Inside the Mind and the Everyday Thoughts of Eric Medina

What exactly is evil?

2012-01-19T16:04:00.000-08:00

When we look at the word evil, we tend to associate it with acts people have committed toward another, such as 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Holocaust, the murders by Charles Manson, and the Devil himself. However, are these really considered evil acts? What determines if something or someone is evil? Let's look at the examples I used up above.

The majority of us are familiar with September 11th, with the exception of those who were born after 2001. We know hijackers of Middle Eastern descent took control of various aircrafts to use them to cause total destruction and kill a massive group of people, but is what they did really considered an act of evil? President Bush seemed to agree that it was indeed evil. I will come to an agreement and say that it was a horrific and most devastating act by multiple human beings, but I will not say it was an act of evil, because what really is evil? Really, we can say that anything can be considered "evil". My mom tends to think skeletons are evil, along with Halloween. I come from a Christian family, so I hear and know a lot about the word "evil". So speaking of religion, what if I said the terrorists' of September 11th performed those acts because of their religion? Now, that does not make anything they did acceptable, because they also did it out of hatred. However, these were people that were raised differently to follow a certain belief. They were conditioned to know what they were taught at a young age and only that. It is the same thing with us today with our beliefs. We choose to believe in God or not, and what we learn at a young age follows us for the rest of our lives. What may sound wrong, is actually right to other people, and vice versa. Those terrorists died and killed in the name of Allah, just as Christians go on a mission trip in the name of the Lord, although, according to one of the pillars of the Muslim faith, it is immoral and sinful to cause harm to another human. To link this to a fine example is to bring up the Christian Crusades. Christians, my brothers, killed hundreds of people, including Muslims, in the name of Christ because they did not want to follow Christianity. How is that any different than what those terrorists did to those people? So again, these people were told what they were doing was right, even though it was wrong in the eyes of millions. This was not an act of evil, but corruption of the mind.

One of the largest mass killings, or genocides, in the world is held responsible by the man who is considered the most evil of them all, Adolf Hitler. I don't believe the man was evil, but perhaps more superstitious than anything. We are all familiar with the Swastika, or NAZI symbol, that Hitler obtained, but actually Hitler never created the Swastika, but borrowed it from the ancient Greeks. The symbol was nothing more of a good luck charm, like a horseshoe or rabbits foot. The symbol on the NAZI's arms and flags might as well have been a rabbits foot, because that's all the Swastika was, a good luck charm. To get even more superstitious, Hitler believed that Jewish people were responsible, not only for the devastation of mankind, but for WWI as well. In other words, Hitler was a coward who believed in nothing but bad luck. So like a little girl, he rounded up a group of his finest men, and when I say finest I mean men who had no choice but to support Hitler or they would die, to take care of the monster in the closet. Though Hitler killed countless number and men, women, and children, he only did so because he was afraid. A child sees a small spider was on the wall, so he freaks out, calls his father into the room to kill the spider and made it seem like it was so much bigger than it actually was. Not an act of evil, but cowardliness.

How about the murders of Charles Manson? Let me begin by saying they were not murders, but killings. Murders are when people kill out of hatred, but Charles Manson did not kill out of hate. He killed because he believed God told him to. In short, the man plead insanity. He heard voices in his head to kill certain people, and he only did what he was told. Not too many people have this issue, but others do actually deal with schizophrenia and other manic disorders that are uncontrollable by the individual. People who deal with OCD, depression, Alzheimer's, and Tourette's can hardly even control their mind or body movements. Manson had a horrible disease that not only affected him, but many others by their deaths. It is very unfortunate, but it is not an act of evil, but insanity.

Finally, let's look at the source in which evil pours from, the Devil. The Bible mentions Satan quite a few times, actually more than it talks about Heaven, but nowhere does it say he was evil. In fact, the Bible says he was the most beautiful angel in heaven. The angelic name Lucifer was provided to Satan, meaning the Light bringer. Also, Lucifer, or Satan, was created by God in heaven, and as we know, God creates all thing in HIS image. If God created something that was evil, then that must mean God is also evil, but that is not the case. Christians condemn Lucifer for being the most evil spiritual figure due to his enjoyment of misery and bringing harm to others. But that can't really be considered evil, because isn't that why America went to Iraq and Afghanistan, to basically get revenge on those so-called "evil-doers". I think whenever another human takes the life of a loved one, all we want is to bring total misery upon that person. The Devil is also considered evil because he tempts us with immorality and sexual desire. It is bad to have immoral sexual desires, but what about prostitutes? Are they evil because they tempt us with sexual pleasure? Jesus confronted a prostitute, Mary Magdalene, but loved her dearly regardless of her sexual desires. Lucifer is another example of a corrupt mind. If God provided us with free will, then we all have the will to hate others and cause misery with pleasure toward our fellow man, but because our society frowns upon such things, we act in a more civil manner because we know the kind of punishment that awaits if we mess up. However, if we lived in a world where hurting others was acceptable, there would be no such thing as the word "evil". Being nice would probably be considered an act of evil. All of this is defined on how we perceive the world and how we were brought up.

Too Much 3D

2010-07-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already noticed, almost every movie that has come out within the last year has been in 3D. I will admit, it is really nice to experience movies in a whole new way, but how much is enough? Some movies look great in 3D, such as cartoons and some action flicks, but there comes a time when a movie needs to just stay 2D. Here are some of the past movies that have come out in 3D: The Final Destination, Avatar, Despicable Me, Toy Story 3, Last Airbender (no relation to James Cameron's Avatar), and many others. Within the next year movies such as: SAW, Smurfs, Cats & Dogs, Tron, and Step Up, are all going to be in 3D. I think the movie industry is getting really desperate to sell a movie. These are some movies that people don't even want to watch in 3D. The worst thing about these 3D movies is that they aren't truly in 3D. Most of the 3D movies that have come out have not been in 3D, but in High Def. When I picture a 3D movie, I imagine things popping out of the screen coming toward my face, such as the obvious finger point, or the original paddle ball effect. I've realized that if I take off the 3D glasses, the movie I am watching is visually clear during most part of the feature. Just because the movie says it's in 3D, doesn't actually mean the movie will be in "eye popping 3D". Again, when we think of 3D movies, we think of objects flying off the screen, but just because a movie says it's in 3D doesn't mean it already is. A real life action movie is already in fact in 3D. Real life people are already 3 Dimensional figures. Even with the technology some companies have; such as Dreamworks and Pixar, they are already in 3D. I remember growing up and waiting for the next 3D movie to come out, because they were really rare to come across during the 90s and below. We'd use to get those glasses with the red and blue filter lenses. Those were the 3D movies that had to be seen, because they were truly eye popping. Being a kid and watching 'Spy Kids 3D' was the best because things were flying off the screen every five minutes. Those were the kind of things we wanted to see in 3D. Now, there are so many movies people don't even want to imagine watching in 3D. If a movie company wants to make a 3D movie, they shouldn't do it just to make money, but for the best 3D experience a person can have. I don't ever want to hear about a 3D Jackass, or anything that has nothing to do with 3D. A good 3D movie is very hard to come across, so to go see one would be well worth the extra money people have to pay for a ticket. I don't want to see the day when every single movie that comes out will be in 3D. The movie industry just needs to cool it down a little, because there is way too much 3D.

Oh my God, what a slut!

2010-07-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

How many times have we heard that four letter word; S-L-U-T. How about this; how many times do you think you've said it? Or even this; how many times do you think you've been called it? Whether you've been called it, or have said it, we've all heard it. It's a word we usually hear everyday. It's usually a word to describe a girl. The bad part about being called a slut is the fact you have no idea why you are one. The term slut usually refers to a girl who has had sex with a bunch of guys. But what about guys? Don't guys have just as much, if not more, sex with girls? A guy will never be called a slut, because there is no such word. A guy is either a pimp, player, or stud, but never a slut. That just proves that having sex with a lot of people is not considered being a slut, but being promiscuous. Honestly, every person desires to have sex. We all want it, and I'm sure we all think it. The word slut is a word that is only referred to young women. When a girl grows up to be in her mid 30s or 40s, she no longer considered a slut, but a Cougar, which is pretty much the exact same thing as a slut, except its what every person wants. Girls can be titled as a slut just because she developed more quickly than the other girls in her grade. Because some girls are more attractive than others, girls will automatically assume they are having sex. If a girl dresses inappropriately, we then again assume she's a slut because she looks like a prostitute. However, if a guy dresses inappropriately, like a gangster, no one cares. Girls are taught to be prissy at a young age, while men were taught to be dominant over the earth, because it's probably not his fault. I don't think girls wake up in the morning wanting to be a slut. I think the problem is because how the world views girls. Because men want hot attractive girls, insecure girls will stoop to that level to just feel pretty. Every girl just wants to feel pretty, but sometimes it may be taken too far. A person is only a slut if they if that's what they hopelessly believe in.

Big Girls Don't Cry, according to Fergie

2010-07-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Girls are perhaps one of the most complex puzzles; mainly because we (guys) never have the slightest clue what's going on in their heads. Though we may not be able to understand them, we can still agree that they go through peer pressure. Girls are taught at an early age to be sensitive, caring, and nurturing. As they get older, they are taught to diet, look attractive, and have sex. Even if guys have some trouble with insecurities, girls are more vulnerable because of what society expects of them. If we look at any girl magazine we could probably see a girl who is pretty good looking. It's usually the kind of girl all the guys want to be with. Guys even have magazines with girls on the front cover, but it doesn't mean it's for girls to read. The media depicts girls to look like goddesses, and this causes self-esteem issues with younger girls. I can probably say that most girls at one point in their life idolized a super model from a Victoria's Secret magazine, or some Teen Vogue. But it's not enough to just look good. These girls are also pressured to have sex. Usually, if an attractive girl walks by, we can assume that she must be having sex a lot. However, that's only an assumption, because guys and girls would think it's madness for an attractive girl not to have sex. Some girls have to have sex to feel like one of the gang. They have to find a way to fit in. All girls just want to fit into some group. Usually, in the movies, we see hot girls in clicks, while being mean to nerdy average girls. Honestly, most high schools are not like that. Sure, there are clicks, but it's not really torture to get into one. But when worse comes to worse, girls want to be in any click, because the other girls seem so cool. It's never easy being a girl, nor a guy. No matter what decade it is, both guys and girls have certain expectations to live up to. Whether women think big girls don't cry, or men think it's a mans world, there are still as many pressures.

It's a Man's World, according to James Brown

2010-07-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Men are amongst the oldest living beings; after all, Adam did come before Eve. For centuries, men have been depicted as hero's, or warriors; conqueror's set out to rule the world. During the Italian Renaissance, artists such as Michelangelo depicted his male sculptors to resemble god's. They were men with muscles on their muscles. That depiction of men has carried on all the way to today. Usually, women would say that men have it easy because they don't need to diet, or have the need to look attractive. Believe it, or not, men go through the same thing women go through. Men are human beings after all. We do have insecurities, but we just do a great job of hiding it better. Typically, women go for the strong, buff, good looking guy. Because of that, guys have the tendency to mimic the men they see on TV, or movies. Also, men have more pressure of doing drugs than women. Unlike women, men don't really know how to cope with stress, so we find substitutes to ease the stress. Of course, not every guy does drugs, but men are more vulnerable to them. We have the pressure of being tough. A typical man today will not admit to being afraid of something. Rather than admitting our fears, we take it head on. Us men have to show our dominance over fear. After all, fear doesn't control us, we control it. It is proven that girls do have more pressure than men, but it doesn't exclude men's pressures from being less important. Why else would men do stupid things? The only way we can usually fit in is if we prove our capabilities to others. One of the biggest things guys are attacked on is the idea of them always wanting to have sex. The typical male does in fact think about sex every seven seconds. That doesn't necessarily make us bad people. Sex is one of the most important aspect of basic survival, next to food and water. Just because we think about it, doesn't mean we have done it. I think men are even more pressured to have sex at such a young age because that's what society shows us in the media. We can't turn on the radio today and not hear a song about a guy wanted to get busy with his girl. Because men have that feeling of dominance, they feel they have to fulfill that trait. Men can fall into peer pressure just as easily as women. It's so hard to just say no. I'm sure we've all gone through the classes about avoiding drugs and alcohol, but how hard is it really to just say no? It really is; especially when you want to fit in.

The Dog

2010-05-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

Here, I show an image of Francisco Goya's, 'the Dog'. It is perhaps my all-time favorite painting, and for many reasons too. This is the painting that pulled me into the deeper world of art. Some people might look at this painting and think it's only a dog, or some sort of animal hiding. Then again, there are others like myself, who will constantly gaze upon this painting trying to figure out what exactly is going on in this image. Obviously, the viewer can see a dog peering its head from behind, or above a slope. However, we have to answer the big question, "how far down does the rabbit hole go?" . Excuse the Matrix reference, but to look and actually be fascinated by this image, we would have to look deeper than what we just see in front of us. If we truly look at this painting we would find it to be somewhat disturbing, or creepy, for that matter.
Here's a quick history lesson on the artist Goya, and his reference to this painting. In early 1800s, Goya was faced with a terrible illness, causing him to become deaf. To deal with his condition, Goya created a set of paintings directly onto his home walls. Today, these paintings are known as 'the Black Painting'. Like many disturbed artists, such as Edgar Allen Poe and Van Gogh, these dark, horrific paintings were a way of escaping the everyday problems these people were going through inside themselves.
Now that we know a little background on the painting and artist, what is it that makes this my all-time favorite painting? Well, as I mentioned before, there is a dog in the image. The dog seems to either be hiding behind a hill or stuck beneath a slippery mud slope. However, if we look at the dog, we can see that it is looking upward with its ears slanted back. If the dog is looking upward, then what exactly is it looking at? I think that's what makes this painting so incredible and majestic. I can't help but feel a sense of disturbance and fear when I look at this painting. To the right of the painting, we can see a black mass covering a huge portion of the wall, but we have no idea what the mass is of. Was it an accident? or was it intentional? Is it an overlay of a previous painting? or something far much darker than we can fathom? In my opinion, I believe this painting deals with the concept of fear. I think Goya was trying to say how little, meek, and vulnerable, we are when we encounter our worst inner-fears. In a way, we feel like a scared little dog that's all alone and helpless.
However, this painting could have a totally different perspective coming from someone else. I think that's another reason why this painting is incredible, because we, as the viewer, get to have our own interpretation. Obviously, we know for a fact that this painting was intended to be dark, because it was among the many 'Black Paintings'. No one will ever say this painting is cute, nor heartfelt. To me, this is considered the most beautiful painting in the world, due to its mysterious background and imagery. Like many of Goya's previous paintings, we know what they are about because of its historical concept and themes, but the Dog leaves everyone questioning, "what is it?"

It Must Be Easy Being a Cat

2010-05-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

Many of us have some sort of pet, whether it's a cat, dog, bird, fish, or a hamster. The list of pets can go on and on, but how many of us actually look at our pets and become somewhat jealous of their lives? Being an owner of a cat for the past 11 years, and might I add, a very fat lazy cat, I've thought to myself, "man, he's got it so easy". The only thing my cat and I have in common is the fact we are both mammals. However, an animal, and not just my cat, live a life that cannot even compare to the life of a human.
One thing my cat never has to worry about is getting an education. He never has to stress about an upcoming test or think about what college he wants to attend. If there was a scholarship for doing absolutely nothing, then my cat would get a full ride. Doing homework is something he can never do, mainly because his brain isn't capable of comprehending word problems or statistical/logical information. My cat will never know what it feels like to come home with assignments that will take over your entire weekend. I know for a fact my cat would be a big procrastinator, so nothing would ever get done on time, or done at all.
Next, my cat never has to worry about getting a job. I think cats are born with jobs, such as sleeping, eating, and pooping. That has to be a full time job in a life of a cat, but he never has to apply for it. He never has to dress up to go attend an interview or worry about not getting that job. Cat's are probably the cheapest animals on the planet. What are cat's going to do with a job? They don't need money. They will do whatever they can to snatch something for free, whether it's a piece of cheese that falls off the counter, or a rubber band from the news paper. Cat's would be the worst type to go on a date with. This leads to the next part, relationships.
Cat's never, ever have to worry about relationships. Cat's are perhaps the biggest pimps out there. They don't know the meaning of a relationship. They just do what they feel as an instinct. However, they never have to feel the pain of rejection or the loss of a loved one. They have no feelings toward the female feline. Like some humans, the male cat will get the female cat pregnant and then run away never to return. Many of us know how a relationship can sometimes be difficult for some, but cat's never have to stress over what she's feeling at the moment, or how to make her happy all the time. To be honest, I think the male cat would be the worst boyfriend to ever have.
Finally, cat's never have to worry about death. Around the world, most people have some sort of religion they follow. No matter what the religion, besides Atheism, they all believe in some afterlife. Some believe in a Heaven and Hell, while some believe in only some sort of paradise. Death is probably the biggest fear amongst humans, mainly because we have no idea what's going to happen after we die. If we die, what if there really is a Heaven or Hell, and which one would we go to? Cat's will never have to worry about that. Cat's are the biggest existentialists. They do not know their purpose in life, and they have no worry of anything happening to them. Supposedly, when an animal dies, it just dies. People believe an animal has no soul, which means they will not go to Heaven, nor Hell. While others are afraid of the afterlife, cat's can live their lives knowing they will not live in paradise or burn for all eternity.
That's what makes a cat's life seem so easy and calm. Even though a cat's life looks that easy, there is one thing that will always make me not jealous of a cat. It's the fact that he will be dead way before me. I'd rather live 80 years than to die at age 15, which is also 80 years in cats years. He will never experience true love. He will never know the feeling of doing something you're passionate about. My cat will never know the feeling of being successful and achieving life goals. So living a life that's easy sometimes isn't a life worth living at all.

The Beginning of Our Story

2010-05-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

I think many of us like to write poems, songs, and letters, to our little sweetheart, our boo, our baby, our girl, or any other term of endearment, but I don't think many of us write blogs about them. This is my blog to my girlfriend. I don't know if she'll read this, but I have a really good feeling she will.
First of all, if you're reading this, I love you. Second, she probably saw the title and out loud said, "Oh God!". Most likely something I'd say if I saw it. Third, she's probably thinking, "why?".
To answer that, I say, "why not". I have been with my girlfriend since January of this year, and I've been wanting to write something, but our story wasn't quite long enough. The other day at work, one of my friends said I should make a story of my girlfriend and I. That sounded like a great idea, so here I am, writing that story of Eric and Coleen.
I don't know what day exactly, most likely it was on a Saturday in December, was when I first saw her. What makes this an interesting introduction would be the fact that her and I both work at the same job, the movie theater. I remember walking into work noticing we had new employees. I looked around to see if I knew any of the new faces, and that's when I saw her standing there. The first thing I thought when I saw her was, "wow, she's really cute, but I probably won't ever work beside her or get to know her". I guess I was wrong, as usual, but, hey, I'm not complaining. I finally had the chance to work beside her, and it was then her and I started to communicate and get to know each other. About a couple weeks later, Coleen and I went on our first date. I wasn't sure if this was a date or two friends hanging out together. All I knew was this; I was out with her, so don't screw it up. When most people go on their first date, they go see a sappy love movie, or have dinner. Well, we went to the movies, but it was no sappy love movie. It was more of a "squeakual". That's right, we saw Alvin & the Chipmunks. After the movie was over we headed to our cars, but I did not want the night to end so quickly, so we ate at in n out. That night, we hugged each other good-bye, and that was that.
About a few days later, we agreed to see another movie together, Daybreakers. The vampire movie without glitter. Again, I did not know if this was a date or not, but I knew if I didn't do anything, I would regret everything.I thought driving to her house to pick her up for the first time was one of the scariest things. While I was walking to her door, all I could think about was that scene from A Goofy Movie where Max knocks on Roxanne's door, and instead of Roxanne answering the door, her father, who happened to be a bull dog, steps out as if protecting his home from the intruders, or boys. I had no idea what to do or what to think. My stomach felt as if it was going to explode or some alien was going to bust out of my chest. About 20 minutes toward the end of the movie, I finally put my arm around her, but before I could ask permission, she jumped into my arms without hesitation. At that moment, all I could sense was the smell of her hair, and how everything suddenly went from chaos to calm. To makes this long story short, we became a couple that night, shared our first kiss, and said good-night after a quick ice cream pit stop . I went home that night thinking, "did this just happen? I must be dreaming". The next day I woke up knowing I had a girlfriend.
It's crazy how Coleen and I are so much alike, but yet, so very different. Our personality may be the same, but our lives are anything but the same, and I think that's what makes us so compatible. Though she may not understand, I can't stop staring at her because she is just to beautiful to look away from. When I kiss her hand, it means I adore her; when I kiss her head, it means I am so glad she is here in my arms; and when I kiss her lips, it means I don't want anyone but her. When I laugh, it means I'm nervous as hell, and I think butterflies might be hatching from cocoons in my stomach. I know I'm quiet, but nothing is louder than my love for her. Everyday, I want to tell her I love her, but I don't just want to tell her I love her everyday, I want to show her how much I love her everyday. If there's ever a storm in my life, I just think of her and she brings out the sun. She's my best friend and the hand that I hold as I walk through this world. I know neither of us are perfect, but I think our imperfection makes us perfect.
This is only the beginning of our story. The small intro to our saga. This is our story...so far.

