland anymore…
#14 I’ve never been to Six Flags before
#15 I hate smoking/smokers etc. Dont do drugs.
#16 I go back to Taiwan once a year since I was like…5. It used to be every winter break, but that changed this year..but it’s still once a year.
#17 I have driven twice recently. Both without a permit/license Don’t worry, I had supervision
#18 Junior year is stressful.
#19 When I don’t talk, or reply…it means I don’t feel like saying anything or I don’t have anything to say. Not because I’m ignoring you.
#20 Apparently I laugh when I’m in pain? But if I don’t feel much pain, how do I laugh when I feel pain…weird huh
#21 I’ve been stuck in Symphonic Band for 3 years. Twice because of schedule problems
#22 I want to learn…guitar/sax/trumpet :D Too bad clarinet/drums
#23 I’ve had less anger spikes recently…good good
#24 I haven’t read a book on my own accord in a LOONNNGGG time
#25 We got a new wood floor. And we still haven’t moved everything back yet…oh welll @_@
Now normally my super secret plan to get rich from this blog by pimping DarkFall is super secret, but since I feel like getting a soda at lunch today, go watch this video and then buy DarkFall through the link in the top left. Thank you.
(In the interest of semi-full disclosure: Valroth is a member of VAMP, a nice guy, has one of the best characters in the game, and is way way too good at DarkFall. Plus makes better promo videos in his spare time using only in-game footage than some game companies put together for professional release :cough: STO :cough:)
while i would love to say this is what we built, it is not. it's just really legit.
my friend matthew and i are determined to make a gingerbread empire this christmas. matthew and i are determined to rule the world. since we can’t rule this one, we’re making our own. but let me tell those of you who have never endeavored to make a gingerbread house from scratch: it’s about 4000x harder than you think. first of all, we didn’t know how to make gingerbread. we finally found a mix for gingerbread cake and left out the flour…which didn’t work so well because it stuck to the cookie sheet like you wouldn’t believe. after hours of struggling and eating half of what we made and getting distracted every 5 seconds, we have the bare bones of our first building. this will be an ongoing project.
and this got me thinking about creation. we’re two fairly creative people, if i do say so myself, and we had an extremely hard time creating this gingerbread house. it got me thinking about how God created everything. it got me thinking about art and how God is the greatest artist. then i thought, really, He’s the only artist. if an artist is someone who creates, then God is the only one. anything we do is merely a copy of something.
this got me thinking about deaf people. i’m wondering how they form their thoughts. when i think, i say everything out loud in my head; i hear my voice. how do deaf people form their thoughts? people who have always been deaf i mean. do they think in sign language? having my ears stopped up makes me realize that i’d rather be blind than deaf. it seems to me that there are far more opportunities to be deceived through your eyes than through your ears. and to never hear music! i wonder if they create sounds within their minds. it seems possible, probable even, that their mind should make up for what their body lacks.
and what of the blind? those who have always been blind, i mean. when someone says the word “purple,” something will come to mind because that’s just how the mind works. but having never seen anything, having no preliminary image of anything, not even knowing darkness because they do not know the light, what comes to mind? i am inclined to think that purple then becomes a sound. the sound of the word perhaps. or maybe a feeling–the arrangement of bumps that mean “purple” when brushed with fingertips. but, if the same logic is applied as before, then the mind may invent something that is to him or her “purple.”
what are the capabilities of the imagination, and what exactly is our capacity to create?
C02 emissions! Climate change! The Greenhouse effect! SAVE THE POLAR BEARS!
Let me start by saying that in no way am I a scientist or an expert on the subject but having been outside before, I can tell you right now that this world is definitely in a moment of crisis. No, I’m not talking about the sudden panic over the world increasing in temperature by one degree every so many years. I’m talking about the belief in Global Warming itself. In my opinion, it doesn’t exist. Here’s why:
If you’ve been to the north between the months of November – March in the last couple hundred years, you would have immediately recognized the ice and the snow covering that part of the hemisphere. Now, being from Canada, I can tell you just from personal experience that the ice caps are fine. They aren’t going anywhere. Do you know how I know this?
Ever tried melting ice off your driveway in the middle of January? Not gonna happen. Why? Because it’s cold. I can only imagine that giant blocks of ice sitting in a frozen ocean aren’t going to be chipping away when it’s -50 degrees celcius. That’s just basic science.
Now, you might be thinking: ‘Wait a minute. It’s not ALWAYS -50 degrees in the arctic!’
You’re right. It isn’t. Ice does melt. It’s not impervious to heat. You know why? The Earth’s axis is tilted. That gives us seasons. One big season – sometimes referred to as Summer, does occur in the arctic. The melting ice isn’t caused by co2 emissions or greenhouse gases or whatever the hell you want to call it. Believe it or not, the Sun itself is hot. When the Sun appears, it warms the Earth. Again, basic science.