What is Love, pt. 2

2010-05-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

For the past few years I thought I knew exactly what love really was. I thought I knew it inside and out, like the back of my hand. But as far as what love is, I don't know a thing about it. I think we all like to pretend that we know what love is, but who are we kidding? To make it short and simple: love just is. How can anyone say what love is if they've never felt it before. Before, in my previous blogs, I gave tips and advice for people to survive in a healthy relationship. At the time, those words were coming from a guy who never experienced true love, so basically, my advice is useless. Today, I still agree that those words are useless. Everything I thought about love was wrong. What sounded crazy to me a few years ago sounds perfectly normal to me now. It's quite amazing what one person can do to another persons life.
Love is like that rollar coaster that we always pass by at the theme park. You want to go on it, but you keep turning it down because maybe you think it'll be too scary, or you just don't know what will happen through that process of finally riding that coaster. But once you've experienced that ride, it makes you want to do it all over again; the ups and downs, and all in between. A roller coaster will always be somewhat scary at first, but I think it's the fear and thrill that keeps a person going strong. That's why love just is.

Through My Left Eye

2010-01-25T14:52:00.000-08:00

When you look outside your window, what do you usually see? Do you see a tree? Perhaps you may see a few houses with cars in the driveway. Do you see birds zipping by your window? Are there clouds in the sky? Maybe it's raining or maybe the sun came out after a thunderous storm. I think it's safe to say that we can all simply describe what we see physically of the world. Now, instead of just seeing a tree outside your house, look closely at that tree. Does it have leaves? If so, are they freshly green or fall brown? Is the tree leafless, allowing sun rays to explode through its branches? Is the tree alone or are there many other trees around it? Is the tree symbolic to the way life is?
While most people just see a tree, I tend to see the characteristics of that tree. Maybe the tree is old. Maybe it's slanted in such a way it could possibly be mistaken for the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Either way, it is going to be viewed in a picture frame someday. Because at that moment, time allowed me to capture such a work of life's art.
Photography has always been such a great part of my life, but I never really appreciated it until I learned to appreciate the many forms of the world's beauty. I would have never learned about the many types of beauty if I never journeyed across the earth. It's places like Africa and San Francisco that keep me doing what I love doing. I think the greatest beauty is where we least expect to find it. I never understood why beauty always had to be something marvelous or pleasurable to the eye. If someone took a picture of a bright, full, red rose, most people would feel a sense of love and comfort. However, if someone else took a picture of that same rose, but perhaps weeks later, without the flower ever being watered, the rose would begin to lose a few pedals, concluding the end of its life. Not only would the viewers reaction change, but also the emotions. There's now a deeper connection to the rose than before when it was alive in color. I believe that beauty can be whatever we want it to be, whether it's a dying rose or a colorful sunset. While music is my way of escaping everything, photography is a way for me to get pulled back in to how reality really is. It's a way to connect with the emotions everyday people go through. I love taking pictures to show people what we don't see everyday. There's more than what we hear on the news or read in the magazines. There's a whole world out there that many of us have yet to discover. Whenever I put that viewfinder up to my left eye, I know I must have caught something beautiful and it is mine forever.

Be Your Hero

2010-01-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

We've all heard the saying, "Don't be a hero". Usually, we hear these words in the movies when a bank has been held hostage by gun slinging thieves. One guy tries to be the hero that saves everybody from an inevitable fate only to fail at the last moment. I think many of us try to be someones hero, if not, all of us. We have that tendency to protect someone from a poor life decision, or from a harmful and possibly deadly outcome. While religions try to save others from Hell, others are saving people from themselves. There's at least one person in each of our lives that draws curiosity and fascination, due to how the person lives their life, whether homeless or a life of debauchery. Though we strive to save the one's we love, in the end, we discover they are not the ones that need salvation. If there is one person we are all trying to save, then who would be saving us? In the midst of saving others, we tend to not realize that it is the savior that needs to be saved. Like any superhero comic book, the heroic figure always saves the beautiful damsel in distress, but it always ends the same; the damsel in distress saves the superhero. Superman came to save the world, but his world became Lois Lane. Though he is the man of steel, Lois reminds Superman that he is only one man. Some of us have heard the song "ordinary" by Train, from the film Spider-Man 2. The song describes a hero who's anything but ordinary, but in the bridge of the song, Pat (lead singer) sings, "I think I've been trying to save the world for you/ you been trying to save me too/ we could just stay in and save each other". Though the world needs a hero, we all need to be our own hero so we can make our world a better place. In the words of U2, "I can't change the world, but I can change the world within me".

Into the Decade

2009-12-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

For many of us, 2000 - 2009 was a year of struggle and discomfort. It was the struggle to keep families together, homes safe from foreclosures, and praying for others who may not have been so fortunate enough to make it through the years. For others, it was a time to give thanks. Though every day was quite exhausting, we all made it the best nine years that we could. Many family members were lost either from duties over seas or in the states from a deadly flu. However, through the difficulties and conflicts that we all encountered through out the years, we still had hope for a better tomorrow. Being able to drive up to a gas station and say, "wow, that's cheap!" was every Americans favorite phrase. Being fortunate enough to stay at our jobs for another day was every Americans dream. It is America's only dream to live each and every day with the easy thought of providing food for the family and school supplies for their children. It is not America's dream to live every day with the thought of losing their home, job, or loved one because they weren't able to afford medical insurance. Everyday we wake up to a new adventure, whether we know the adventure is going to be easy or not. We cannot predict what will happen tomorrow, but we can strive to make a better tomorrow. These past nine years have brought us to where we are now. We must forget the pain, and focus on what we've accomplished. Don't focus on the accomplishments of others, but focus on the accomplishments that we've all made personally, whether it's passing senior year of high school, getting married to a true love, or surviving the worst economic crisis in years. We don't know what 2010 will hold for us. We don't know what 2050 will hold for us, but everyday is another day to make history and to make every day the best day of our lives. As we enter 2010, I believe we will all come together to work even harder to make every day worth living for. I believe that nothing in life is set in stone, except after life itself. We cannot depend on one person to bring hope to this nation. We have to be the ones to to inspire hope for others around the world. Let's be that inspiration for 2010 and for the many years to come.

Epic: The Most Over Used Word

2009-11-20T13:55:00.000-08:00

Today, there seems to be many things that are considered to be extraordinary. For instance, great movies with awesome cinematography or maybe a song that captivates the listeners heart. But are these things really considered to be "epic"? First of all, what is epic? Epic is 1) a story or poem usually revolving around some sort of hero figure, such as Odysseus 2) heroic or majestic 3) something of unusual great size.
However, even with these definitions of what epic truly is, it still seems that every event or occurrence in ones life tends to be "epic". For example, "the road trip to Yosemite was so epic". "the meal that was prepared was epic". "the bike trick that the guy did was quite epic". A journey can be epic, but can a memorable road trip be considered epic? What would make a road trip so epic? were there dragons along the way? did anyone escape from utter destruction?
I believe the word epic is just another word for "cool". The Great Wall of China is an epic monument due to the incredible length. The 1969 space launch was epic because it was the first time America achieved a goal that changed how people viewed the world. When two men walked half across America to explore new lands while enduring harsh environment, that's an epic journey. Just saying something is epic doesn't make it epic. If everything was considered to be epic, then this blog is considered epic. Epic is one of those words that is never used properly in a sentence. It's not a matter of grammar correction, but of irrelevancy and rationality.
Epic is such a great word. Let's not spoil it by claiming everything to be epic. That road trip to Yosemite might have been an awesome experience, but probably not worthy of being epic. Unless a guy did a bike trick where the bike sprouted out wings and flames, which would make the guy fly, then it is not epic. Don't continue to make epic the most overused word, and please, do not even get me started with the word "grand".

Paranormal Activity

2009-10-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

Recently I saw one of the most talked about movies of this month, which is Paranormal Activity. I gotta say, it may not have lived up to its hype, but it certainly fulfilled its main purpose, which was to scare the hell out of everyone. I have seen so many horror movies before and nothing has ever scared me like this. After watching this movie, I felt like a kid again after watching the 6th Sense for the first time. With its documentary style of filming and spectacular special effects, this has to be the greatest horror movie to have come out since the Blair Witch Project. I recommend anyone who is interested in the paranormal to go see Paranormal Activity at least once. However, I say this because of experience, if anyone is super sensitive to the idea of demons and intense horror, do not see this movie. I know many people who do not believe in demons, but I tell you, I believe in demons as much as I believe in gravity. I believe that demons are very real and they should never be messed with an any way possible. In the movie, the main character, Micah, bought a Ouija board to communicate with the spirit. Here's a fact, a Ouija board is basically an open doorway for demons to come through. It's an invitation that should never be sent out. I believe in demons because with every force there has to be an anti-force. For example, good and evil. God represents good while Satan is the anti-force working against good, so therefore Satan is evil. The anti-force of negative is positive, anti-force of dark is light, anti-force of cold is hot, and the anti-force of angels are demons. If you are a person who doesn't believe in demons, do not, I repeat, do not ever mock them. If you begin to mock demons, it's basically a challenge, which to them is an invitation for them to do what they do. If you've seen Paranormal Activity then you would agree with me that mocking demons will cause paranormal activity. Human demon possession is one of the most common traits of any demon. Demon possession has been going on ever since Jesus first walked the earth. Today, it's more common with people who have demonic looking figurings around the house, Ouija board use, EVP (Electron Voice Phenomena) use, psychics, and use of witchcraft and dark magic. Paranormal Activity's representation of a demon was dead on to what a real life demon is like. Yes, demons are out to deceive others and the more you test them the more they will show off their hellish powers. Demons are not created to kill, but only to torment the living. That means they will pound on walls, they will slam doors shut, they will try in any way possible to make connections with humans even if it means possession. Though the movie is fictional, demons are not. Do not go home after watching this movie and set up a camera in your room to catch a spirit. It may look like fun, but once you've opened that door, you will not like what you discover.

Quality of a Friend

2009-10-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was thinking to myself, what makes a friend a good friend? What kind of criteria does one need to have in order to be considered a good friend? To me, there are three types of friends: Acquaintance, friend, and best friend forever. There are some people who I would never be able to depend on for anything, like taking care of a pet, paying back money, and helping with school projects. There are some I would feel some remorse if anything horrendous happened to them. Then, there are some friends that I would lay my life down for them to live. Many of us have had friends since being a little kid. As time goes on, we either stay friends with that person or we go separate ways to never see each other again.
So what makes an acquaintance? An acquaintance is usually someone we meet in school or a workplace. It's someone we talk to but never spend time with. Sometimes our Best Friends can drop back to the feeling of an acquaintance. When a good friend leaves our lives, it's hard to stay in touch with them, so it feels like you hardly know them anymore. Also, an acquaintance is sometimes a person we can hardly trust, especially when it comes to favors. I wouldn't recommend loaning an acquaintance money or borrow an item, because chances are they either won't pay you back or return the item. An acquaintance is there usually just to keep one's sanity level normal.
A friend is someone who you like to do stuff with. It's a person you can relate to in some ways and can talk about common interests. A friend is one to be there when you are in need for something. You may not be able to always hang out with your friend, but you know with or without the person, you can talk to him/her at anytime with no hesitation.
A Best Friend Forever (BFF) is the top of the friend pyramid. Once you reach that point of the friend pyramid, there is no way of ever going back down to the previous levels of friendship. Some people will say you're BFF's because it feels right to say, but that doesn't always mean that you are. Nothing in the world can separate a BFF, not a relationship, not a fight, not long distance. If your so called BFF loses touch with you because he/she is in a relationship, was in a fight, or living long distance, then you can cross BFF off your list. A BFF is basically another part of your family, like a brother or sister. They are the one's you can talk to about anything. They are the one's that are always responsible, reliable, and trustworthy of one's own property, emotions, and activities. If you can put your life into the hands of a person, then that is considered to be the best quality of a friend.

2012

2009-09-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

Earth is home to millions of species, including humans, animals, and plant life. It is the only planet that is perfect distance from the sun. One move backward and earth freezes. One move forward and the earth burns. It is the only planet capable of harvesting life as we know it. However, for every living organism, it must come to an end at some point. That includes the earth. Many people have different beliefs on how the world will perish. From nuclear explosions, to an asteroid blowing up the earth, these beliefs come from the idea that the world will come to an end on December 21, 2012. It is the most researched and thought about topic today. With the thought of Global Warming and conflict between countries, I suppose it can cause worry within people. But is the worry beginning to look like panic? From the moment the earth was created, disasters occurred. From the moment humans were brought into the planet war and conflict arose. There is no difference today than there was a thousand years ago. Bad things happen all the time. There's no way of stopping anything. We can't just assume that just because a couple planes crashed into buildings that it's a sign of worldly destruction. I am still trying to figure out how the Mayan calendar relates to humanity.Well, according to the Mayans, the year 2012 is only the end of what they call a Baktun cycle. A Baktun cycle is consisted of 144,000 days. After the many Baktuns are over, it will reset and start at a higher point. Today, the last Baktun translates to 13, which then is converted to December 21, 2012 or December 23, 2012. Isn't that pretty crazy?! We don't even know the exact end of the Baktun cycle, so if the world doesn't end on December 21, just give it two more days. First of all, there is no evidence that the Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012. These are people who believed that there were five suns and four of the five suns were destroyed, so they had to sacrifice human lives to please the sun god. If anyone has ever seen Apocalypto, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm sure many of us have heard of the famous prophet, Nostradamus. Later in his life, Nostradamus wrote a book and began to give prophecies that would occur in the future. The problem with his book was that Nostradamus used only pictures and symbolism to tell his predictions. He predicts wars, famine, disasters, terrorism, anti-Christs, and every other pessimistic event that could occur. Talk about a true Debbie Downer. Those prophecies are just as vague as reading a fortune strip on a fortune cookie. Here's an example of a Nostradamus prophecy; Mabus then will soon die, there will come Of people and beasts a horrible rout: Then suddenly one will see vengeance,
Hundred, hand, thirst, hunger when the comet will run. What the heck does all the mumbo jumbo mean? Let me tell you. According to "scientists", the word Mabus somehow translates to George W. Bush, our former U.S President. So how do we get George W. Bush from Mabus? First, let's look at the first two letters, m & a. If you flip over the "m", it becomes a "W" and if you flip the "a" over it then becomes a "g". But how do we get Bush from --bus? Just add an "h". Now that we got that nonsense cleared up, what does the prophecy mean. It simply means that Mabus (Bush) will be assassinated by angry, vengeful people and a comet will foretell his death. I'm sure a lot of people wanted George W. Bush out of the way, but sorry Nostradamus, he's still alive and well. Nostradamus gave no specific date to when the earth will end. In fact, the 2012 apocalypse theory was solely based off a science fiction author's theory of how the world could come to an end. Then, there's the famous Bible Code book. According to Michael Drosnin, author of the book, so already you know it's fake, he decodes the ancient Torah to predict the future of the world. The book decodes events like George Bush assassination, stock market re-crashing, world war III, and the famous 9/11. The funny thing about this book is that it came out after 9/11, so how can something be true if it already occurred? Of course, none of these things ever happened, except 9/11. Sure, the economy sucks, but the stock market hasn't crashed. George W. Bush is still alive and WWIII is probably going to eventually happen anyway in the future. We know the Bible is full of symbolism and metaphors, but I don't think God is the Riddler. He's not wearing a green hat and green spandex with question marks on it. Already, 2012 has made it huge in the media. The History channel always has a TV special about 2012 and end of the world theories. Also, in November of 2009, a movie titled 2012, starring John Cusack, will be released into theaters. I agree that it will be an entertaining movie, but I do believe that it will cause some panic for people. According to the Christian belief, no one can absolutely foretell when the earth will come to an end. It will happen on a day that no one expects, like a "thief in the night". Right now, the world is living like it should, but as the day comes closer to December 21, 2012, it can possible lose all sanity. I can't even imagine how people will act on December 20, the day before. However, everyone thought that the world was going to end in 2000. People thought a comet was going to hit us or all computer networks would shut down causing nuclear weapons to launch off without reason, but nothing happened. Aww, how disappointing. There are people that believe December 21, 2012 will be like any other day and we'll go to sleep, wake up the next day and laugh at ourselves. I don't believe in the 2012 theory, but it certainly gets me thinking. I think this is just another way to cause panic and to make a Hollywood film. Perhaps after December 21, 2012, people will come together to solve the problems of the earth. The world can end at any time. It can end today. It can end tomorrow. It can end the next day. It can even end right now. The question is, will you be ready?

A Better Understanding

2009-08-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

In my last blog, I described my mission trip to Africa. While in Africa, I witnessed poverty, disease, love, hospitality, drought, and life. Ever since I came back I have viewed the world much differently than I did weeks before I went on the trip. I feel that my mind has been opened even wider. I used to see things in black and white, but I think I have a better understanding of life. I'm learning not to criticize or look down on people. Even though I do not support gay rights, I do have a better understanding of what they go through everyday and I am no better than them. They are only human and so am I. If I don't like people telling me how to live my life, why should tell others how to live theirs? I'm a Christian who lives by the laws that God provided for us and one of the biggest rules God gave us was to love our neighbors as ourselves. If I just look down on people because of my faith, then I'm not being true to my faith. No sin is greater than the other.
I'm not so unsympathetic as I used to be when people make mistakes. I realize that people make mistakes and so do I, so I should never lack sympathy for them. I can't even count the many mistakes that I've made in my lifetime. Usually we say a person had what was coming to him because it's a way to make ourselves feel better. I don't think anyone deserves to suffer. Whenever I hear about a teenager getting drunk and then dying in a car crash because he or she was racing friends or making unwise decisions, I usually think, "how am I suppose to feel bad about that? They were drunk, they drove under the influence, and they decided to act on a dumb decision." People do make dumb decisions at one point in their lives. Sometimes the decision will kill the person or it can ruin the reputation of someone. Because the person made the unwise decision to drink and drive, it will affect the world around him and maybe change the lives of others. It's sad that people have to die in order for people to change their lives, but that's just how it is sometimes. I never really understood that until now. Whenever we make decisions like having pre-marital sex and then getting pregnat, it's something that a person has to live with, but will learn from it. Making mistakes is just a way to finally grow up.
I work at a movie theater and one of the foods that we provide is pizza. Sometimes when we cook a pizza it gets a little toasty around the sides. When that happens, the costumer will complain and demand us to make a new one for them. I usually look at the pizza and think to myself, "what's wrong with it?", but apparently slightly cooked means it's no good. Because it's a little toasty I have to toss it out. It really upsets me when people can't appreciate what they have when other people would kill for it. I'll admit, I am slightly picky about foods, but if something is slightly cooked, like the pizza, I'll still eat it.
I also learned not to live my life in ignorance. I have the tendency to blast certain people like feminists, hippies, and librals because they think differently than I do. I learned to see their point of view and I may not accept any of it, but at least I'll know where they are coming from instead of attacking them. My brother is considered to be a libral to a certain degree. I used to think that all librals were people who want to change how we all live, but I learned that there are good librals and bad librals. I used to never undestand feminism because I thought it was all about women critizing men, but I learned it was so much more. When I went to Dubai, most of the women had to cover themselves because the husbands did not want other men looking at her. The husbands would provide for themselves first and for their wives second. That gave me a bigger picture of what feminists are fighting for everyday.
I learned that life isn't all about having fun. Most people have to do something fun each and every day to make their lives seem fulfilled. There are people who have to go clubbing, go to parties, hang out with friends everyday, or have to go someplace just to have fun. It is good to have fun, believe me, I love a great party, but there's way more to life than just having a party-like-life everyday. Most people don't see the big picture. They don't take time to stop and count the stars, or watch the sunset, or even appreciate life as it is. For me, I have learned to see every little thing as beauty. Every little thing in life is beautiful; pretty or ugly.
Right now, I'm trying to make my life better than it was. I know that everyday I will sin, but I want to be able to recognize it so that I can not sin as much. No one is perfect and I don't expect anyone to be perfect. I know that bad things happen everyday to everyone. There's no way to stop that, but with every flood there's a dove with a leaf in its mouth. I've learned so much and I want to continue learning and to have a better understanding of the world around me.

My Trip to Africa

2009-07-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

On July 8, 2009, a mission team departed from California, USA to Tanzania, Africa, where they would teach people about God's love and help rebuild the little town of Morogoro. Do you know what the best part was? I was part of that group. I was able to fly clear across the world to change other peoples lives. Hearing my story will be easy, but completely understanding of what I saw and experienced will be something that I will only know.
As many long trips go, we started at an airport, where we would soon embark on the greatest journey. From there, we flew over North America, over the Arctic Circle, down Russia and into a country, known as Dubai. Dubai was one of those countries where you want to get in and get out as soon as possible. I don't say that because it's dangerous. Well, yeah, there was a heavy case of Swine Flu, but the heat and humidty was very much unbarable. We did stay at a local hotel that night, but we headed out early the next day to catch our flight to Africa. The flight to Dubai was about 15 hours while the flight to Tanzania was about 5 hours, so it was a very long day for all of us.
We eventually landed in the city of Dar es Salaam, near the east coast of Africa. Again, Swine Flu was heavy, but fortunately, we made it out alive. From the Airport, we were driven to our hotel, which was suppose to be a three hour ride, but because there was a traffic accident every couple miles, it took us nearly 5 hours to reach our hotel. The roads are fairly different from here in the US. Like England, the people drove in the left lane rather than the right. However, drivers would always tend to cross into the right lane in order to pass a slow moving vehicle. If a car flashed its left blinker then it means it's okay to pass. If a car in front of us flashes its right blinker, it means that we cannot pass. If a car behind us flashes its lights at us, it means that the driver wants to pass and it's up to us to decide if he can or not. In America, that is highly illegal, especially when a driver crosses over double barred lines. But we were in Africa, so I guess we had to expect the impossible. We finally reached our hotel, which was called the Usambara Safari Lodge, at around 9:00pm, which was 11:00am in California.
The next day, which was yesterday for America, was the beginning of our trip. We headed out to the local school, which was only a five minute walk from our hotel, and gave the little kids a carnival day. We brought out games, face paint, and all the things little kids would love. They definitely had a good time.
On Sunday, we attended the local church that was led by a very holy man, known as Pastor Alex. In America, a typical Christian church has worship with a band or choir and people usually read the lyrics off of a projector screen. Well, in Africa, worship was done in singing and dancing. There was a lot of dancing. Little kids and adults would get up from their seats and begin to dance, choreographed of course, in front of the church. The words were in Swahili, but I sang along anyway in the best way that I could.
Monday through Friday, the group held Vacation Bible School at the same school that we had the carnival at. After school let out, certain grades would stay after and attend the VBS. It was exhausting, but it was so much fun getting to know all the kids. They just fell in love with us and we fell in love with them. I tell you the truth, each kid loved Michael Jackson. He was more popular in Africa than he was here in America. All the kids would sing, We are the World, and attempt to dance just like Michael Jackson. He was perhaps more popular than Barack Obama.
Every day after VBS, our group would split up into groups of threes to visit a students home to tell them about our faith. One house that I visited was fairly nice, but the others were extremely poor. The first house we went to was about a 45 minute walk from where we were at. The house had no electricity and no windows. Tiny ants were trailing along the sofas, while chickens simply walked straight into the house. The second house we visited was much worse. Yes, the house was small and rundown, but we dealt with a much more serious problem than that. The man's son had a disease that was unknown to them and us as well. Basically, the son's skin on his ankle was tearing away and deteorating. At first I was thinking something like Leprosy and then I tried to look it up and found out that it could have been Ecthyma. That would make sense because Ecthyma occurs with lack of nutrition, which seemed to be a high risk of many of the people there. I talked to him about God and prayed with him, but it was very hard to do so because it ws a tough and tense situation. At the other house my group and I attended, the woman's son, who's name was also Eric, was in the hospital with Maleria. It was tough to deal with all these intense situations, because I've never dealt with them in America. It was certainly an eye-opener. For me, it was very depressing to see these kids be so happy and playful when they have to go home to a place that is unhealthy, unsafe, and poverish. I suppose that I have to give some pitty on them, but how can I feel bad for people who are happy with their lives? Those kids don't know any other way of living. It certainly has made me appreciate everything that I got here at my home, not just material things, but humanity as well.
Saturday was a day that I will never forget. It was the day I went on an actual safari. Words cannot even describe the beauty and wonder of the African wild. There were no barriers between us and the animals. Besides seen Giraffe's, Baboons, Zebras, and Elephants, my favorite part was seeing my favorite animal of all time, the Lion. I will never forget the feeling of seeing a Lion upclose. It was astonshing, but very scary as well. Our jeep was about 15 to 20 feet away from the lion, but there were other Lions surrounding us on each side. The Lion that we were watching was eating a Cape Buffalo. When I saw that predator tearing away at that Buffalo, it was the most beautiful sight, because that was nature at its best. If I ever see a Lion at the zoo, I will never look at it the same way again.
For the last Sunday, some of us went to Pastor Alex's church again, but it was somewhat depressing. The church was sad that we were leaving the next day, but they were also losing their music leader. Later that day, we all met the Secretary General of the Ruling Party of Tanzania. He owns the hotel in which we stayed at and he bought everyone a carved wooden cross for doing what we were doing. He also paid for a couple gifts for me that I got for my family, so that was really cool. It was definitely a good way to end that day.
The next day, we headed to the airport for our departure to Dubai. Again, we spent the night in Dubai and headed back to America early the next day. It was such a long flight and bumpy one at that. I am seriously terrified of flying. To increase my phobia, our plane had a very tough time landing at the San Francisco airport. Our plane was attempting to land, but we were slightly off course because of fog, so we flew back up to make a full U-turn. We attempted to land again, but another plane was landing and another was about to take off, so we were again slightly off course, but we finally got right and landed safely. Flying is something that I won't ever do too often, but I'd definitely go back to Africa in a heartbeat. Going to Africa was something I'll never forget. I'll really miss the people and all the great experiences that I had there. There's always at least one thing that went wrong for someone such as mosquito bites, food sickness, stolen property and bad food. The food in Africa wasn't great at all. We just couldn't question what we were eating because sometimes we just didn't want to find out. Everyone owned a chicken, so guess what was for dinner each night. My one bad experience was my bad luck with watches. I never got bit by a mosquito or had anything stolen, but time was certainly not on my side for this trip. First, my wrist watch froze as we were going to Africa. Then, my cell phone clock was off by a few hours, along with the date and world clock. I borrowed a watch from a friend and I either lost it or it got pick pocketed. For most of the trip, I had no idea what time it was. My internal clock usually got me up on time in the morning. However, those were just minor downfalls. Worse things could have happened, but we were blessed that nothing did happen. Again, this trip was absolutely amazing and I am so blessed that I was able to go on it. I cannot wait to go again next year.

Long Live the King of Pop

2009-06-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

On June 25, 2009, one of the greatest performers of our time left us without saying good-bye. As we mourn the loss of Michael Jackson, we remember everything he did for us. It was his mission and his sole purpose to heal the world from its tranquilities. He fought the long battle with the never-ending controversies, the gossips, and the suffering others brought upon him. Even with the hard times, Jackson pulled through and healed the world just enough that maybe the weakest person could feel a little hope and peace.
People will comment and say that Michael Jackson was indeed abnormal to the average human being. I say, if you're going to be a genius, then you must be slightly different from the world. If we look back at the many cultural icons such as Edgar Allen Poe, Vincent Van Gogh, and Howard Hughes, we can clearly see that they were all slightly different from the norm. There is nothing wrong being who we are. In the song, Man in the Mirror, Michael Jackson only asked that we, as an individual, will look ourselves in the mirror so that we can change the world within us.
Through Jackson's death, many people will rise up also to mourn the death of the King of Pop. Many of those same people were the ones who have persecuted Jackson and are now realizing that he was taken for granted. When I discovered that Michael Jackson had died, I couldn't come to believe it. There was no way that this could be true. Michael Jackson was indeed Peter Pan. Being a fan of his since I was just a little boy, his death didn't come easy to me. I'm not one to cry or become very emotional during hard times, so even though I felt grief, I couldn't quite show it so well. It wasn't until I heard Jackson's daughter, Paris, speak at his memorial service when it finally hit me that he was gone and he left his legacy behind. I remember the first time I ever heard Billie Jean, Thriller, Bad, and Beat it. I couldn't get enough of it. I'd always sit in front of the TV when MTV showed his music videos and I'd watch them all. There was a time when MTV premiered Jackson's music video, Ghosts, on Halloween. I recall that I had to stay up to watch it. When I saw that music video, I thought it was the most amazing music video I had ever seen.
I think no matter where anyone lives, whether it's in the United States, Mexico, Japan, or Russia, Michael Jackson's music was universal. He spoke in a language that everyone could understand. When Michael Jackson raised his arm and gestured two fingers into the air, everyone knew it was a sign of peace. Jackson was the definition of peace. Now, Michael Jackson is at peace.
Like others are saying, even though he is gone, he will be remembered forever. Forget about all the accusations, forget about all the gossip, forget about all the stories, Michael Jackson was and will forever be known as the King of Pop.

So You Want to Go on a Date...

2009-06-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some easy tips for those people who aren't quite prepared to go on a date. To make a date go as smoothly as possible, follow these good suggestions:

Out to Dinner:

Do not slurp your soup or any other soft foods
Do not belch, if so, keep your mouth closed so it's not so obvious
Do no smack your lips when eating food
Do not make moaning sounds if your food is good
Do not stuff your mouth with more food than your cheeks can bare
Do not talk with any amount of food in your mouth
Do not devourer your entire plate
Do not order food for your date, unless he or she went to the bathroom and asked you to, in case he or she isn't back in time
Do not hover over food as if it is going to run away from the table
Guys, do pull your dates chair out for them before they sit
When the girl re-enters the room, guys, stand up for them and sit back down after she does
Guys, do insist on paying the bill
Always have napkins near
Order foods that won't be too messy
If food is too large, cut it with knife into bite size pieces
Sit up straight in chair

2. When walking:

Guys walk along side with the road (left), while the girl is on the the inside of the sidewalk (right)
Walk close, but keep a reasonable distance, unless otherwise
Don't walk too fast, but not too slow either

3. Temperature situations:

If you're in a place that's too cold, offer her your jacket or put your arm around her to snuggle
If you're in a place that's too hot and she has taken off her jacket, offer to hold it for her

4. Socializing:

When talking, look into each others eyes, but don't make it creepy
Do not keep talking about one subject
Try to have good transitions in a conversation
Don't brag or sound arrogant
Talk about yourself and the date at an equal length
Face your date when talking
Don't be looking at other people
Try and keep the conversation alive by asking questions
Don't ever give a one answer response to a question, such as, "how are you?"
Be careful when giving an opinion about something
Don't talk too fast
Making your date laugh with a good joke or funny story is aways good

5. Picking Up Your Date:

Always be on time
Call your date to tell him or her that you are on your way
If anything comes up, call your date and tell him or her that you will be a few minutes late
When arriving at the house, never text your date that you have arrived and to come out of the house
Guys, never honk your car horn to signal your date to come out of her house
Guys, always walk up to the door to pick up your date
Never arrive at a house with loud music playing in your car
Never speed up to the house, especially if your car has anything above a V6 engine

6. Concluding a Date:

Tell your date that you had a really good time
Tell your date that you will call them later
Walk your date to the door
Never leave until your date in safe inside the house
Never just assume that it's okay to go in for a kiss
Don't ever expect to be invited inside the house

Nice Guys Finish Last...or is it the Other Way Around?

2009-05-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

For years, the question has been asked by almost every male on the planet, "Why do nice guys finish last?"

It's the never ending conquest to find the answer. There are two types of guys in the world. There are the "nice guys", who generally never get anywhere in a relationship than just a friend. Then, there's the "bad boy", who get all the women, but shows the least amount of respect and true love toward the girl. For many "nice guys", this causes frustration and confusion. Because of the "bad boy" type, the "nice guy" tends to feel insecure and hopeless. He begins to question his capabilities and if he'll ever find true love. He desires to become just like the "bad boy", but he knows he will fail if he does. The guy realizes that he is a "nice guy" and that's all he'll ever be. He can never be anyone else, but that won't solve his relationship problems. Generally, if the "nice guy" was smart, he would sit down and examine why the other guy gets all the girls and why he's stuck in the "friend zone".

So what makes a "bad boy" bad?

If we look at the typical "bad boy", we can clearly see that he is popular among his peers. His friends love him, girls love him, but "nice guys" despise him. He's the type of guy who gets away with everything. The guy feels invincible and vulnerable is just a word in the dictionary. You might as well tape a giant "S" on his chest and call him Superman. The world is his stage and he will show off his magic to everyone who surrounds him. The guy is generally well built and will take advantage of his good looks in any way he possibly can. Cockiness runs in his veins. Fire burns in his eyes and he aims his radar at any girl he sees. When his cross-hair targets a girl, he moves into action without thinking of any possible consequences. A love for a girl doesn't exist in his mind. To love a girl is to love himself first. The guy is smooth and clever. He can sweep any girl off their feet in a blink of an eye. He is possessed by every comedian known to man. It's every girls dream to be with him. The guy is the king of narcissism.

So if a guy possesses these traits, then why are girls so attracted to it?

Well, why wouldn't any girl be attracted to a "bad boy"? Falling for a "bad boy" is basically the ultimate challenge for a girl. It's the same thing if a guy likes a beautiful girl. The more attractive the person is the more of a challenge is it to get with them. Because the guy is tagged as a "bad boy" it gives the girl a sense of security. It also makes the girl feel special that a cool popular guy noticed her. She wants to tell all her friends that she is dating so and so and be the envy of all the girls. In reality, it's a sign of being desperate. These girls are so lonely that they have to go for the guy that will sure pick them out of all the rest. I believe that most girls think that they are not good enough for the "nice guy" so they settle with some loser who balances out her emotions. She will give all the excuses why she and the "nice guy" shouldn't date. I'm sure some of us have it these before. Let's see; "I'm no good", "I'm not the best for you", "You don't want to be with me. Trust me", "Find someone better than me". The girl feels so insecure that she has to lower he standards and deal with a crappy guy in a crappy relationship.

Being the "bad boy" sounds pretty good, huh? Imagine getting any girl you desired. All you would have to do is show your face and the girls come crawling on their knees worshiping at your feet. Doesn't that sound like the life? It really does sound good, but it seems too good to be true. When something feels to good to be true, then it usually is. Being the "bad boy" isn't all fun and games. There are consequences. Because the guy is considered to be a "Player" by all his egotistical loser male friends who can't get a girl even if they were on a dating show, the guy will live up to those standards. However, he will lose in the end. His life belongs to the "one night stand". He will never be in a trust worthy relationship. While all the stupid desperate girls still fall for his tricks, the smart ones will catch on and all will hate him. His picture will be thrown on a wall to mock and ridicule. A secret hate club will be made in his honor.

The next question is, what consists of a nice guy?

You might be thinking, "it's probably just the opposite of a "bad boy". That's true, but there is one thing that a nice guy will always do that a bad boy won't. A nice guy will go the length to impress the girl. He will sacrifice his money and his time to win over the girl. He will purposely try to show up or attend the same event in which the girl is at just to be with her. The nice guy will think of the most ingenious ways to meet with the girl and talk to her. He is there for her every need. Unfortunately, the same thing will happen everytime. The moment the nice guy gets close enough to the girl, she tells him that she is in a relationship and the nice guy will be upset because the girl led him on. The girl will explain to the guy that he is a good friend, almost like a brother, and the guy will have to watch the girl date a guy who doesn't care for her as much as the nice guy did. The girl realizes that the nice guy really is nice and really cared for her than anyone else, but she will convince herself that the guy she is with is the right guy and perfect for her.

So if you're considered to be a "nice guy" and if you're reading this, you might be thinking, "Okay, so what is it about me that girls don't find attractive? Why am I always in last place?"

Let's put it straight forward. There is nothing wrong with the "nice guy". The reason "nice guys" are in last place is because society amplifies the "bad boy" within the media. We see in the show "Drake and Josh" a good example of the "bad boy" type, played by Drake Bell. While Josh, the "nice guy" never gets the girl and all the worst case scenarios happen to him, his brother, Drake, excels with women. He is drenched with beautiful girls and every possible good thing in life happens to him. While Drake is dating a new girl in every episode, Josh finally gets the girl, Mindy. Drake is stuck in the never ending cycle of girls with no hope of ever finding true love. Let's be honest, every girl know when a "nice guy" likes them because the guy shows love toward them. However, it's not a good challenge. It's too easy to like someone who you already know likes you. The girl wants someone who she likes, but doesn't know if the guy likes her back. Girls love a good mystery. If you're a nice guy, and I say that without quotations this time, don't ever change who you are. If you choose to follow in the footsteps of a "bad boy", then your love life is doomed forever. So what if you can't get the girl of your dreams at the moment? I guarantee that there will be many other "dream girls" in the future. So really, nice guys win in the end and the bad boys finish last.

Who I Am

2009-05-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not who you think I am. If you don't know me, then you cannot even begin to imagine who I am. You could picture me in any way you want. Let your imagination run wild. Go ahead. Imagine. Are you picturing me tall? Perhaps short? You might even begin to imagine me as a well-built athletic hunk. Maybe not. I don't know. Before you begin to imagine, let me just say one thing. Everything you thought was wrong. You don't have the slightest clue who I am. Sure, you could possibly identify my personality from these blogs, but you still only have half the picture. Instead of making this into a mystery novel, let me just explain who I am in the best way that I can. Maybe, after I explain myself, you might know me better than before or you may walk away without a care in the world. Either way, you are now reading this blog. Because you are reading this blog and because you have read this far into it, you are now curious to find out who I really am. Go on. Continue to read on. I am the opposite of a democrat, but not that patriotic toward my country as I should be. I don't believe in a religion, but in a way of living. What people call music and what I call music are two different types of music. My life is entertaining and so are my future dreams. I'm not short, but I'm also not tall. My strengths and weaknesses are different from the mightiest humans. When I say strengths and weaknesses, I'm not talking about failure and accomplishments. My life is full of those as it is. I think a "Results May Vary" should be posted on my face. My love life seems to think I'm a creep and a weirdo and I just don't belong. You could call me the Joker because I laugh at the most absurd situations or you could call me House because of my witty remarks toward human nature. I believe that Global Warming is just a way to spend more money and make people more worried than they already are. My favorite bands are names of a bug, a car, a pot smoking holiday, a religious icon and sound traveling data, a high number of blinking, and a fighter plane from WWII. My best friends are not all the ones in my Top 8, but a few. If there's anything in life that I will never understand is chemistry, philosophy, and girls. I realized that when I like a girl, she doesn't like me, but when I don't like a girl, she likes me, so maybe I shouldn't like anyone and see how that goes. A few of my best friends have 61 black and white keys, 6 strings, and 5 heads. I enjoy capturing objects of everyday life with a push of a button. My other best friend seems to obtain many of my interests and his name is something you step on or lay on. My skin resembles the color of mocha and my hair resembles a puddle of tar. My voice is something no man on earth has ever heard before. I live in a cow-town named Lard. Lard is the heart of California and the crossroads to every destination. I'm not young, but I'm not old. Whatever age you think I am, you are wrong, but I won't be upset if you guess incorrectly. This is who I am in the best way I can describe. Do you think you know me better? Maybe. Maybe not. You may never fully know me. I may never fully know myself. Just keep using your imagination and eventually you'll get it right.

Photographs

2009-04-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

I realized that when we are looking at photos it's as if we are looking at the stars in the night sky. For everytime we look up at a star, we are actually looking into the past of how the star used to look a hundred or even a thousand years ago. Isn't that what we do when we look at a photo? As we hold that memory in our fingertips, we see what our lives looked like years before. For the most part, many of us cannot even recall the event in which the photo took place. It is the only evidence that proves we were all young at one point. We've all heard the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", but if I may, I'd like to tweak that phrase a little to, "A picture is worth a thousand emotions". When we gaze into our past, we can't help but feel a mix of emotions. The biggest emotions that we share are happiness, sadness, and of course the one everyone has, nostalgic. Everyone wishes that they could go back in time to that particular event. Does that mean Kansas was right when they said that all we are is dust in the wind? We take a photo, but life goes on. People in that photo may be grown up, married, have a family, or possibly deceased. In the words of the Beatles, "Tomorrow never knows". We have no idea what to expect in the future, so we like to live in the past in order to forget about all our worries. People like to live in the moment. When you look at a photo, look at the people who are in it. Think about where they are now. Look at a class photo and think about all the kids who made it out as druggies, successful beings, average Joe's, and the pretty innocent girls with the flower dresses who no longer know the meaning of having innocence. Usually, when we look at a photo, we tend to focus on the primary subject, which would be us. When you take a picture in public, look past yourself and pay attention to the people who happened to land in your snapshot. What if someone took your picture at the park and there happens to be a person in the background who will someday be your spouse? What if that person in the background was a future celebrity or a criminal or someone who will later cross you to change your life forever? What if you've already met that person? What if I was in the background of one of your photos? What if you were in the background of one of my photos? A photograph isn't just a glossy piece of paper with people or natural elements on it. A photograph is a door to our past and a window to our future. It captivates our soul and makes us fall in love with life all over again. People we once knew growing up never really left us. They just happen to be hiding in those old photo envelopes that you keep in a box on the top shelf of your coat closet. Who says that we should stop living in the past? The past is not overrated. Go ahead, take a photograph.