Now you’re probably thinking ‘If the ice is capable of melting (which I never said it wasn’t), what about the polar bears?!’
What about the polar bears?
They’re animals. They can adapt to their environment, just as every animal has done over billions of years. Just because the ice melts, doesn’t mean there isn’t dry land available close to a water source that holds their meals. Ever been to Manitoba? *GASP* REAL LIVE POLAR BEARS. AND THEY’RE NOT DROWNING! Why? Because they’re smart enough to get OFF THE MELTING ICE.
Now let’s move on to those blasted co2 emissions.
Consider this: There are 6 billion human beings on this planet. I imagine there are as many and more cars for every human being on this planet. Consider the size of the planet in relation to all 6 billion of us. Now, that is alot of pollution. I’m not denying it. Ever been to Los Angeles? Smog!fest. My point is, no matter what kind of pedestal humanity likes to run around on, it is completely arrogant to think that only 6 billion of us are able to affect a planet that has been around for billions of years and hasn’t yet been destroyed by its inhabitants. And compare our size to the size of the Earth…the ratio doesn’t exactly scream PLANET MURDERERS!
C02 is plant food. Basic science once again. The plants absorb the c02 and expel oxygen. And we’re trying to cut down on plant food because…? We don’t like to breathe?
Another point I’d like to make: The media and scientists all over the world want to convince us that the Earth is heating up because we are causing too much pollution, cutting down too many trees and we are idling our cars in the middle of a sub-zero winter. (Which I can imagine, ends up in more hypothermia deaths in humans than co2 suffocation of the atmosphere, but who’s counting?)
Did these scientists ever think that maybe the Sun is getting hotter? You don’t try to clean up your house when your living room is too hot. You open a window.
Besides, the Earth itself is its own radiator. The friction of the mantel, orbit and so on creates heat inside the planet. The atmosphere stores the heat. The heat has been there for billions of years, even during the last ice age. Life cycled on! If anything, I truly believe the Earth is getting colder. Do you want to know why I have this belief?
Come to Canada in the middle of January. If the ice hasn’t frozen your eyebrows into a terrifyed expression or if your lungs are still able to function through the heaviness of the life-sucking cold in the air, then you just keep on handing out your Global Warming pamphlets which have probably been made out of all those trees you’ve been trying so desperately to save.
Muslims supposedly aren’t al Qaeda’s target, but they are usually al Qaeda’s victims. Who’s your “friend and protector” now?
Just days after the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point released a report stating over the last four years 85% of al Qaeda’s victims, and in the last two years 98% of al Qaeda’s victims, were non-Western and predominantly Muslim, al Qaeda’s waning image is on the ropes. Not only has al Qaeda validated the report, but felt compelled to issue a video response apologizing to all the Muslims they kill.
“The mujahideen declare themselves innocent of these attacks…”
“We express our condolences to the families of the Muslim men, women and children killed in these criminal acts…”
“We also express the same in regard to the unintended Muslim victims of the mujahedeen’s operations against the crusaders and their allies and puppets…”
That would be the 98% of Muslims and non-Westerners killed in attacks by al Qaeda’s “Muslim killers and destroyers of Muslim homes, mosques, schools, and markets,” as Gadahn states, identified by Arab news sources in the report linked above.
Watch California native Adam Gadahn, aka Azzam the American, stutter and squirm as he spews al Qaeda propaganda on the jihad’s favorite network, YouTube (below the fold):
CTC and others should be issuing reports and news like this far and wide on a regular basis. If the White House can translate Obama greetings into multiple languages and take over television air time, they can certainly do the same with this type of information and they should if they expect any chance of winning the propaganda battles.
This isn’t a cop-out by any means, at least I’m not profiling myself- which would guarantee a couple thousand hits in a few days!!
A profile on a smaller person is important because surfers as a whole are made up of individuals. And this individual I’m profiling is one that I’m highly involved with and interact with very frequently. He’s my friend Aaron (Rosen), or according to his high school diploma; Aaron Duracell (AA, like the batteries) Rosen.
Aaron is 20, the son of his parents, and brother to his siblings; Moises, Ezra, and Naomi. He’s lived his life in Lakewood, New Jersey and has been hating what it’s slowly been turned in to. If you lived there, you’d understand. No one can drive, but Friday at night most of the town really can’t drive (literally!). Gangs have swept the town; (rip5, B|o0d5, Lat|n K|ng5, M$|3, Cheerleaders, you name it- they’re there. At the end of his block is a gang house, we know because we’ve longboarded past it many-a-times while they had hip-hoppin’ parties; no offers of crunk were ever made.