Fear is the Heart of Love

2009-04-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

Love is one of those words that is always difficult to explain. Some say it's when two people care for each other. Others say it's when two people are compatible with each other. Then there are people who say love is when you get butterflies in your stomach whenever that person is around.

My definition of love is something different. You see, I have a theory about what love really is. My theory is; for one to be in love, one must fear love first. Think about it, before you ever get into a relationship or while in a relationship, you have to have some sense of fear. It's the fear of knowing you may never be with the one you love. It's the fear of losing the one you love to someone else. It's the fear of living your life without that person by your side.

Being in love is like having a job. Before you apply for a job, you have to know what you are getting yourself into and how your are going to make it through. If you go into a relationship thinking that it will last forever, it will surely end with great destruction.

I thought of the concept of loving God with fear. As a Christian, I love God, but I also fear Him, as any believer does. It's the belief that God is in control and He makes everything possible. If we put that into our love lives, then we too can be happy and successful.

Love is not just saying how much you love that significant other. Love is not just thinking about that person all the time. Love is not just being compatible or having common interests. Love is not just about getting butterflies in your stomach. People always say that true love should be easy. That is not true. True love takes hard work and time. If it does not take hard work and time, then it will not survive. Just because you and your partner have sex doesn't mean you'll be with each other forever.

In the movie, Dan in Real Life, one character says, "Love is not a feeling, it is an ability". You must know how to love to feel love. Love today is depicted from all the sappy love movies. If you're in love, rejoice, but don't think that because you are in love you are invincible. In the Bible, it says that love is patient. That's exactly what it should be. Just because you and your significant other have been dating a year doesn't mean you have to talk about marriage. Studies show that couples who talk about marriage while dating in high school (high school sweethearts) will end in divorce.

What I do is I try to prevent bad things from happening to people I care about and others whom I don't even know. I've seen this stuff happen before. Don't say that your love is different from everyone else, because it's not. Those who say that are exactly like everyone else. Those are particularly the ones who fail. Strive to make it last. Don't just take advantage of being in love. I know the words "fear love" sounds cynical and pessimistic, but if you don't fear love, every little thing will hit you like a bullet. You will not be prepared for anything.

To fear love is to honor and respect love. If you don't fear love, then you are just abusing love. There is no other way. You either be smart and safe in your relationship, or you do whatever you want and see where that leads you. I read so many myspace surveys where one person mentions the other person in almost every question. That is not love, it is an obsession. An obsessed relationship goes against my theory. What happens if something bad occurs to that other person? Suicide? Depression? If every little conversation or thought is about your significant other, then you need to realize that that person is not some divine being and is only human. Fear can only make a person stronger in their relationship.

Think of love as a Jenga set. If you keep pulling those pieces without observing it, studying it, and having patience, the whole thing will collapse. You see, you want to pull that piece from a safe spot and put that piece back on top of the tower. Whenever you pull a piece from the tower, you fear that your tower will collapse at any moment and you won't be prepared for it when it happens. However, the more you observe and become patient enough to look at the whole picture, your tower will never collapse and if it somehow does collapse, you will see where you went wrong and it will be easy to rebuild your tower.

To Love a Cat

2009-04-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

If someone ever asked you, which would you prefer? a cat or a dog? I believe the majority of votes would be for dogs. However, I am the opposite. I do not dislike dogs or anything, but I'd rather prefer a cat anytime. People who have never owned a cat will never know the joy and pleasure it is to have one. Perhaps it is the warmth of their fur rubbing against your leg. Maybe it's the gentle purr that vibrates throughout the body. It could even be the quirky personality, but I guarantee that a cat will bring just as much comfort and joy as any old dog. Most people stereotype a cat as lazy, worthless, and a waste of space, but many people do not realize that each cat has their own unique personality. No cat will ever be the same as another. One cat may be hyperactive while another is fat and lazy, like my cat. Ever since my cat was little, he had pretty big feet, so we all knew he was going to be a big cat. Boy, we were right. It's as if we have a tiger cub roaming around in the house. I'm just waiting for a zoo keeper to knock on the door to take him away. It is the most special thing to witness the growth of a pet. I got my cat when he was a few months old. My cat is now ten years old and he has certainly aged. His legs are skinny as a twig, but his body is like a basketball. His stripes have become darker and slightly faded. The tip of his whiskers are black. Instead of jumping around like a stage performer, he can now only jump two or three times before getting exhausted and falling on his flabby belly. Ever since he was a kitten, my cat has always had an issue with weak digestion. Whenever he coughs up food it's almost like a normal routine for him. He wouldn't be our cat if he didn't get sick here and there. I can't imagine how many times my family has threatened to get rid of him, but how can you get rid of something so seemingly innocent? My cat will always be my cat. He will never be the cat down the street. As any pet owner knows, the more you keep a cat or dog the more you see the resemblance between you and the animal. I can sometimes see my personality within my cat. I know that animals cannot think logically, but it's almost like they know what's going on around them. It takes a lot to love a cat.

My Favorite Songs of All Time

2009-04-01T00:32:00.001-07:00

With all the songs that are in the world there are only a few that captivate me everytime I hear them. Maybe it's the lyrics or the style of the song, but I am completely moved whenever I hear these certain songs. There are five songs that I love and if you listen to them you might like them too.

One song that's my all-time favorite is Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright (originally written by Leonard Cohen). The song is about love and love gone bad, but it is beautifully composed on the piano. The lyrics are composed of famous love stories in the Bible, such as King David with Bathsheba and Samson with Delilah. There are some sexual connotations within the song, but again, the song is simply a masterpiece.

Another song that I love is Song to the Siren by This Mortal Coil (originally written by Tim Buckley). This is a love song, but it's very different from any other love song. First of all, the vocals to this song are absolutely amazing. Because of the vocals, the song takes me away in a second. The word "siren" refers to the Greek mythological creatures of the sea. Sirens would lure sailors out to sea by their beautiful voice. The way this song is composed it can actually make the listener feel sad or relaxed.

The other song that I love a lot is Third Eye Blind's, Slow Motion. On their album, Blue, this song is an instrumental. The reason being was because of the contents of the lyrics. The song was released soon after the Columbine school shooting. The lyrics of the song are cynical and graphic. Slow Motion is about how Hollywood promotes and encourages violence, drugs, and gang related activities among teenagers. Again, this song is pretty violent, but it's written so well. The imagery that the singer uses is magnificent. The singer is telling various stories through the eyes of corrupt teenagers.

The fourth song that I love is Gary Jules', Mad World. The lyrics of the song sound very existential, pessimistic, and cynical, but it's such a powerful, meaningful, and insightful piece of music. With its soft mysterious piano sound and soft vocals, this song is truly amazing.

My fifth favorite song of all time is Moby's, Porcelain. The beat is very catchy and also somewhat relaxing. It makes you feel like you're on a tropical island. The lyrics resemble the mood of Gary Jules' song Mad World, in which Moby sings about disappointment and death. It's one of those songs that I never want to end.

Life After High School

2009-03-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

So far, I've been out of high school for about 2 years now. I attend college and I have a part-time job. Those are typical things for a young adult to have at that time. However, it seems that since I've left high school, I've grown far apart from my friends. Maybe I've grown apart from them or they've grown apart from me. I remember in high school where we'd make a new friend and we'd claim to be BFF's (Best Friends Forever). After high school ended, all of that seemed to change. There are some people we stay friends with, but some will move away, some will stay, and some will forget all about you because they have a new person in their life. In some way, it reminds me of how Andy replaced Woody for Buzz Lightyear because he was so much better and cooler than all the other toys. It's harder to keep in touch with everyone because they are all grown up and they have their own responsibilities to take care of. Sometimes our so called friends don't even make an effort to see us anymore unless it's convenient for them. There are some people who say they are your friend, but do they ever call you or just stop by to say hi? Could you ever count on them to save your life? I mean, will we be able to attend their wedding? Will we be able to see them when college is over and we've all settled down? It's like I wish we were back in high school so that our friends would never go away. Remember back in high school when your friends used to call you to hang out? It wouldn't matter what time of the day it was, it was always convenient. Remember all the group photos you used to take with each other at the park or any other public place? Remember the secrets that only you knew about? Remember the jokes and gags you and your friends pulled because it was the most hilarious thing ever, even though they were dumb? Remember when all of that ended? Sometimes you wonder if you really were friends with those people. However, things always start over new. Because you're out of high school there's a whole new world waiting to meet you. There are new friends to be made. There will be more opportunities for group photos. There will be more secrets and more immature jokes. Even though there's a breaking point after high school, somehow we find out who our real friends are and were.

How to Read Body Language

2009-03-24T23:08:00.000-07:00

In the duration of my life, I've talked to many people. Because I've talked to a lot of people I have studied many types of body language. I can tell when a person is lying/telling the truth, annoyed, uncomfortable/comfortable, bored/pleased, and so on. There's a TV show on FOX called Lie to Me, which relates to this, so it was kinda cool to see how reading body language really goes down. In this blog I will tell you the things I know so that you may know how to read body language in both guys and girls. Maybe it will help someone on a date or something.

If a guy/girl fidgets around on a date, it means he/she is nervous because he/she likes you or is uncomfortable.
If a guy is on a date and leans back in his chair and crosses his arm, it usually means, "Check out my guns".
If he quenches his mouth (semi-frown) he feels awkward
If a girl gives a guy an answer while drinking from a cup or bottle, it means she is lying and doesn't care for what you have to say.
If a guy asks a girl a question like, "do you think I'm good looking?" and if she responds by saying yes while scratching behind her ear, she is lying.
If a guy asks a girl the same question as before and she responds by saying yes while smiling and glancing to the side, she is lying.
If a guy is talking to a girl he likes and if her eyes are wandering around, it means she feels uncomfortable and thinking about something else.
If someone is telling a made up story, then the person will move their eyes a lot.
If you're ever in a conversation and if the person you're talking to has their arms crossed, it means they are shy and don't really want to talk.
If a person has their hands in their pockets, all the way in, it means that he/she is comfortable and relaxed.
If a person, mainly a guy, has their hands half way into the pocket, meaning thumb hanging out, it is a sign that you are ready for some "action". Because what are your hands near when you do that?
If a girl twirls her hair with her fingers or is looking for split ends, it means she is feeling uncomfortable.
If someone is biting their bottom lip, it usually means that they want to say something, but can't.
Drum tapping, either with feet or fingers, means that the person is anxious or nervous.
Scratching the back of your neck either means your nervous or lying.
Enlarged eyes with raised eyebrows indicate shock or surprise
Stressed eyes and lowered eyebrows indicate confusion
Eyebrows that are curved upward indicate shock
Dilated eyes with eyebrows lowered and mouth quenched indicates disgust
Crossing arms also indicates hostility
Dilated eyes shows either interest or sexual arousal
If a person is talking to you and they are moving their hands around a lot, it means that person is comfortable
If someone is sitting in the same position as yourself then that person is feeling comfortable
Fist covering mouth with that arm resting upon the other arm means you're thinking
Good posture indicates confidence
Poor posture indicates no confidence and low self-esteem
If a person is lying to your face then that person will try so hard to keep still and make eye contact
Rolling of the eyes indicates disbelief
Heavy swallowing indicates fear
If someone stands far apart from you while in a conversation, it indicates he or she doesn't want to get too involved in the conversation and may want to leave soon
If you're talking to someone and he or she is constantly looking around and fidgeting it indicates he or she wants to be away from you.

Decline in the Music Industry

2009-03-22T17:57:00.001-07:00

Since the year 2000, the music industry has dropped by the millions. Rolling Stone magazine showed a chart which displayed the rise and fall of music today. In 2000, about 10 million albums of N'Sync were actually bought. However, by 2006 just under 4 million copies of High School Musical 3 albums were sold. As the years go by, that number decreases very rapidly for any ablum. Think about it; everything we, or should I say teenagers, listen to are commercially produced groups [not bands]. We have groups out there like Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Maroon 5, and many others whom are constantly trying to attract young teens and only young teens. These groups try so hard to fit in with this generation that they stereotype society by our actions and style. Many of these groups actually used to be good groups. Many of these groups have now become what the entertainment industry call a sell-out. A sell-out is someone who goes against their beliefs in order to gain a profit or success. If you've noticed, mostly every band that reaches out to teens are fake and untalented when it comes to lyrics. Again, they try to stereotype our society by guessing what's going on in a typical teenagers life, (i.e. girls lives only). I also couldn't help but notice that many groups today steal beats from others groups or bands. For example, Hilary Duff sings the song, "Reach Out", which is obviously a rip off of "Personal Jesus" which was originally written by Depeche Mode. Many people have done covers of this song like Johnny Cash and Marilyn Manson, but they didn't steal. Hilary Duff also stole a beat from Aerosmith's, "Walk This Way", in her song "Rock This World". Another example of music theft would be Flo Rider's song, "Right Round" which he stole from a 80s band, called Dead or Alive in which they sing the song, "You Spin Me Right Round (Like a Record). I realize that it's hard to create a new fresh tune because a lot stuff is taken therefore stuff may sound similar, but when a group obviously steals a tune from another and better group, then that is theft. It clearly seems that rap/hip-hop can't create their own beats anymore-- neither can Hilary Duff. As I mentioned before, groups are trying so hard to fit in with this generation (Generation Y). It's people like little teen and pre-teen girls and boys who promote these industry corrupting groups. Whenever they hear a good song on the radio, instead of buying the album like a decent person should, they download the one song for FREE off the internet. It's those people who are destroying the music industry by not buying the albums or songs legally. It's those people who are creating more groups like Katy Perry and Maroon 5 and other horrible groups. When a person does not actually buy a song or album they are not promoting the group, therefore that group has no supporters and no money coming in. Software such as Limewire are supporters of this global theft. Many people claim that a group is their favorite group all because of one song they heard on a popular radio station. To add to that, radio stations and MTV are supporting these horrible groups. Many of those groups do not deserve as much fame as they should. In the last Grammy's 2009, Coldplay won the majority of awards for their album "Viva La Vida". Can you guess which songs helped that band win so many? and can you guess who mainly listened to those songs? If you look on any ipod you might just only see, "Viva La Vida", "Lost", "Violet Hill", and "Lovers in Japan". The ipod you might be looking at might belong to a pre-teen or a teen who downloaded those songs off the internet because they heard it on the radio, therefore this led up to the many wins of Viva La Vida at the 2009 Grammys. Another thing is that many groups try to sound hard core when in fact they lived or do live a great and prosperous life. Weezer sings a song called "Beverly Hills". During the bridge of the song Rivers (Lead Singer in case no one knew) sings "The truth is...I don't stand a chance. It's [fame] something you're born into...and I just don't belong. No, I don't. I'm just a no class beat down fool and I will always be that way". What the heck is he talking about? Last time I checked they've made six albums and have had hit singles like "Hash Pipe", "Island in the Sun", "Beverly Hills", and recently "Troublemaker". So obviously they are pretty good with fame, so I guess they are telling us listeners that we don't stand a chance in Hollywood, so give up all our dreams because it's not going to happen. Sounds very insightful. There are also groups who sing about how much guys are dicks and how much girls are B words. We all know those performers have it good with the opposite sex. We read about them all the time; they're happy. Again, they are trying to fit in with todays society group. There are actually groups that truly have lived crappy lives with bad parents, drugs, alcohol abuse, and crappy relationships, like Aaron Lewis of the band Staind and Eminem. Those guys deserve to be pissed off at the world. On the hit show American Idol, Kelly Clarkson appeared as a performer. She performed her newest hit song, "My Life Would Suck Without You". Ryan Seacreat asked her if it was about anyone in her life. Clarkson replied by saying, "No, it's not. It's not about anyone. No, it's not about me either. It's just a song". That's right. It's just a song. Congratulations, Kelly Clarkson, you're a fake. If we let performers like Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Maroon 5, and others continue on with their "music" then by the end of the generation albums could eventually be a thing of the past. People need to stop listening to this music and actually listen to music. If we don't act now, we can kiss the music industry good-bye.

God

2009-03-04T16:05:00.001-08:00

The other day, I watched a video that was labeled, "Proof That God Exists". Part of the video was a guy giving a good explanation about the existence of God, while the other half was a guy finding ways to contradict the other guys words. Hearing this guy demoting Christianity made me a little upset. Here's my argument that there is and has to indeed be a God of higher power.

How many of us have always wondered, "How did the universe come to be? Did a powerful entity create it? If so, how? Well, the Greeks did believe that the universe was created from nothing and that it is expanding every second, but they did not believe that God created it. The philosopher, Aristotle, once said, "Something cannot be the cause of itself, something cannot come from nothing, and there cannot be a series of infinite causes and effects". Christian and Islamic theologians believe that God is eternal and that the whole world is determined by Him. God is a uncreated thing. If we look in the book of Genesis, first book of the Bible, it states, "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God." Right there shows that something did come from nothing. So the universe was not eternal, meaning it was not here before, but began to exist at a certain point.

Now, because I am writing this, it means that I will have people whom are either Atheist or Agnostic criticize this and even argue with this. But before that happens, let me just guess what they might say. I am now speaking from the view point of an atheist, which in reality I am not. One argument that I always tend to hear is, "God is infinitely good, which means there would be no evil in the world. However, there is evil in the world, so there must not be a God after all". Another thing I hear is that, "Everything in our life, our world, can be explained without the existence of God. Nature brings disasters, people cause harm and pleasure, and miracles happen by chance". However, in the book of Exodus, God is talking to Moses through the burning bush. Moses feels doubtful that no one will believe that he was sent by God or that there is a God. God tells Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': this is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations." Exodus 3:13-15.

Another thing is that if God did create the universe, then He also must have made humans, animals, plant life, and everything else in the world. In the book of Genesis again, we see that God created man (Adam) from the dirt of the ground. Now, I don't know if humans were really made from the earth, because the bible uses a lot of metaphors and parables, but because of this statement it shows that one thing was created from something and not nothing. Of course, the whole mess of evolution then came to be and took place of the original design of God. Charles Darwin once sailed to the Galapagos Islands to study the finches there. He came to realize that some of the beaks of the finches were longer and some were shorter. Eventually, this led up to the theory of Natural Selection and adaptation. Now, there is a word called evolution, but when Christians see that word, they tend to focus more on evolving from apes rather than the meaning of evolution. Say I walked up to a bird on a isolated beach. Chances are that bird will fly off in fright. But if I walked up to a bird that lived in Manhattan, chances are that that bird will walk away from me, but not fly away. That is because, like humans, they have adapted to their environment, which means that birds have no need to fly away when a human approaches them. That is what we call evolution. However, as I mentioned before this, people tend to mix evolution with the creation of God. An idea created by man cannot be created by God. It's contradicting.

The next thing is something every person tends to ask themselves once in a while, "If there is a God, then why does He let bad things happen?" If we go back in history to 9/11 we can see that it was a day of evil acts. Many people died, many got hurt, the sorrow of lost loved ones impacted lives, and suffering still continues to this day. In the bible, God talks about how there will be many disasters, famine, poverty, and many other horrific events leading up to the end of days. When we look at the word "evil" we see something that is wrong, horrible, disgusting, and causing pain and suffering among others. Evil is just a word that we describe something that seems to represent what evil actually is. I can say that my cat is evil. That doesn't mean that he is actually filled with evilness. That just means that my cat is cold-hearted and disliked. But then we look at 9/11 and say that it was a day brought by evil acts and evildoers. Sure, they did something extremely horrendous and painful, but was it out of pure evil? According to the terrorists of 9/11 it was out of religious practices that they did what they did. Now, if we go and say that their religion is evil, then they can perfectly say that America is evil, which is what they believe. A religion cannot be evil and a country cannot be evil. Evil is whatever we want it to be. If we look at Satan, we can obviously see pure hatred in his heart. There is nothing holy nor pure about him. With that, we can say that Satan is evil because he enjoys pain and suffering. A man cannot be evil because a man does not enjoy pain and suffering, even if it is a man who brings it to others. I can say that I have brought pain to others, emotionally of course, but that doesn't make me evil. If someone believes in God then that person must believe in reason. They must see that with every situation, good or bad, God had a plan for it all along. We may not see that reason for weeks, maybe years later. If it wasn't for a good reason, God wouldn't have permitted it. If we believe this then that means everything we do is actually good, not evil or bad. If God allowed something to happen, then it must be good because God is good. Of course, in real life, if a guy decides to slaughter fifty people because he felt like it, then we see that at bad and punishable.

Now, obviously no one has ever seen God, except the people who have seen Jesus Christ, whom was the incarnation of God. God is not the guy whom is displayed in the Sistine Chapel. God has no gender, no size, no circumference, no matter, or anything. God is simply an entity. No one, in my lifetime, has ever actually talked with God in a conversation. In the show House, Gregory House once stated, "If a person talks to God that makes him religious. If a guy claims that God talked to him then he's just psychotic". Believing that there is a high power out there is all based on faith. Like my brother once said, "Christianity is all about having faith". In order to be a Christian, I have to have faith that God exists, that Heaven exists, that angels exists, and that evil such as Satan and Hell exists. Whether you believe in God or not is all up to you. I'm not here to preach to anyone and say if you don't believe in God then you're going to Hell. About half of America believes in God, but that doesn't mean that they are Christians. I believe in the existence of Satan, but I'm not Satanic. If anyone wants to argue this with me, there would be no point. I say that because there is no exact evidence. I can't bring anyone a piece of God's DNA and prove it. Again, it's all about faith. Someone arguing to me that there is no God would be like, "What's better, cat's or dog's?" The answer is, no one knows. It's an infinite argument that will last until the end of time and will not be won by anyone.

My Dream

2009-02-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

For as long a I can remember, I have always been interested in the Hollywood scene. I love to act, even though I'm not that good at it. I love to watch movies, either at a theater, TV, or DVD. I also enjoy filming movies with my friends. Every once in a while I will have an opportunity to film something, either at my church or something my friends and I thought up. I've always imagined myself living like a movie star. I've always thought it would be so cool to have people run up to me and ask for my autograph or take a picture with me. Everytime I see an actor or a famous musician, I just think to myself, "Dang, it must be so cool be to famous; to have people know your name". If I ever became a Hollywood actor, people would be calling me by my whole name instead of just my first. Also, when the movie trailers come out, the guy with the cool voice would say my name, "One man...Eric Medina..." or " From Director Eric Medina". To see my name in movie credits would be so awesome. I could go see the movie and yell out, "Oh, look, there's my name! Look! Cool!". One of the biggest dreams that I have would be to attend the Oscar's. I have always wanted to go to one. You're probably asking, "Okay, so what do you want to do in Hollywood?", right? My major is film. After I film a movie with my friends, I go home, go to my computer and begin editing it. I have always been told that I have such great editing skills and an imagination. I thought, if I enjoy editing films then I would enjoy making that into a career. Now, you might be thinking, "Yeah, good luck with that? It's going to be so hard". Yeah, I know that challenges ahead of me. I plan to do all that I can to make my dream come true. For once in my life, I would like to have accomplished something that seemed impossible to the world. I would love to watch a movie and then see my name appear on the screen saying, "Edited by Eric Medina". I know that I would have to start out small and then gradually build my way up to where I want to be. If I become a film editor, I can sign up to be a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). I know that everyone dreams of having their name lit up in lights. I don't care about being the greatest Hollywood person, but to be recognized at a gifted worker. I would love to work in Hollywood and do something that I love doing. Everything that we see on TV or in a movie was done by the editor. In a way, the editor is the one who created the entire movie or show. I'ave always told myself, "If I ever became famous I would do what I can to help the world. Not only would I help the world, but also the world that is close to me, my family". My dream is simple, but it will take time and challenges will be met. However, I due plan to meet those challenges head on. This is my dream.

Blink is Back!

2009-02-09T20:27:00.001-08:00

For those of you who are unaware, one of the greatest punk/alternative bands is back. For those of you who didn't know that they broke up, well, they did. For those of you who don't know of Blink-182, here's a little biography of what happened. In 2004, the band, Blink-182, broke up. This caused distress among not only the band members, but the fans as well. Guitarist/vocals, Tom Delonge, went off to form a side band known as, Box Car Racer. Soon after, Tom created one of his best projects, Angels & Airwaves (also known as AVA for short). At first, Blink fans were confused and angry toward the former Blink member. They blamed the break up all on Tom. It was his fault, but there was a reason behind it. Basically, Tom wasn't getting enough time with his family. He wanted to see them more, but Mark and Travis wouldn't allow it. Surprisingly, AVA grew to be a very successful rock band. The band gave hope to thousands of teens and gave a new sound to the world. The band came out with two albums, We Don't Need to Whisper and I-Empire. AVA is working on a third album right now, including a full length movie. Tom released a documentary, called Start the Machine. The film cleared any confusion people might have had about Tom. As for Mark and Travis, they set out to create a new band known as, +44 (pronounced plus 44). The band created one album titled, When Your Heart Stops Beating. Mark and Travis grew very upset with Tom. In fact, they wrote a song about him, called No it isn't. The band is in the studio recording their second full length album. For over four years, the three former Blink members haven't spoken a word to each other. It wasn't until drummer, Travis Barker, was in a plane crash several months back. This caused Travis serious injuries. Because of the situation, this brought Mark and Tom closer than ever. Since then, rumors of a possible Blink-182 reunion were on fire. Fans were curious to know if the former punk band would ever come back for good. It was then, at the Grammy's, February 8, 2009, that the band came out to present an award for best rock album (Coldplay won). Before they handed out the award, they made an announcement to the world. Mark stated, "Isn't great to see the Jonas Brothers and Stevie Wonder back together again?" (Jo Bros and Wonder both played a song together before their appearance). Travis then stated that "Blink is back. We're gonna continue to play music together". Now, as the world celebrates the reunion, which by the way is bigger than having Obama as a president, one question is being asked, "Will Angels & Airwaves break up?" No. According to Tom Delonge, AVA will not be breaking up at any time. Being a huge AVA fan, I hope that they stay together for a while. However, I do love Blink just as much. Blink is working on their newest album, which is coming out in the Summer of '09 (this year). They are also planning tour dates. I can imagine the tickets flying off the charts. In plain and simple terms, Blink is back and they are back for good! This is what the whole world has been waiting for. This is the new era. This is the change that we needed. Blink is our hope. Who's that guy in the white house again? I don't know. Blink is more important. Finally, the world is at peace!

My Favorite Bands

2009-02-08T16:24:00.000-08:00

Angels & Airwaves is my favorite all time band. Former Blink-182 vocalist and guitarist formed this new band in order to create a new sound for rock. They have songs with great messages and great sound from their instruments. They've come a long way since their first album in 2006, we don't need to whisper. They are a very talented band with a sound that no one has right now. They have impacted the lives of many teens across the globe.

The Beatles are among the greatest bands of all time. They brought a style that no one had ever heard of at the time. They've influenced about almost every rock band after them. Their music really impacted the earth. They sang in metaphores about world issues and about their own lives.

U2 is my new favorite band. They are the best Christian/secular bands out there today. They've been around since they were teens and now they've grown up to be one of the most successful rock bands of all time. I have never known a secular artist with a more spiritual background than Bono.

Blink-182 is one of those bands that you either love or hate, because chances are if you're too mature, or think you're too mature, then their music will sound like crap. Blink-182 has progressed from an immature punk band to a more serious alternative band. Unfortunately, they broke up in 2004, but they are back! They are considered to be one of the best and unforgettable punk bands of all time.

Green Day has been a band that I've enjoyed listening to for a long time. They started out with punk music then transforming to alternative rock with a more political message. They have advanced in their talent since their hit album American Idiot.

Journey is one of my favorite classic rock bands. Their music is very distinctive, catchy, and all time great. No one has a voice like "The Voice" himself, Steve Perry. It's music that was different in that time period. Usually, band were more hard core like Metallica, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC, but Journey really gave that "Rocky Balboa" feeling to each of their songs.

Switchfoot is another Christian band that I enjoy very much so. They sing a lot of secular songs, but they always have some kind of spiritual message. They have such great talent and great music.

Relient K is one of my favorite Christian bands. Their songs are very catchy and they all have a good message within the song. They've created 5 albums so far. Here are my favorite Relient K albums in order from best to least: Five Scores and Seven Years Ago, Mmhmm, Two Lefts Don't Make a Right..., Relient K, The Anatomy of the Tongue and Cheek. They've also made some other small records like Let it Snow..., The Birds and the Bee Side, and Apathetic EP.

War: What is it Good for?

2009-01-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

Lately, people have been saying, "I hate wars. They are so stupid. If I ruled the world, there would be no wars". Usually, the people who say that stuff are Democrats or don't know anything about the importance of wars. Yes, I will agree, wars are very sad and can be emotionally painful for many people. I, myself, would never think about joining the military because of the level of dangers. Yeah, yeah, call me what you want. Wimp, coward, unpatriotic, and so on and so on, that's fine. However, I do see the importance of wars. Even though they are dangerous events, the world needs them. You're probably saying, "What? What is this guy talking about? Why does the world need wars? No it doesn't!" Maybe, I don't know. Maybe you know where I'm going with this. Maybe some of you don't. That's why I'm going to explain myself to everyone. I'm going to explain why we need wars.
If we go through the timeline of history, we will discover that there were many wars fought in many areas for many reasons. We know that many people have died, but also many people have lived to tell the dramatic stories of their journeys. There are some people who make it through a war, but with serious injuries. Limbs are lost, eyes are gone, diseases are spread which later cause amputation of limbs. However, with every flood there's a dove that brings an olive leaf. In other words, with every bad event comes something beautiful in the end.
First of all, our country wouldn't be as it is today if we hadn't fought in a war. If we look at history, we would recognize that war as The Revolutionary War. If we hadn't done anything, we (1) would be living in the British Colonies, so King George would be our high leader, (2) America would have never expanded to what it is today.
Next, The Mexican/American War was indeed needed. If we hadn't fought that war, I wouldn't be living here in California. I, and everyone else, would be living in Mexico.
Then we have WWII, in which we fought not only Japan, but Germany as well. If we, and Poland, hadn't fought in that war, Hitler would have killed even more Jewish prisoners. In fact, if we didn't do anything, Hitler would probably have lived longer, instead of killing himself. See what happens when a powerful force is brought down by an even more powerful force.
Now, I know there are so many controversies about todays war with Iraq. Yes, it was a mistake to send our soldiers to Iraq, because they had nothing to do with 9/11/2001. No, they did NOT have weapons of mass destruction. Yes, we did lose a lot of men for no reason. But like I said, with every bad event comes something beautiful in the end. This war is like riding on a roller coaster blindfolded. You know where you're at, but you have no idea when the turns and loops will be at. You just have to go with it and hope for the best.
Those are just a few examples of past historical wars. If anyone can see why wars are needed, then maybe someday we can all understand that wars are not just deathtraps. When someone signs up to be in the military, they have to realize that they could be sent off to war. Wars should be frowned upon, but they should never be hated. Remember, those soldiers are fighting for your freedom. If we don't have soldiers in the Middle East to keep stability, America could possibly suffer another 9/11. However, that doesn't mean that they need to stay there forever.
In the words on Romans 5:7 "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die".

What If Jesus Pulled a Socrates?

2009-01-28T16:58:00.000-08:00

In my philosophy class, we studied the life of the famous philosopher, Socrates. Basically, Socrates lived in the days of Greek gods and powerful emperors. He spent most of his time walking around the town getting involved in debates with other debaters. Socrates was a simple living man, but at the same time was one of the wisest men of the time. He would challenge people to debates, like fights, and would win every time. People grew very frustrated with Socrates because he made them feel stupid and ignorant. Out of bitterness toward Socrates, the townspeople took him to court. They accused Socrates of false accusations, such as being an atheist and corrupting the youth. While in court, instead of claiming to be innocent, Socrates asked his accuser, Meletus, to prove that the accusations against him were true. To make a long story short, Socrates out-smarted Meletus by making him contradict his words. Socrates was only accused of such crimes because the people hated him and wanted him out of the town. But, what if Jesus did the same thing Socrates did? What if Jesus started to debate and argue the accusations that were made against him? Jesus probably could have argued his false crimes. He probably could have turned to his accusers and make them contradict their words. Jesus could have told the people to prove their accusations. Of course, the answer would be, if Jesus pulled a Socrates, there would be no salvation. But wouldn't that have been so cool if Jesus said, "Hey, stop. You guys are accusing me of being crazy and speaking blasphemy. Where is your proof that I am speaking of false truth?" and so on and so on. Jesus could have out-smarted everyone with their false accusations. He probably could have been set free if he would have defended himself like Socrates did. Again, there would be no salvation if Jesus would have defended his accusations. Some people hated Jesus so much that they had to find a way to get him out of the way. They were so filled with fear that the only way to dismiss that fear would be to eliminate it for good. Its like when we don't like someone today, we find ways to make their lives miserable. We do that by either speaking harshly against them or ruining their reputation somehow. Jesus and Socrates had a lot in common. Socrates was kinda like the smart kid in class. No one likes the smart kid because he/she makes the other students feel stupid. Because the smart kid makes the students feel stupid, they talk behind his/her back and laugh at him/her. People feel so vulnerable when they are surrounded by intelligent beings. People hate to be wrong and they hate people that make them realize that they were wrong. If anyone is smart, don't worry about people who laugh and speak harshly behind your backs.

Stockton (Also Known As "Hell")

2009-01-28T15:44:00.000-08:00

In the great state of California lies one of the biggest cities known as, the City of Stockton. Now, as you may have noticed, I have called Stockton "the city of Hell" -- or just "Hell". Everyday I tell myself, "Great, here I go. I'm going to go drive to Hell now." I call it Hell because Stockton is just one of those places that I don't really want to go to, but unfortunately I have to. Don't get me wrong, parts of Stockton can be really nice. It's the "getting there" part that I despise the most. First of all, it's 30 minutes away from where I live, so I have to leave about 40 minutes before my first class starts. It sucks on gas, but I can't drive there without thinking that today might be the day I die in a car accident or get in a fender bender with some tailgating woman. I say woman because the majority of tail gators that I witness personally happen to be women. No, I am not a sexist, that's just how it is for me, I guess. If I'm lucky I'll get through the day unharmed. Since I have called Stockton the City of Hell, I have come up with my own "Circles of Hell" like in the book, The Inferno.

Circle One (Louise Road)- Louise Road is one of the largest roads that connects Manteca with Lathrop. A while back the speed limit used to be 35MPH. For some reason, when I'd drive down that road, I would be following the speed limit, but others seemed to be driving much, much faster than 35MPH. Suddenly, the speed limit had changed from 35MPH to 50MPH. I have no idea when that changed, but I was so happy that now I could actually make it to a traffic light without the green light turning red on me as I approach it causing me to waste time. However, cars now drive slower than the new speed limit. They are driving at least 40MPH now. The worst part is is that drivers don't turn on their left or right blinkers until they reach the point at which they wish to turn at. Since I am driving 50MPH, this causes me to break suddenly and cause the cars behind me to break suddenly as well.

Circle Two (I-5)- As I exit Louise Rd, I now enter Interstate Five. Driving on I-5 can be very dangerous if no one watches out for one another. Not only are there thousands of cars on a three lane highway, but more cars are entering I-5 which means we have to let them in our lane. In the morning, we have numerous cars that enter the highway at once. The drivers that enter onto the highway drive so slow that by the time they arrive on the I-5 they can't find any space between cars to fit in a lane. This causes a lot of cars, including myself, to slow down to at least 45MPH on the highway. This is a very bad situation to be in, especially when there is a semi-truck behind you. I then have to merge onto an exit lane that lets me enter Pershing Ave. As I am merging into the right lane there are cars that are entering onto I-5. It really is a synchronizing trick. One little mistake and I am out of there and so will a lot of other people.

Circle Three (Pershing Ave.)- As I exit off the deadly I-5, I then approach Pershing Ave. Pershing Avenue is probably one of the most dangerous business/community streets in the world. First of all, the lanes are extremely tight. There are two lanes on both sides of the road that go in opposite directions. On Thursdays, the townspeople bring out their trash cans and perch them literally onto the street. As I am driving down the street, I have to avoid hitting a can. In order to do this, I have to swerve to the left, which is dangerous when cars are driving right next to you. Stockton is the only place I know that people stop at green lights. Because the lanes are so small, there is no separate lane to turn right at a traffic signal. When that light does turn green people are not paying attention and others have to turn right which causes a huge delay of car movement. By the time I approach the green light it is turning yellow. If, at whatever time, a light turns yellow, a driver has to stop. In Stockton, traffic lights have cameras that go off if anyone drives through a red light.

Circle Four (Delta College)- Finally, the last circle of Hell is my school, Delta College. Right now, there is heavy construction going on campus. The library is gone for the moment to be remodeled. One of the biggest parts that construction is heavy in are the parking lots. Because we have so many students and construction in our parking lots it is almost impossible to find a parking space. We circle the lots like sharks searching for a car that is leaving. Of course, there are also many other sharks that want parking spaces. As we see a student walk to his/her car, we follow them to take their spot. In order to claim our territory we have to turn on our blinkers so that others know that a car has possession over that spot. The parking lots are so small that a car could be speeding around the corner. If you don't pay attention then you will get hit. Searching for a car may take an hour or more, so on my ten o'clock class, I have to be at school a couple hours early. Yeah, it's that bad.

As the Years Go By...

2009-01-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

With the first month almost over and a new one ready to begin, my life has already shifted to a whole new level of purpose and change. It seems like with every year that goes by is a state of progression for everyone, including myself. For example, 2006 was The Year of Discovery. Okay, it's not really called the Year of Discovery, that's just a title that I came up with just now, but it fits so well. I call it the Year of Discovery because it was a year that I made new friends, enjoyed life to the fullest, and went on adventures that rarely anyone goes on. It was full of great memories and great experiences that I would never want to forget. Next, 2007 was The Year of Change, because it was my last year in high school and the year I went to college. It was also the year of many difficulties and personal tribulations. Mainly, 2007 was a giant, long lasting roller coaster with the biggest loops and the highest and steepest hills. It was truly the year to discover who we really were and look into that mirror of ourselves to try and fix our lives. Then, 2008 was The Year of Hardship. It was the year that a lot of my friends moved away, while I stayed here and attended school on my own. It was also the year of America's recession issue. Jobs were lost, homes were foreclosed, gas prices sky-rocketed, and prices of food began to rise. Not only that, but battles between countries were happening more often. Many people were fortunate to have survived 2008, but many were also very unfortunate. Now, as 2009 opens up for a new era, things have already changed in my life. I've made my amends with others. I have been called to go on a missions trip to Africa, which I am highly anticipating. This is my last school year before I go to my four year university. I'm beginning to live a healthier lifestyle by working out and eating properly. I'm also starting to understand myself as a Christian by realizing my mistakes to make myself a little better. Of course, the year has just begun, but I truly feel that this is, The Year of Prosperity. I don't know what next year holds or the year after that, but I do know with every year that goes by is a year that can make me a better person.

The Best Movies of 2008

2009-01-15T15:44:00.000-08:00

The Oscars are just around the corner and what other way to get ready for the big day than to post the best movies of 2008 and a few from early 2009. Now, these are just the movies that I think were awesome. Will these movies make it to the Kodak Theater this year? I don't know, but here they are. Feel free to comment and add your favorite movies as well. These aren't in
any order, so don't think that a movie is better than the one above it or below it.

Gran Torino

Gran Torino was an all around Clint Eastwood classic. It's the kind of movie that we don't really see too much of today. It deals with a lot of racial issues, but the story is even more powerful. This was one of the best openings of early 2009 films.

Yes Man

For those of you who don't like Jim Carrey, due to his obnoxious behavior and forceable humor, "Yes Man" is the movie that redeems Carrey's comedic history. He certainly pulls off this movie very well as the guy who can't say no to anything.

Seven Pounds

Any movie with Will Smith in it has to be good already, right? Right. This is one of those movies that makes a person want to change their life for the better. This movie is quite powerful and moving, but Will Smith, as always, wins us over with his family oriented acting skills.

Last Chance Harvey

What better actors to be in a romantic film than the one and only Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. This is a film that makes life seem a little bit easier when the right person is by your side. This movie shows how two different people can relate to one another.

Changeling

Based on a true story, Angelina Jolie acts in every mothers worst nightmare, losing their child. Even when things begin to go right, something just seems very wrong about the situation. This movie expresses the love between a mother and her child and how far a mother will go to protect her child.

The Reader

"The Reader" is certainly not your typical kind of love story. This movie is clearly for adults only, due to the situations that develop between the two characters. With a great performance by Kate Winslet, this movie is sure to be a great film of 2008.

Twilight

It's every girls dream movie and book. "Twilight" was this years hottest teen movie that got every girl to say, "Vampire". With it's fairly attractive actors and well written screenplay, "Twilight" will continue to win over the box office.

Vantage Point

In a time of crises, what better movie to see than "Vantage Point". It's a movie where we get to see a terrorist attack from various view points. This movie will literally keep you on the edge of your seats and is worth seen.

Eagle Eye

It's everyones worst nightmare, having someone watch you 24/7. Poor Shia Lebouf gets stuck in the middle of the law and technology in this action packed thriller. With state of the art visual effects and stunts, this movie will keep the audience saying, "Woah!".

Religulous

Religion seems to be what everyone is talking about these days. Comedian, Bill Maher, takes a religious journey to find out what all these religions are about. Sure, some things may make people feel slightly uncomfortable, but this movie is well worth the watch.

Kung-Fu-Panda

In this very funny movie by Dreamworks, Jack Black plays a panda who desires to learn the ways of Kung-Fu. "Kung-Fu-Panda" has got to be one of the most heart warming and humorous animated movies of 2008.