Though life can seem quite troublesome, even with guns in the house, Aaron finds most solace in one thing- Surfing.
Aaron on surfing:
I was upset he didn’t mention our trip to California, but if you’d seen what had happened to his foot you would understand… Basically, the temperature of the road blistered his whole sole and the majority of it came off. It was kinda funny, it would have been fully funny if it didn’t ruin our trip and his time.
Our day:
Iiiiiii pulled up to his houseabout 7 or 8… No, it was definitely 7.
Aaron cheerfully came out, and in shorts for no sane reason.
Forgoing most formalities other than ‘Hey,’ we wanted to get to the beach as soon as possible; just before low tide. So we got to packed, finished up, and were on our way.
The majority of our conversations were filled with:
vibrant debate
and fervor.
(I’m never really sure if he brings up how great the waves were the day I couldn’t go out to aggravate me and make me hate life even more, or if he’s just trying to psyche me up. He’s always meant well since I’ve know him, but I think that’s just a ploy to really rub waves in my face..)
We eventually reached our destination and conditions seemed reasonable
And after checking both sides of the pier,
we knew where we’d be going
Changing is never fun:
!!!
It’s never amusing, getting in or out of a suit, especially when the temperatures are cold and the wind is blowing. The day before had been a gorgeous day, in the 60’s and with not window. Today, however, was a lot less friendly. It was in the mid forties and wind easterly winds blowing hard enough to cause “shrinkage”.
Since the recent battering on the shore from storms, ocean municipalities like Seaside have been moving sand to try and create dunes to stop future flooding, at the same time, they move the sand that has been pushed up and piled up under the boardwalks back to its rightful place after a few waves toss it around.
Aaron found his space and in a Yogi-like manner pointed out like he was trying to say “Aye, Mikey, I think I see a wave.”
He strapped in and was ready for fall had to offer.
He seemed to be enjoy himself today, catching whatever wave he wanted. The beauty of this time of the year in the surf community is that only the die hards are out, and die hards have respect for other die hards. There’s not much localism or animosity like there is in the summer, so finding waves is never an issue.
After
The morning never last as long as it should on days when there are decent waves, and today was no exception. A certain young man had school (Aaron) so we had to call it quits, and I had 30 minutes of work to go for (Yeah, 30, honestly would would anyone do that?)
We said our “Goodbye”s and parted ways forever
Which in Mike-time means all of two hours.
School
I caught up again with Aaron at his college.
He is currently finishing up school at his local community college, Ocean County College. After OCC, Aaron plans to attend TCNJ (where a lot of attractive girls I know go).
when I caught him he was on his way to work out a scholarship proposal with the Phi Beta Kappa, also know as the Honor Society(… Society?). Aaron attend community college because he’d gotten in to the Stars Program, and they would pay his college education as long as he’d stayed in the top percentile of his class, he excelled, and after the semester is over, he’ll be able to join PBK.
The man was on a mission
But he ended up just waiting,
and waiting,
and waiting.
Worst of all? I was stuck waiting!
Rosen’s proposal was rejected due to his “Star” status, and soon after we were finally out of there, and on our separate ways.
How would he cope with the disappointment? Sleeping? Surfing? Yelling at the heavens?
Today was, to be honest, a pretty normal day. Nothing important of mentioning. I taped up the chair of the person I’m nisse for AGAIN, but this time I taped some candy to the wheels of it. Unfortunately I didn’t remember to take a picture of it today /: After school I had work, and except for me teasing Morten about the “liver pâté” (leverpostej – funny translation) and his beer, it was boring as hell, just like always. When I got home I heated up some supper from yesterday, because my mum went to a christmas party today, and afterwards I read some blogs. And finally I went for my daily 40 minutes of running! It’s great how I’m no longer tired as hell when I get home, but instead I feel refreshed and satisfied with myself. I’m really glad I started running everyday – it really helps me feel better (:
I am – as ALWAYS – anxiously waiting for august 2010! But I’m also waiting from response from Explorius about my online application – whether they approve of it or not. And I’m seriously looking forward to New Year’s Eve – biiiig party! – and the 2nd of January ‘10 – christmas party with my class, afterwards party! To me it seems like life just gets better and better. I just have the feeling that after New Year, time will begin to pass by really quickly, and I’m starting to realize just how much I’m gonna be missing all of my classmates after I finish “folkeskole” (lit. “elementary school”, grade 0 to 9) forever :’( We’ve been together for 10 years now, and it’ll be really, really weird – not to mention sad! – not to see everything everyday anymore…