Wall-E

"Wall-E" by Pixar animations is considered to be one of their greatest works yet. This is typically a film for little kids, but adults can enjoy the quirky situations this little robot goes through.

Marley & Me

"Marley & Me" has got to be one of the greatest films based off a book. It is also a true story about the owner and his dog from Hell (not literally from Hell of course). This movie will make you laugh, cry, and even think about your own pets lives.

Australia

With it's beautiful scenery and wonderful actors, "Australia" really takes the audience down under. If anyone is into a semi-western movie, then "Australia" is the movie to see.

Cloverfield

It was the movie that got the whole world talking months before the movie ever opened. With its realistic situation and top of the line visual effects, "Cloverfield" was the best movie to begin 2008.

Iron Man

Another Marvel comic book has launched another movie, but this time Robert Downey Jr. is the hero. "Iron Man" is full of action and is perhaps one of Marvels greatest movies yet since the release of "Spider-Man".

The Dark Knight

Now here we have the king of 2008 movies. The story of the "Dark Knight" was nothing but dark. Not only was the storyline perfect, but the actors were phenomenal. No one can ever forget the great performances of Heath Ledger, as the Joker, and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Certainly a different movie for Brad Pitt, but man did he pull it off well. No one has ever seen a movie quite like this, but they will enjoy the visual effects and the heart warming story that goes along with it.

Frost/Nixon

A movie about one of the worst presidents of our time, but perhaps one of the greatest presidential movies of our time. What can be better than to watch a movie who does the best impression of Nixon.

Milk

"Milk" is not really my type of movie, due to its sexual orientation, but it is a movie that will get people talking. It could even make people think a little differently.

Tropic Thunder

This is the funniest movie to have come out all year. When critics say its the funniest movie of the year, they really mean it. All the actors in "Tropic Thunder" were fantastically hilarious. Finally, a movie that has true classic humor.

Revolutionary Road

A reunion for the two Titanic stars, Leo and Kate. This movie is the true idea of searching for the American Dream. We always think the dream is easy to obtain, but it can easily be lost again.

The Duchess

Basically an old fashion political scandal movie. It has "affair" written all over this movie. With Keira Knightley as the star, this movie will be good for young adults.

Bolt

"Bolt" was the greatest Digital 3D animated film of the year. It just wasn't your typical family movie. Adults even enjoyed the humorous situations that these animals get into. Even though the movie is based mostly on Travolta's character, there was still plenty of moments for Cyrus' acting.

Doubt

This is a movie that typically older adults will see. When I say older, I mean older. "Doubt" deals with situations that a lot of people will not understand. However, this movie did contain Streep and Hoffman, which ultimately will make the movie even better.

W

Now here's a way to make our president unforgettable, let's make a movie about his life. Who better to play Bush than the guy from No Country for Old Men. He doesn't necessarily look like bush, but his mannerisms fit the president very well. Maybe people will understand the man after this movie, maybe not.

Wanted

If anyone is interested in the "Matrix" then you'll enjoy "Wanted". It's full of butt kicking action, cool visual effects, and Morgan Freeman. Simply one of the greatest action films of the year.

Anticipated Movies of 2009:

Defiance
Pink Panther 2
Friday the 13th
Jonas Brothers 3-D
Watchmen
The Soloist
Knowing
Monsters & Aliens
X-Men: Origins
Star Trek
Angels & Demons
Terminator: Salvation
Ice Age 3D: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
2012
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra
Conan
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
The Ugly Truth
Final Destination 4 3D
Toy Story (3D)
Saw VI
Hannah Montana: The Movie
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
The Wolfman
Sherlock Holmes
The Three Stooges
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel

Just a Dream

2009-01-14T22:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm taking a philosophy class in college and right now we are discussing one of the three branches of philosophy called, "Metaphysics". Basically, Metaphysics is the question that asks, "Is there a reality outside of the mind?" It's the study of what's reality and what's not real. One topic that I've discussed in the earlier blogs was about Solipsism. Just to refresh our memory, solipsism is the belief that everything around us can possibly be fake and that there is no proof to decide if our existence actually is real or just our imagination. I actually wrote a screenplay based on that idea, called "Life as I Know it" (see Life as I Know it blog). Then, another idea came to mind. What if everything was part of a dream? What if we were all in a dream at this very moment? It's part of an idea called, Lucid Dreaming, which is when a person is fully aware that they are dreaming, therefore interacting and creating your own dream. There's another name for this idea, but I do not know of that idea at the moment. Questions are then asked, "If we are dreaming right now, then how come we dream when we sleep?" To answer that is to say that it is simply a dream within a dream. It would be like looking in a mirror that is reflecting off another mirror. When that occurs, we see hundreds of mirrors within mirrors. The next idea would be, "what if we were all in Heaven or in some kind of afterlife and when someone dies in our dream they actually wake up?" Because they wake up, they are no longer connected to the "dream body", so it falls to the ground as if it died. If they were in some kind of afterlife then when they do wake up from this dream, we would see their body as it did when they died before. All the things that we experience in our "dreams", like war, pain, murder, theft, love, and so on, might actually just be a recall from the past before we dreamt. "So where were we before we dreamt?" The existence of that could be unknown. What if while you are reading this you begin to ponder over this idea? If life was just a dream, would that mean life is meaningless? or would this make us relive our lives so that we can make them better? Now, I don't believe any of this idea of life as a big dream, but it is something to boggle your mind with. It's like a big sci-fi movie, only it's more confusing and without Keanu Reeves' bad acting.

Marley & Me

2009-01-12T15:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I saw the movie, "Marley & Me". The movie, based on a true story of the Grogan family, focuses on a newlyweded couple, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, who adopt a puppy whom is later named after the late rocker, Bob Marley. Marley seems to cause havoc among the household. From eating telephones to pooping in the ocean, Marley was certainly a different type of dog. Both Aniston and Wilson play newspaper journalists, but Wilson's character just seems to not do as well as Aniston's. Fortunately, Marley seems to be the main topic of Wilson's cover stories, which later turn out to be a major hit with readers. The movie continues on with Marley getting older and Wilson and Aniston eventually have kids of their own. (Spoiler coming up here) Eventually, Marley gets sick and has to be put to sleep. The final moments of Marley's life was incredibly sad. The family buries Marley in there front yard under a tree. As Wilson looks into his house window, he has a flashback of Marley "dancing" with Aniston. The movie closes with a montage of deleted scenes from the movie featuring Marley in all of them.

Even though the movie was focused on a dog, hence the title, "Marley & Me", it really showed me a very insightful life lesson. I like animals, but I never really cared for their emotions. I figured that they were just animals and humans are way more important that them. Humans are and will always on the top of the food chain, but after seen the movie I have a whole different view towards animals. I guess it is very possible for an animal to have such an impact on a human. The movie shows even the worst things can bring complete happiness and satisfaction to an individual. During one of the death scene of the movie, I could truly feel the sadness and pain that Marley was feeling. His pain was expressed in his eyes as they were closing for the final time. I have a cat who is the biggest pain in the butt. He used to tear everything up. He vomits because he either eats too fast or he can't digest well. He meows late at night when we are sleeping and if we have our doors shut he will pound his body against the door as if he was knocking to come in. My cat, Reggie, is such a handful, but I can't help but love that cat to death. It will be very sad when the time comes for him to pass on. He's nine years old right now and he already is suffering from being overweight. He can barely walk up the stairs without limping and he can't jump any higher than foot. His breathing has gotten heavier and all he does is sleep all day in his little house. You can say that I have a Marley cat. That was certainly a powerful movie. It had a lot of funny moments, but it goes way deeper than what we are seeing on the screen. It not only gives a better definition to our lives, but to the lives of our pets and any other animal.

Nautical Neighbors

2009-01-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

In one of my blogs, I mentioned that I live in the pleasant little town of Manteca. What I didn't mention is where I actually live. I live in a nice part of Manteca. In fact, I live directly across from my old high school, so it was incredibly impossible for me to be late for a class. Unfortunately, like the old saying goes, "We can't choose who we live with". When I say that, I'm not talking about my family. For as long as I can remember, I have had these neighbors who simply have no respect for others. My family thought once our neighbors got older everything would be ok. No, no, no. That would have been way to easy. That's too good to be true. Too optimistic. Years went by, and we got some new neighbors. Some of the neighbors that moved in were actually ok. Of course, no one in my court is my age. About every house in my court has children, some young, some old, but mostly young. If they are my age, then they are just immature. The older children left their nests years ago, so I can't relate or hang out with any of my neighbors. As time progressed even more, things were looking ok for the time being. But then they moved in. Like I said before, having peace and quiet was way too good to be true. About a few houses down from ours are these car obsessed neighbors. That's cool that they are into cars, but every night and every day they rev up those wretched machines they call cars. You know that time of day when the moon rises, the stars appear, the fog crawls in, and people are in their beds unconscious? I think it's called night, but I don't really know because when I'm in bed, they are awake as if the sun was still out. While all the humans sleep, those machines peel out of the drive way and down the street. In fact it is so loud that when they peel out of our street I think they created a new level to the decibel meter. It's about one o'clock in the morning and what are they doing? They also have the most stupidest friends ever. When their friends come over, they speed down the court in their cars and honk their horns a million times while the girls scream at the top of their lungs as if Jason Vorhees is trying to kill them. They sit in their trucks while the stereo breaks the sound barrier. Their music is not just loud, it is so loud that it vibrates the ground and scientists think it's the big quake that we have all been waiting for. I think if you put their stereo up to the San Andreas Fault, it probably could start an earthquake. Because of them and the next two houses down, my court looks like a used car lot. We got cars on the street, cars on the lawn, and cars in the back yard. I'm just surprised that they haven't let the cars in the house yet. I guess not until they've all been potty trained. When our neighbors have parties, they park their cars in the streets, so it makes it impossible to leave. In fact, here's a picture I took of such a situation. If you look in this photo you can clearly see tire streaks in the center. In fact,
our court has more tire streaks than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Whenever they speed out of hear, I am just waiting to hear a cop siren go off. That would make my day a whole lot better. Someday, when I get older and move out, I will look back at all of this, look up toward the sky, think about those neighbors, and I'll whisper, "Thank God that I won't see them ever again".

Last Blog of 2008

2008-12-31T16:31:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is. This is the final blog of 2008. Today, millions of people are eagerly awaiting the year 2009. On the other hand, millions across the globe are already experiencing the beginning of a new era. With the year 2009 approaching around the corner, we can all feel a sense of new change and new hope for all Americans. We have elected a president that we all have faith in to rebuild this country from what it has become in the last several months and years. The next year is really a year to start fresh and forget about the past and look towards the bright future. Tonight, clocks will be ticking, the bells will be ringing, and horns will sound off in celebration of the New Year, 2009. But instead of looking towards the future of things that have not yet occurred, let's go back and see what all went down this past year. Maybe 2008 wasn't all that bad as we think.

First of all, let's look at the bad things that have happened in our world:

Gas prices soared the highest in years
The stock market fell the lowest in years
House foreclosers were rapid
Job employment froze
Companies began closing down due to a Chapter 11
One of the biggest hurricanes hit Texas
Car bailout
Terrorism attacks
Russia and Georgia
Israel and Gaza
Bhutto's assassination

Now for the good things that have happened in our world:

First African American President of the USA
First female VP of the USA
2008 Summer Olympics
OJ finally went to jail

Here are some good things that have happened in film & music:

Cloverfield hype
Dark Knight hype
No Country for Old Men (Best Picture)
Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor for There Will be Blood)
Twilight hype
Jonas Brothers
The return of Britney Spears
Taylor Swift
Tokyo Hotel
David Cook (American Idol winner)
Coldplay (Viva la Vida)

Now for the memoriam of past celebrities of 2008:

Heath Ledger
Paul Newman
Bernie Mac
Charlton Heston
David Groh
Eartha Kitt
Isaac Hayes
Mitch Mitchell
Stanley Kamel
Sydney Pollack
Suzanne Phlesette
Tim Russert
Roy Scheider
Eddie Arnold
George Carlin
Estelle Getty

Finally, the possessions that everyone wanted in 2008:

Blu-ray
Guitar Hero: World Tour
Rock Band 2
Call of Duty 4

There you have it. These are the things that I have tried to remember most of all during the year 2008. If anyone has any other memorable moments for one of these categories, feel free to tell me so that I may add them to the list. I hope everyone had a good year and I hope everyone will have a good year to come. I am signing out for the last time of 2008.

It's a Tradition!

2008-12-20T21:06:00.000-08:00

Every year during Christmas, my family and I have a set of Christmas traditions. Unlike most family traditions, I do enjoy having them. I guess they are traditions that I could pass down to my family and my families family. I've even created my own kind of traditions.

The Santa Hat- Every Christmas Eve, my family and relatives pass around a Santa hat to eachother. Whomever has the hat is the house that we go to for Christmas Eve. If my dad has the hat, Christmas Eve would be at our house. My uncles and cousins would come over to open presents and spend time with one another. Also, the one with the hat is the one in charge of passing the gifts to the person whom it belongs to. After the night is over, we would pass the hat to the next patron. The cycle never changes, neither does the order of who has the hat next. As always, there has to be some sort of catch. If the man of the house has to wear the hat, then the youngest child of the family has to wear the embarrassing reindeer antlers that not only look lame, but also light's up for more total embarrassment. Can you guess who the youngest in my family is?

Youngest to Oldest- When Christmas day arrives and my family and I are gathered around the tree to open presents, we go from youngest to oldest. To go in order, it would start out with me, then my brother, my mom, and finally my dad. Of course, we get gifts for my cat as well. However, in cat years, he's older than all of us, so he always goes last.

The Prayer- Before we ever open gifts, my family says a little prayer. We just simply thank God for another safe year and for watching over us.

Jingle All the Way- This particular tradition is something my brother and I made up on our own. For as long as we can remember, Jingle All the Way, has been our favorite Christmas movie ever. The movie is about a guy named Howard, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has to find a popular action figure known as, Turbo Man, for his son Jamie. However, Howard waited for the last minute to buy the gift, thinking that there would be plenty of them in stock. He goes from store to store in search of the toy only to be in competition between him and a mailman, played by Sinbad. So, every year, my brother and I sit down and watch the movie together.

New Years Eve- Like Christmas Eve, my family goes to one of our friends house for New Years Eve. There, we would play family games like Taboo or Pictionary. We would be with all our good friends and have a joyous time together. Over the years, it has gotten to be a little more difficult for us to fulfill this tradition. Recently my friend, Matt, moved away and a lot of the kids, like myself, have grown up. We have jobs that get in the way of activities and some of us have moved away for college. We try our best to keep the tradition alive.

The Alternate Side

2008-12-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching the movie, "The Family Man", on ABC Family. It stars one of my favorite actors, Nicholas Cage, whom is a wealthy, but bitter business man. He is met up with a street thug, played by Don Cheadle, who shows Jack (Nicholas Cage) what his life would be like if he never took the job and settled down with his college girlfriend, Kate. As Jack struggles to figure out why he is living in his alternate life, he is also discovering the love he had for his girlfriend, Kate-whom in his alternate life is now married to-never went away. In his new life, Jack works for his father-in-law, as a tire salesman. Eventually, Jack gets the opportunity to re-establish his position at the job he once had, but later turns it down because he finally realizes what's more important. Jack then wakes up in his original wealthy life. He goes to visit Kate, whom is now a successful law firm agent, but soon discovers that she is moving to Paris. Jack is determined to get her into his life forever. Now for those who haven't seen it, I can't spoil the ending for you. You'll just have to watch the movie for yourself.

The reason that I brought that up was because I've always wondered what it would be like if my life was different. If I was brought to an alternate life of myself, how would it be? Would I have the same friends? Would I have gotten the love of my life? Would I be the person that I am today? I don't know. I do know that every thing does happen for a reason. Whatever thing we do, good or bad, we are destined to do what is right. But the movie showed that a person can really miss out on something good because of money and total success. Just take the life of any celebrity and imagine if they weren't rich and famous. Imagine that they were just as human as you and me. I've always had a dream of becoming something big. I've always fantasized about a life where I am either a big time musician or a famous celebrity in Hollywood. I know those are such surrealist fantasies, but I wonder how my life would be different if that happened. I can also turn this around. What if I never existed? If you've ever seen the Fresh Prince episode where Carlton does not exist, it shows how his families' lives would be different without him. If I didn't exist, how would others lives be different? It's like the old saying goes, "It takes one life to impact another's". Even though we think we have not changed someones life, we have. It's like watching a commercial. Even though we think we don't want the product, it is in the back of our minds always sitting there. So if the opportunity comes knocking at your door that can possibly change your life forever, listen to your heart not your head. If you just do something without thinking of the possible consequences, you could be missing out on the greatest opportunity of your life. Then you'll always be asking yourself, "What if?"

Remembering the 90s

2008-12-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

As a '89 baby, I don't really remember the first few years of the 90s, but I do remember the years in which I grew up in. Call me nostalgic, but I wish I could relive my childhood once again, maybe just for a day or so. I thought I'd create a list of all the things that I remember growing up in the 90s. If I remember more, I'll add them, but here's my list:

-Playing Tag around the playground at school
-Playing Red Rover until the school bell rang
-Watching Stick Stickly on Summer Nicktoons
-Watching Ren & Stimpy
-Rugrats
-Playdoe
-Silly Puddy
-Hot Wheels
-Playing Super Nintendo until your thumbs got blisters
-Super Mario World
-Donkey Kong
-Pokemon
-Goosebumps
-Yu Gi Oh
-President Clinton
-N* Sync (Bye Bye Bye)
-Hanson (MmmBop)
-Britney Spears (Hit Me Baby One more Time)
-Christina Aguilera (Genie in a Bottle)
-Blink-182 (All the Small Things)
-Green Day (Brain Stew)
-Backstreet Boys
-Lion King
-Spongebob Squarepants
-Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards hosted by Rosie O'Donell
-The Batman series (excluding the 89 version)
-Punk Rock
-Pop Music
-Rap
-Family Matters
-Fresh Prince of Bel Air
-Home Improvement
-Barney & Friends
-Sesame Street
-Blues Clues
-Recess ( the cartoon show)
-Aaron Carter
-Shaq
-Michael Jordan
-Pagers
-Car Phones (aka Cell Phones)
-Windows 98
-The introduction to CDs and DVDs
-Cassette Tapes
-VHS
-The Oregon Trail (game)
-Cooties
-Walkmans
-Playstation
-Nintendo 64
-Gameboy Color
-Mortal Kombat
-Street Fighter
-Comic Books
-Garfield Comics
-Zelda
-Seinfeld
-Simpsons
-Nirvana
-Long Hair
-Mismatched Clothes
-Spiky Hair
-Bleached Hair
-The Internet
-Body Piercings
-Heavy Makeup
-Free Willy
-Bunk Beds
-Going to Chuck E. Cheese's
-Discovery Zone
-Dreaming of going to Disneyland
-The belief in Santa, Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy
-Laying your tooth under the pillow for the Tooth Fairy
-Waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve
-Hunting for Easter Eggs
-Playing Truth or Dare
-Playing Monopoly was actually fun
-Hearing a bad word was the worst thing ever
-Watching Star Wars over and over again
-Jurassic Park
-Dinosaur toys
-Train Sets
-Roller Blading
-Skate Boarding
-Box Cars
-Little Rascals
-First Crush
-Kids Meals at McDonald's
-The Beach Boys
-Full House
-May Kate and Ashley Olson
-Scooby-Doo
-Americas Funniest Home Videos hosted by Bob Saget
-SNick (Saturday Nickelodeon)
-TGIF (Friday night line-up on ABC)
-FOX Family (Now ABC Family)
-Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
-When Nick at Night used to show classic TV shows like the Munsters and I Love Lucy
-The Brady Bunch
-Kirk Cameron
-Kevin and Winnie (The Wonder Years)
-TRL
-The Real World
-MTV
-Spice Girls
-Vanilla Ice
-Weird Al Yankovic
-Madonna
-Back to the Future III
-Bop It
-Gumby
-Animaniacs
-Boombox
-Home Alone I & II
-Terminator 2: Judgment Day
-Dumb & Dumber
-Mambo #5
-Jim Carrey movies
-Tony Hawk
-Where's Waldo?
-Kenan & Kel
-The Introduction to the NOW: That's What I Call Music series

Life as I Know it

2008-12-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

For the longest time, I've been wanting to make a full length movie on my own. I've always been involved with film in some way or another. I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to make any old movie that anyone can do. I'm the kind of person who thinks out of the box and into the question, "what if?". I always think about, what if things were this way or what if this or that was different. All these questions were rambling in my head. It was then that my friend Matt asked me, "what if [I] didn't exist? What if everything was all in my imagination?" That got me to think a lot. I did plenty of research to find such an existence of that idea. There is an idea, called Solipsism, which means that there is no evidence to show that everything outside of the mind is real. Basically, we see what our mind wants us to see, but we have no control over life. It's kinda like a dream. In our dreams, we see, we hear, and we can sometimes feel, but even though it is in our mind we have no control over a dream whatsoever. There are people who actually think like this and it truly is a scary thought. Usually, solipsism can occur if something horrendous had just happened, like a nuclear war. That's when my idea of a movie came to mind. I looked into the events that are currently happening right now and the events that could occur in the near future and I put it all together. I also used my life to depict two of the main characters in the film.

Basically, the movie takes place in the year 2013, a year after the legendary "Doomsday" of 2012. After a nuclear holocaust, a boy by the name of Riley, is somehow still alive and is the only person left on earth. To not lose his sanity, he quickly re-creates the earth as it once was only by using his memory of the past. Every little thing looks the same as it once was, but nothing can ever change due to the fact that he only knows what he knew from the past. Riley continues on with his life, pretty much repressing his thoughts of the war, and seems like everything is okay. He has the same friends, is in the same grade, and has the same love interest, Abbey. For as long as Riley can remember, he has been in love with Abbey, who just happens to be one of his best friends. However, Abbey has a boyfriend and only sees Riley as a friend. Being persistent, Riley is determined to tell Abbey how he truly feels about her. However, weird things begin to happen in Riley's life. Riley has been having reoccurring dreams where it's always sunny, but then lights shoot up into the sky eventually falling back down and destroying everything. Also, Things begin to disappear before his very eyes. At first, little things like a spoon disappears while he is making breakfast and then during school his eraser disappears, which causes him to accuse another classmate of stealing his eraser. The longer he is without physically being around real objects and people, his mind begins to forget about them. Because everything vanishes, everything no longer exists. With that in mind, Riley fears that he may lose the memory of Abbey forever. This makes him more persistent to see Abbey and talk to her as much as he can in order to keep her as a memory. Riley then arranges to meet with Abbey at a local restaurant to explain to her everything that has been happening. After they are done eating, they exit the restaurant and Abbey's boyfriend calls her, which makes Riley somewhat depressed. After she's done talking to her boyfriend, Riley tells Abbey that he loves her. Unfortunately, Abbey responds by saying, "I love you too. I'm glad we're best friends". The thing is is that Riley soon forgets that everything is fake and believes that his whole life is real. Soon, important things like time begin to vanish, which can only mean that the most important things in life are soon to be gone forever, including Abbey. Riley rushes to her house to see her and make sure that she will not disappear. While at Abbey's house, Riley turns on the TV only to witness a newscast that was broacasted ten years ago. Newspapers around her house have similar stories that have already occurred in the past. Later, Abbey goes to bed while Riley stays up thinking about his life. Knowing that everything will eventually disappear, Riley goes into Abbey's room to talk to her while she is asleep. Abbey wakes up, but pretends to be sleeping while Riley is confessing his love to her. Riley then falls asleep on her floor next to her bed. The next morning, Riley wakes up and notices that Abbey is gone from her bed. He begins to panic and calls out to Abbey. Abbey then responds from the kitchen, making Riley feel relieved. She runs up to Riley to tell him that she love him so much. This makes Riley very confused. Abbey admits that she was awake when Riley was talking to her. Riley begins to freak out, because he fears what he said to her will now change their friendship. Also, Abbey will continue to date her boyfriend which also makes Riley upset. Being upset and slightly embarrassed, Riley runs out of her house. As he is running, images of the nuclear war flash into his head, which can only mean that reality is catching up to him. He eventually reaches a park where everything is peaceful and full of life. He lays down under a tree thinking that the time is near. Abbey soon lays next to him under the tree. They both finally hold each others hands and Riley asks Abbey to make a promise that she will still be there when he wakes up. Abbey accepts the promise and finally tells Riley that she truly loves him. Riley eventually falls asleep, but when he wakes up Abbey is gone. His entire memory is gone, which causes Riley to panic because he has no idea where he's at or who he is. He wakes up in a dirt field in the exact same place the park used to be. As he is screaming for help, he realizes that there is something in his pocket. He pulls is out and looks at it trying to figure out who it is. It turns out to be a picture of Abbey, but Riley has no memory of her. He turns the picture over and reads the letter that Abbey wrote a year ago to him. Riley begins to make himself remember who Abbey was, but can't. He finally remembers every memory of Abbey. The final scene of the movie shows a hand grabbing a hold of Riley's hand from behind. The next thing we hear is a voice saying, "Hey, Riley". We never see the face, but we assume that it's Abbey. During the entire final scene, "Love Remains the Same", by Gavin Rossdale, is played. The song plays a major part for the movie. The lyrics goes like this; "Make me want to run til I find you/ I shut the world away from here/ drift to you, you're all I hear/ Everything we know fades to black/ half the time the world is ending/truth is that I am done pretending/ I never thought that I had anymore to give/ pushing me so far/ here I am without you/ drink to all that we have lost/ mistakes that we have made/ everything will change/ but love remains the same."

"Sorry Jesus That Your Birthday Sucks"

2008-12-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

We have all heard about this man that goes by several names; St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, the big guy in the red suit, or just Santa Clause. There are those who believe in him and then there are those who are skeptics. Even though Santa does not exist in the way we perceive him as, he did at once exist as a real human being. There are many stories that are told to tell the life and origin of Santa. Many stories include the idea that a man by the name St. Nicholas gave gifts to the poor. He was never perceived as a fat jolly man in a red suit with leather boots and belt until the 19th century. Other countries see Santa differently than we do. Some countries see Santa as he really was and some see him in a similar way that we see him today, but slightly different. There are Christians who believe that Santa actually distracts people from understanding the true meaning of Christmas. Christians believe that Jesus, the Messiah, was born in a manger from the virgin Mary in the town of Bethlehem. Instead of having faith in Jesus, we as a society put our faith in Santa. We bring our children to the malls to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. If they don't get that gift that they asked for, then it's all Santa's fault. Christmas has become all about asking and wanting. It's really like a battle between Santa and Jesus. There are songs that sing about Jesus like; Joy to the World, Away in the Manger, and Hark! The Herold Angels Sing. Then there are songs about Santa like; Here Comes Santa Clause, Little St. Nick, and Santa Clause is Coming to Town. In the song, Santa Clause is Coming to Town, Santa knows if anyone has been good or bad, is asleep or awake, which means that Santa is watching each and every one of us each day of the year. It kinda portrays the existence of God. Like Santa, God is also omnipresent, which means he is everywhere all the time watching us. Some people for Christmas put up lights, while others set up their Nativities. Whenever we watch TV, the character will state that Christmas is not about receiving gifts, it's about being with the ones you love. Both of those statements are false. Like I said before, it's about one man named Jesus. Of course, no one really knows the exact day of Jesus' birth, but since it is dedicated on December 25, then it ought to be celebrated. It's almost like the "Sixteen Candles" factor. You wake up and it's your birthday, but no one remembers because of they have other things to worry about. There's a line in the TV show, "The Office" where Michael, played by Steve Carrel, is stressed out by everyone's bad attitude during Christmas and Michael says, "Sorry Jesus that your birthday sucks". It's funny, because it's true. We are so wrapped up in getting the perfect gift that Christmas literally becomes chaotic. I guess we can blame the Three Wisemen for that. Jesus doesn't care if we buy gifts or not. He doesn't expect us to. Santa does expect us to give gifts or ask for gifts. So when we do celebrate Christmas, keep in mind that it's not about Santa. It's all about Jesus. Jesus always wins.

The Story of One Man

2008-12-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

It seems that Christmas is here once again. It's everyones favorite holiday and it certainly is one of mine. I mean, what's not there to love about Christmas? We get to eat candy canes, put lights on the house, decorate the trees, sing Christmas carols, receive/buy gifts, kiss under the mistletoe, drink hot chocolate, sit on Santa's lap, and watch the Christmas Story every year. It sounds pretty awesome. However, none of those things have to do with the true meaning of Christmas. Unfortunately, not too many people know the true meaning of Christmas. So, I'm going to give you the low-down on Christmas 101.

It happened on a crystal clear night in a little town, called Bethlehem. It was there that a little baby by the name of Jesus was born. His mother, Mary, and his father, Joseph, went to a manger to conceive baby Jesus. But let's rewind a little bit. It all started when King Herod ordered his men to kill any baby within the ranges and age 2 and younger. Herod was so angry that a baby that was claimed to be the Messiah was going to be born. Mary and Joseph were on the run and had to hide to escape Herod's men. They first attempted to stay at an inn, but unfortunately it was full. The only option left was to stay in a manger, or a cave to be more specific. From then, the angel Gabriel appeared to some shepherds in a field. He told them that a baby was born from a virgin and that he goes by the name, Immanuel. The angel told them to follow the bright star in the sky which would lead them to Jesus. They found him and began to worship him. About two years later, the wisemen came and brought Mere, Gold, and Frankincense. There were also more than three wisemen. The three comes from the three kinds of gifts they brought. From that point on, Jesus grew up, but his childhood was never explained in the Bible. Bits of it was, but his life story began as an adult. Soon, Jesus was charged of fictitious crimes against him and was ordered to be crucified on the cross. You see, not only do we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus, but also the sacrifice that He made to save all humanity. That's why some people get frustrated when others spell Christmas as "X-mas". You can't spell Christmas without Christ.

So next time when Christmas comes around, you might think differently. I mean, it's cool to give and buy gifts and wait for Santa and such, but it's just important to know why all of that exists today.

Only Human

2008-11-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

Well, we did it. We voted. We decided. We chose. Barack Obama is now the President of the United States of America. I, on the other hand, wanted to see McCain win. Sure, Obama made history by being the first African American president of our country. This could never happen anywhere else in the world. I don't have a problem with Obama, not at all. I'm a Republican, so any Democrat that wins doesn't quite appeal to me. I'm sure Obama is a good guy with a good heart. Bad morals, but a good heart. So, I got to give him some props for having the courage to step out and run in this controversial campaign. But is it just me or has everybody forgotten that Barack Obama is only human. Seriously, we are treating this way too obsessively. People are already calling this the "O Generation". Seriously? The "Obama Generation"? How obsessive can you get? You can't walk into a store without seeing a picture of Obama depicted on a magazine cover. I understand that he's not Bush, that people can now feel a sense of hope for America's future. But seriously, the man hasn't even started to do anything yet. Can you imagine the pressure that must be put onto Obama? It's all up to him to fix our nation. We are now counting on him to correct our mistakes, to clean up our mess, and to rebuild the foundation that was once called the home of the brave. Let's face it, we all think that Obama is some kind of savior. Isn't that how we are treating him? If you haven't noticed, America is not the only one who has been truly affected by the election of Obama. Continents around the world, such as Europe, Africa, and Asia are all falling face down for Obama. This is not just some Ronald Regan election. This is the elector that has and will change the world forever. Not even John F. Kennedy held so much popularity as Barack. From looking at Obama, he does not seem like the kind of guy who will let anyone push him around and he will definitely not take no for an answer. I have no idea what to expect from Barack, but let's pray to God that he knows what he's doing. If this country is going to follow this man, then I hope they realize that this man is only human and not God.

Dare to be Different

2008-11-10T18:15:00.000-08:00

If you go up to anyone, ask them if my brother and I look alike, they would agree that we do. In fact, many people know me because I look like my brother. People always ask me, "Hey, do you have a brother?" or "Dude, you and your brother look so much alike. I'm serious. No Joke" or my favorite "Are you guys twins?". Really, that's exactly how they sound, I'm not exaggerating. We are not twins. We are two years apart in age. I can see how people can say that we look like brothers, but I don't think that my brother and I look that much alike where we could be mistaken as twins. I am obviously better looking than he is. Ha ha. You see how I made a funny right there? Go ahead, sink it in. OK. Good. However, even though my brother and I may look alike, we are two very different people. First I will tell you how he's different and then I'll tell you how I'm different and then I'll tell you how we are similar. It's kinda like those circle compare and contrast charts that everyone hates.

How My brother is Different From Me:

He's older (obvious one there)
Likes, I mean, loves politics
Likes music where people use synthesizers and special effects (basically banging on a trash can)
Serious about everything
Mysterious
Philosophical (not as philosophical as Plato, not Play-Dough, but he's there)
Loves to debate over every single thing (really, I'm not lying)
Friends are like him
He's a Democrat

How I'm Different From My Brother:

I'm more of a relaxed/care-free person (basically a mix between a Seinfeld and Dr. House)
I like any style of music (and when I say any style of music I mean anything but rap/hip hop)
I'm more of the romantic/sensitive type ( Ladies, I am single and I enjoy long walks on the beach)
I'm energetic
I enjoy the most random and stupidest things in life (that's not saying much)
All my friends are different from me (except my friend Matt. He's like a white clone of me)
I'm more open about things (whatever goes into my mind comes out of my mouth. That sounds gross)
I'm timid around the opposite sex
I'm a Republican
Oh, yeah, and I have an accent that no one in the world has (Scientists are baffled)

How My Brother and I are Alike:

We both play instruments
We are both Christians
We have the same taste in movies
We have the power to read each others minds (and no, we're not psychic)
We've both had our troubles with a love interest
We both know a lot about music
We both know what we like and dislike

Different Roads

2008-11-08T23:43:00.000-08:00

They say that God has a plan for everything and everyone. They say that everyone is walking down the road of life. Down every road two people will somehow meet and their lives will be changed forever. I myself think it may take longer for me to find that one special person. I've had a lot of crushes in my life, some more serious than others. Of course, every love interest of mine never happened. I was the one always crushing, not the one being crushed on. I was the one always getting hurt in the end. But I have figured out a pattern. Yes, there's a pattern. Check it out. This is what I have realized. I have realized that every girl that I have liked has become pregnant before marriage. Everyone of them has gone down that road of parenthood unexpectedly. These are girls that I really liked. These are also girls that you'd never expect premarital pregnancy from. So, to hear about these tales surprised me. My friend Matt jokes around by calling me a "Jinx". I find that funny. It could be true. I can see that. But somehow I think God paved a different road for me and those girls. While those girls walked down one road, I was lead down a different road. It's kinda like those books where you can create your own adventure. If I would have went down road A, I might have made a mistake and I'd fall off a cliff. Well, not a cliff, but you know, bad things would happen. Since I was lead down road B, I escaped those possible relationships. Even though I was never in those relationships, I feel somewhat sad for those girls. Not bad, sad. I'm afraid that if this pattern continues then the girl that I loved the most might get caught in it. I can't let this happen. All I can do is hope that it doesn't happen. If it does happen, then...I don't know.

Obama Vs. McCain

2008-11-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

The time has come for America to place its vote for the next president of the United States of America. People across the nation have sent in their ballots or walked to the polls to make their decisions. Not only do they have to vote for the president, but also senators, school trustees, and propositions as well. The world watches and waits for all the ballots to be tallied up. Whoever reaches the score of 270 wins the seat in the White House. Will it be McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden? More and more people are voting this year. Teens, minorities, the elderly, whites, and adults are making their mark. This is truly an intense battle. People want a change. People, we need a change. If Obama wins, he will be the first African American to be president. If McCain wins he will be the oldest president and will have the first female VP. Either way, history will be made. We will be part of history. And history will be a part of us. The numbers continue to rise as the polls close. It's really neck and neck for both candidates, but only one will come out victorious. Everyone who is eligiable to vote needs to go out and vote now. Only we can make the change that America needs. Vote! Vote! Vote!

Myspace Generation

2008-11-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

In 2003, one of the biggest internet sites opened up to the entire world. A man by the name of Tom Anderson, or just Tom as everyone calls him, created a website that allowed people of all ages, actually only 16 and higher, connect with the world. For those who are new to the Myspace generation, it's basically a way for people to stay in contact with friends, family, boyfriends, girlfriends, or even businesses. It's also a way to meet new people. To begin Myspace, one must create a profile page. This usually consists of an "about me" section, favorites movies, favorite music, TV shows, books, heroes, and people we'd like to meet. It also consists of a default picture. This picture is displayed for people to recognize you. About 90% of default pictures involve someone taking a picture of themselves in front of a mirror, either with a digital camera or a camera phone, with the camera flash exposed. The next step would be letting everyone know if you are single, in a relationship, married, a swinger, or gay/lesbian. You also can state your religion. About most teens who are dating someone will have the "married" status posted, even though they have been dating for a month or couple years. Finally, the biggest task of all is to decide who will be on your Top 8. Actually, now it can reach up to the Top 40 or higher. Basically, what the Top 8 is is a way to reach your closest friends faster. Usually, the person you're closest to goes first on the list. Honestly, being on someones Top 8 is like being in the Book of Life. If you're in it, then you're happy and cool. If you're not, then you're mad, disappointed, jealous, and thinking to yourself why that person did not include yourself when you know that you two are good friends. Anyway, people can meet new people. If they like them, then they can "add" them as a friend. That allows you to comment their profile, comment their pics, and read their bulletins that tell you to comment their pics. Of course, I myself have a Myspace account. Myspace was originally designed for people 16 and older, but little kids from ages 13 maybe slightly younger have a Myspace account. Through out the years, Myspace has been getting a lot of attention from the media. Stories of sexual predators, things kids are looking at on the site, and people meeting other people whom they've never met before have been big topics. When Myspace first began, it had a thing where people can rate either men or women. However, people were uploading nude pictures of themselves, sexual pictures, and other explicit images that basically made Myspace into a porn site. That was banned later on. Myspace has really been a big help to rising stars, such a actors, musician, comedians, and filmmakers. Anybody can go to a musicians profile and add one of their songs to their own profile. Many celebrities have created accounts, in which people can add them as a friend. Myspace has definitely been an open door to this generations internet experience. I mean, next to Myspace there's YouTube, Google, Yahoo, and my favorite, Wikipedia. I don't know if Myspace will be around forever, but for now we live in the Myspace generation.

Where I'm From

2008-11-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

When people think of California, they often think of beaches, good weather, surfing, Hollywood, and, of course, hot girls, well I do at least. But there's a little place where not too many people know about. In the heart of California, there lies semi-little town, called Manteca. If anybody knows Spanish, Manteca means "Lard". That's right. We are the city of lard. Actually, we are commonly known as the "Family City" or the "Crossroads of the Heart of California". If you don't live within a thirty mile radius, chances are you might not have heard of our town. However, once we bring up the Manteca Water Slides, then everyone knows who we are. That is correct, we are, or should I say, were the home of the famous Manteca Water Slides. Unfortunately, the park has been removed for building homes. I know, pretty lame, huh? Manteca is kind of those cities where you either like it or you don't like it. I personally love it here. Mainly because I can get to any destination within 10 to 15 minutes, if no traffic, even less. However, there are some people who absolutely despise this city. They can't wait to either move away or they question why they moved here in the first place. Even though Manteca consists of over 60,000 people, it still is a moderately small city. But through out the years, we have been progressing in size. Not just people, but buildings. I'll admit, if anyone wants to have a lot fun, Manteca might not be that place. Even though we have a bowling alley, movie theaters, and baseball parks, honestly, there's not much too do. If anyone wants to have the best time of their life, they can just hang out at Wal-Mart or Target riding the bikes around the store. Not that I've ever done that or anything. But, just recently, our town has built three major shopping centers right here in Manteca. One shopping center is, called BLD (Big League Dreams), which is a shopping center with baseball fields that replicate real life baseball stadiums, such as Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, Angels Stadium, and so on. People can either reserve a field for softball games, watch the players while eating in the grill, or even play indoor soccer. However, if people don't want to do that, a shopping center is literally right across the street. Another place that is fairly new is the Spreckles Park. Basically, two sugar towers used to stand in the present day shopping center. They were torn down and up rose a Target, Jamba Juice, Starbucks, Food 4 Less, Petsmart, and other well known stores and restaurants. Just recently, a new shopping center opened up, called Orchard Valley. There, we have the famous Bass Pro Shops, a Best Buy, JC Penny, Kerasotes movie theaters, and a soon to be, Red Lobster. Manteca is growing very fast each and every year. In fact, we are growing so fast that we now have a Starbucks on every corner. Well, not every corner, but just five Starbucks down almost every street of Manteca. Manteca also have four high schools. There's Sierra High (Timberwolves), Manteca High (Buffaloes), East Union (Lancers), and Weston Ranch (Cougars). There are also about 13 elementary schools here in Manteca, but I don't want to name all of them, no one really cares. One of the best things that I love about Manteca is that it's close to every major city here in California. It's takes about an hour to reach Sacramento, six hours to drive to Los Angeles, and about and hour to drive to San Francisco. Also, everybody who lives here knows everyone else. It doesn't really matter if you personally know them or not, because chances are, you have been in the Manteca Bulletin. If you are in the Manteca Bulletin, everyone will know who you are or everyone might already know who you are. It's definitely not like reading the New York Times or the San Francisco Chronicles. But if you ever read the Manteca Bulletin, chances are some things you'll read will not be true or you'll catch a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes. But we still love the paper. Overall, Manteca is quite the place to kick back and relax. I've lived here my entire life and I'll eventually move, but I can't say that I won't miss Manteca. But now you know where I'm from.

Judgement House

2008-10-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

Every year on Halloween, my church puts on a serious drama, called Judgement House. Its basically an alternative for Halloween, so kids out trick or treating can come and learn about God without actually learning about God. What we do is, we think of a dramatic scenario, such as suicide, teen pregnancy, school shooting or 9/11, and we somehow put the message of God within the script.
This year, the title is, called A Letter From Hell. It's about this kid named Tullee who has been trying to save his friend Boomer from going to Hell. One night, Tullee insists that Boomer comes to his youth group and not a high school party. However, Boomer refuses Tullee's invitation and attends the party instead. There, Boomer is getting drunk, along with all his friends. Tullee then shows up and tries to take Boomer home, but Boomer is being stubborn. Eventually, Boomer drives home drunk and crashes off the road and is killed instantly. Because Boomer never accepted Tullee's church invitation, Boomer never learned about God. For his consequences, Boomer is sent to Hell and writes a letter to Tullee describing everything that is happening to him in Hell. However, an angel soon appears and takes Boomer out of Hell to show him the life he once lived. Finally, after showing Boomer's past life, he is taken back to his holding cell in Hell and is eventually thrown into the Lake of Fire with Satan himself.

For some reason, this drama really impacted me. It showed me that there are so many teens that try to tell their friends about God, but they never listen. Eventually, time catches up to them and their ticket has been stubbed. It wasn't just the idea of people rejecting God that affected me. It was the fact that so many people actually do know about God and they take advantage of that privilege. A lot of us think that since we are going to Heaven and that we have a relationship with God believe that we can do whatever we want. Some people just become Christians just to have "Fire Insurance". Teens probably think, "Oh, I can have sex. I can drink. I can look at porn. I'm going to Heaven anyway". Those people are going to Heaven, but when God comes face to face with them, they are going to be embarrassed, full of regret, and most of all, ashamed. There are Christians who once lived a Godly life, but somewhere down the road they fell away and made their own path.
If someone has a friend who has fallen away from God, talk to that person. Don't just talk to him or her a few times and if they don't listen get it give up on them. No. That's not a good friend. A good friend will not let their other friend stay in a wayward situation. Keep talking to that person, even if they get annoyed by you. Importantly, do not avoid that person because he or she doesn't follow the Christian way anymore.
There are so many people that I know that are Christians but have decided that they are going to live only for themselves. It's so sad and very disturbing to realize that some of our friends might not be with us in Heaven. It's even more disturbing that some of my Christian friends are giving up on one another and giving up on God's scripture.
Our lives are so short. It can end at any given time. We could die on our way to work, school, or even in our sleep, and then what? Are you going to be ready for whatever the next life has is store for you? If you or anyone you know doesn't know about Christ, please, please let them or yourself know about God. Trust me, anywhere is better than Hell, but no place is better than Heaven.

Scary Story

2008-10-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

One late night, 12:23am perhaps, I was awoken with a fright. I think it was fall because when the wind blew the smell of dead leaves swept into my room. It was that night an undistinguished noise had caught my attention beyond my midnight dreams. For a moment, I swear that I was still dreaming. I say this because what I was experiencing could, in fact, never occur in reality. Still adjusting to the sudden wake up, I saw someone slowly walk down the hallway, toward my brothers room. He kept walking from one end of the hallway to the other. Suddenly, he stopped at my doorway. He paused for second. Then slowly he turned toward me. At first, I thought it was my brother. The figure was dark like a shadow. It would be impossible to ever figure out who it may have been from my perspective. Although I could not see any physical features, I knew he was looking right at me from my door way. I soon began to worry. I thought maybe my brother was sleep walking, because he had done so once before. I called out to him hoping if he was sleep walking, he would wake up, but there was no response. I kept calling, but still no response from whoever was looking at me. The figure then turned slowly and walked back down the hallway. I got out of bed, again, trying to get use to my surrounding. I walked toward my doorway to peek out into the hallway. At the same time, I was hoping the figure wasn't standing right around the corner. I looked to the left and didn't see a thing. I looked to the right and saw that my brothers door was closed, so I knew he was sleeping. I tip-toed down the hallway to see where the figure had gone. With every step I took, I felt like it was right next to me. I had finally reached the ledge of the staircase. Looking down into the living room, I saw nothing but the outline of furniture. I peeked downstairs into the kitchen from the stair landing. The figure had disappeared. At this moment, I was thinking that it was a burglar, but the house alarm never went off, unless it was disconnected in some way. With caution, I quietly walked into the kitchen. I figured it was going to be like all the horror movies. The one's where the half naked girl walks around in a dark house only to be stabbed to death by a killer. However, nothing happened. I searched every room in the house, except my brother's and parents room. I had no idea what to do next, so I stood in the middle of the kitchen trying to comprehend what exactly was happening here. I was thinking to myself that I must have been dreaming or least half awake. I was trying to think logically of the possibility that what I saw was actually real. For whatever reason a chill ran down my back. I had the feeling that I was being watched. Not just watched, but closely examined. My eyes were drawn to the kitchen window. There was something outside, but I couldn't quite make it out. I squinted my eyes so much that nothing was clear anymore. I walked toward the window to get a better look at what I was seeing. As I approached the window, in front of me was this thing peering into my kitchen. It was staring directly at me with its dead black eyes. I couldn't see its face. I don't think it had a face. I don't know why, but for some odd reason I couldn't move. I was mesmerized by its stare. It then started to call out to me it in a sweet, calm, mellow voice. "Eric. Hello Eric. I see you. Come here. I want to show you something. I think you'll like it.", it said. I reluctantly refused. It then persisted. "Come on, Eric. If you don't come here, I'm going to come in there." My heart was racing. My body was trembling. All I could do was shut my eyes so tightly that perhaps my eyes were going to explode. I kept telling myself to wake up. I begged myself to wake up, but with my eyes hurting from being shut tightly, I knew that this was not a dream. I had no choice but to open my eyes. I was hoping whatever was out there was gone. When I opened my eyes again, the thing that stood outside my window was now standing directly in front of me. Its dull black eyes were lined up with mine. It's head was tilted with a smile, but at the same time its mouth was hanging wide open with no exposed teeth. Its breath was that of the foulest eggs. It just stood there smiling. I was terrified, but at the same time still mesmerized by its dull gaze. I closed my eyes again. This time when I opened my eyes, it was gone. Maybe I was still in a trance, but for whatever reason, I calmly walked up the stairs to go back to bed as if nothing had ever happened. As I was walking up the stairs, I stopped on the first stair balcony. Something had caught my eye. To my left is my front door with two little windows near the top and above the door is one giant window going vertical to the ceiling. I happened to look out my front door window and I saw someone just standing outside, either wanting to come in or wanting someone to come out. There was no knock on the door or no ring to the the door bell. The person looked about six feet tall, maybe a little bit taller. I kept staring at it trying to make out the shape. It must had seen me because it lifted its head up and I could tell that it was looking right at me. It then spoke through the door. It said, "I see you and I'm going to get you". Then suddenly the shape stuck its head through the door. It yelled at me screaming, "open the F***in door!". Immediately, I ran to my bedroom to escape this nightmare. I don't know how anyone in my house couldn't hear anything. I also have no idea why I didn't go to anybody about any of this. I guess I was too afraid. Maybe if I told my parents what was going on everything would vanish making me out to be insane. As I entered my bedroom, my cell phone rang. It had no ringtone, so it just kept vibrating on my nightstand. I thought perhaps it was one of my friends making a late night call. I didn't care who it was at the moment. I just needed to talk to someone. I looked to see who it was, but when I looked at the front screen, a picture of a girl appeared on it. I had never seen this girl once in my life. She had dark hair and was smiling back at me with creepiest grin. Freaked out by this, I flipped the cell phone upside down, took out the battery, and shoved it in a desk drawer. The only thing left to do was to hide in my bedsheets. So there I was under my sheets like a little boy does when he thinks there's a monster in the closet. Well, this time, there really is one. As I was laying under my covers, I could here my door being closed slowly. I never heard it fully close, but when I peeked out from underneath the blankets, it was shut. My room was now pitch black. I wanted to reach for the blinds, but I was too afraid to know what was out there. I slowly peeked out from under my covers hoping that there wasn't something hovering above me. My room was too dark to see anything. There was one thing that caught my eye. As I 'm trying to make objects out in my room, I notice a figure leaning against my door. Maybe I wasn't quite thinking, but I leaned in to get a better view. As I'm leaning in, I'm also pulling back, but somehow I keep progressing a little closer to the object. I still couldn't see what it was. I realized that my video camera was on my desk next to me. I grabbed it, turned it on, hit record and switched it to night vision. I looked down at the screen to see what I was looking at. In front of me was that girl on my cell phone standing in the corner of my bedroom. She was staring right at me with her disturbing grin. Her face was the color of rotting green and her eyes were unable to be shown. All I could see were two black holes where her eyes should have been. She had thin, long, black hair that was almost completely gone from her scalp. Half of her face was deteriorated with some spiders nesting in her eye sockets. She was naked, but she had no features. She then began to walk slowly toward me as if she was gliding on air. I panicked. I turned off the night vision for a second and sat there in the dark waiting to be killed by the girl. Nothing happened. I was still here. I turned the camera back on. I looked at the screen and she was gone. I searched my room with the camera to make sure nobody was in there with me. I didn't find a thing. However, when I reached my dresser, there she was upon it. She was standing in the corner of my room looking down at me with her head tilted and her smile growing even larger. Without hesitation, I quickly ran out of my room and hid in the downstairs guest room. I decided to stay there for the rest of the night. An hour went by and everything seemed so calm and peaceful at that moment. However, the horror kept continuing. As I was laying in my bed I kept thinking about that girl. Her face was trapped in my mind and there was no way of repressing it. It haunted me so much that whenever I closed my eyes, her face sank under my eyelids. Instead of falling asleep, I just laid there staring at the wall. While I was laying there, I happened to turn to my right and there she was. The girl was in my bed laying next to me with her empty spider nesting eye sockets beaming at me. She didn't dare to move, but she gradually built up a huge grin, which eventually overlapped her eyes. I literally rolled out of bed and fell onto the floor, now tangled in my sheets. Laying on my back, I looked straight up and there the girl peered over the bed staring down at me, still with her empty eye sockets and overlapping grin. I finally figured that there was no way of escaping this. I was trapped. The next thing I knew, I was awake in my own bed with the sun shining in my face. I had somehow survived the night, but how? Was it a dream? Did I imagine it all? I then remembered my video camera. I turned it on, hoping to find the image that I shot that night. Nothing was on it. I guess none of it was true. It must have been a serious nightmare, but then my cell phone rang from inside my desk drawer with the battery on top of my nightstand.....

Chupacabra

2008-10-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Chupacabra, Spanish for "goat sucker" is a legendary creature rumored to roam around it southern parts of America and parts of Mexico. The name comes from the creatures habits of sucking the blood of goats and other small animals. Description of the Chupacabra varies from eye witnesses. Some say it's about a size of an average man, with spikes on its back and big round lizard eyes.

It was first reported in Puerto Rico, in 1995. Eight sheep were found dead on a farmland, each with two puncture wounds on their chest, completely drained of blood. Sometime later, more killings were taking place. People believed that it was some kind of sinister cult, but so many animals around the country were dying the same way.

The most common description that people always say when they see it are these; reptile-like appearance, green reptile skin with spikes down its back, stands around 3-4 ft high, dog-liked face, forked tongue, and large sharp teeth. Reports claim that its eyes glow a putrid red when it screeches. Also, people have claimed that the Chupacabra has wings.

There is no scientific evidence to prove that such a creature actually exists. For all we know, it could just be a breed of some kind of wild dog. However, the legend of the Chupacabra lives strongly in the heart of paranormal researchers.

Mothman

2008-10-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

Since the 1960's, a creature known as the Mothman, has been one of the biggest legendary creatures of all time. Some of us have seen the movie, the Mothman Prophecies. It's based off a non-fiction book about a newspaper writer's unexplained experience with the Mothman in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

What exactly is the Mothman?

According to observers, the Mothman is a human-sized moth-like creature with large moth-like wings, beaming red eyes and is to reach at a height of 7 ft.

What are the stories?

1) November 15, 1966: Two couples were traveling late one night, when they passed an old WWII TNT factory and saw two red eyes in the distance. They seemed to notice that the eyes were attached to a body. The couples then sped off in their car, but the creature followed them. The car reached around 100mph, but the creature was still on their tale. As soon as they reached Pt. Pleasant city limits, the creature flew away.

2) November 16, 1966: The next night, an older couple were walking to their car when they saw a creature come from behind it. They ran into their house, dialing 911, when they saw the creature walk onto their porch and peer into their window with its red eyes.

3) November 24, 1966: About 4 people saw a creature flying over the TNT plant.

4) November 25, 1966: A man claimed to have seen a creature standing in a field while he was driving. The creature spread his wings and flew alongside him in his car.

5) November 26, 1966: An elderly woman claimed to have seen the creature standing on her lawn.

6) November 27, 1966: A younger woman was pursued by the creature and was seen later again that night by two children.

7) December 15, 1967: The most famous sighting of the Mothman was reported on top of the Silver Bridge before its collapse on that cold and frightening night. Forty-six people died from the collapse.

What are the myths or rumors about the Mothman?

There are rumors that the Mothman appears before upcoming disasters. Another rumor is that the Mothman causes disasters.

Where is the Mothman now?

People have claimed to see this creature in other parts of the world. Though, after the Silver Bridge collapse, it has not been sighted in Point Pleasant, West Virginia ever again.

Zombies

2008-10-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

They live on the living. They eat your flesh and if you get bit by one of them you become one of them. Zombies are one of Hollywood's biggest box office hits. Many movies, such as Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days/Weeks Later, Day of the Dead, Resident Evil and so on, have been made to create an idea of what the world would be like if the dead roamed the earth. The old saying goes, "When Hell runs out of room, the dead come back to life". Regularly, when we think of zombies, we think of slow, dimwitted creatures who drag their legs with a pivoted foot and raise their arms out in front of them. Today, the creation of zombies have been modified to show more advancement in ability and coordination. In the re-make movie of Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero decided to make zombies that ran fast and sharp minded. Usually, a virus of some sort is spread airborne, which causes the body to come back alive when dead. When a zombie bites a living human being, they become a zombie after they die. The cycle runs on and on.

Many people wonder, where did the idea of zombies come from?

The idea originally came from the Afro-Caribbean belief of Voodoo. You see, when someone died, a sorcerer can revive the dead. However, when the dead rises, they no longer have control of their mind. Their mind belongs to whatever brought them back from the dead.

Demons

2008-10-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

Since the dawn of time, Satan's army has been set loose among the earth. They go out in search of evil. They are attracted to evil. They bring nothing but evil. They are Satan's demons. Demons are fallen angels of God who decided to team up with Satan in Hell. We've all heard many cases of demonic possession, but not everyone believes in demons. Most of the time, whenever someone is possessed, a psychological disorder is put into place. Demons are very strong creatures with incredible powers. About 99% of what we see on ghost hunting shows are actually not ghosts, but demons. Demons have the power to move things, toss things, and even hit things. Demons will only possess those who did not accept Christ. Demons can't kill, but they can cause ones self to be killed. They can either toss you, make you scratch yourself, or hit self enough to the point where your body can't stabilize itself. When a person enters Hell, they are forever tormented by the demons. Not only are demons strong, but they are really tall. They can reach up to 15ft tall. Imagine being ripped apart by something that big. Teens are very curious. They want to contact the dead by using a Ouija board, which is the biggest mistake someone can make. A Ouija board is basically an open door way to demons. Once someone opens that door, they are set free to do what they were set out to do...destroy. Demons are very attracted to evil looking objects, such as voodoo dolls, tikis, masks, statues...anything that looks evil. Another open door way for demons is something, called EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena). EVP is when a person uses a tape recorder to communicate with the dead. They later play back the tape in hope for a response from the dead. The voices those people hear are actually demons. Demons will trick people into thinking that they are contacting their loved ones. Messing with the dead is something everyone should stay away from. There are forces beyond this world that are too powerful for us to understand. When we mess with the dead, we mess with Hell, and Hell messes with us.

Ghosts

2008-10-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Between the living and the dead lies a life of the unexplained. They are sometimes called spirits or apparitions, but usually we just call them ghosts.

So what is a ghost?

A ghost is an apparition of a deceased person. In most cases, it usually involves someone we don't know. People believe that a ghost is someone who did not go towards "the light" when approaching death. Therefore, their spirit remains here on earth. Sometimes ghosts come in full figure or sometimes in a flash of light. Because they are just a spirit, they cannot do any harm to anyone or anything.

Do ghosts exist?

The question remains unanswered to this day. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, when discussing the paranormal one must have an open mind to different beliefs and outlook. There is no scientific proof of the existence of ghosts. We rely our information on eye witness reports who claim to have ghostly encounters. Anyone can claim to have seen a ghost. I myself do not believe in the existence of ghosts, due to the fact that I've never seen one. I also believe when we die we either go to Heaven or Hell. There is no in between.

Doesn't the Bible discuss ghosts?

Yes, actually it does. First of all, we have the Holy Ghost, being God in the trinity. Then, when Jesus died on the cross and rose again, he did not come back as a ghost. He told his disciples that he was not a ghost because ghosts do not have skin and bones. Although, King Saul asks to summon the spirit of Samuel

Ghosts in media?

We see ghosts all the time in the media. Whether it's photography or a documentary, people will claim to have seen a ghost. We have so many films that involve ghosts, such as Ghost, Casper, Ghostbusters, 13 Ghosts, Poltergeist, House on Haunted Hill, and so on. Really, it is the media trying to buy us into the belief of ghosts. I don't think when we die we can choose between death and limbo. Ghosts have become the greatest media eye catcher. I don't believe in ghosts, but I love hearing stories of them.

Hell

2008-10-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

Somewhere beyond our world, there exists another that holds darkness and hate within itself. This is a place where light ceases to exist and evil empowers you. There is no way to escape the torment and agony of this prison. Day and night, people are dying over...and over... and over again. They are being tortured, taunted, ridiculed, and burned alive. You hear nothing but the screams of men, women, and children and growls and roaring of the demons. You see nothing but what the flaming light lets you see. You are in a place where there is no God, but where there is a devil. You are in Hell.

So what is Hell exactly?

Well, Hell is a place created for Satan, his demons, and all those who did not accept Jesus Christ as their savior. It all began when a beautiful angel by the name of Lucifer (Morning Star) tried to become like Christ. He grew jealous and angry and soon Lucifer and Christ become worst of enemies. However, they set out an agreement. The saved will enter Heaven and the unsaved will dwell forever in the depths of Hell. In the book of Revelation verse 12:7-9, it states,

"And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down -- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."

So why is Hell so bad?

Imagine your worst fear coming alive right in front of you. Everything you've once dreaded is now torturing you for all eternity. The worst part is is that there is no possible way of ever escaping it. Demons will crush you, break you, and slaughter you and you'll never die from it. It is an everlasting pain which one may suffer. At the same time you are being burned alive. If you've ever been burned by a stove or anything you know what a 3rd degree burn feels like. Now imagine swimming in fire. Your are burning while you are awake and again you will never die from it. I know many people who are afraid of the dark. What if you spent eternity in complete darkness? I'm talking about the complete absence of light. The kind of darkness where if you were to place your hand in front of your face you would not be able to see it. The only light there will be would be from the flames.

How do I prevent myself from going to Hell?

In order to not go to Hell, one must:

1) Accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior
2) Believe that Jesus died on the Cross for your sins
3) Confess with your mouth that you are a sinner

But it's not enough to just do those three tasks, you have to walk the walk and talk the talk. If you are a Christian, you are not forced to go to church, but church does help you build a stronger relationship with God. It's like dating. If you want the relationship to last, you have to see that person frequently and learn all about him/her. Don't just become a Christian just to have "Fire Insurance". Heaven is a wonderful and glorious place. It is a place where sorrow, pain, tears, and all evil cease to exist. God loves you and does not want any of his children to spend eternity not with Him.

This is Halloween

2008-10-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

The time has come again for people of all ages to dress up in clever costumes and go door to door receiving candy from strangers. To celebrate the month of October, I've decided to write nothing but paranormal blogs through out the entire month. That means blogs about ghosts, demons, aliens, hell, and so on. I myself do not celebrate Halloween, but I do love the idea of being scared.
Well, Halloween is just around the corner and what other way to start out a blog than to tell you what Halloween exactly is.

So what exactly is Halloween? And what is it all about? No, Halloween is not a Michael Myers slasher film. Halloween actually started in Scotland. It was a Celtic pagan holiday. It was basically a day to gather up cattle and store them for the up coming winter season. People believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the dead and the alive were broken and the evil spirits would cause havoc around the crops. However, the Celtics would sit around bond fires and wear masks to mimic the evil spirits so that the demons would get confused. That is why we wear costumes today, but no one knows why.

The word "Halloween" actually means "All Hallows Eve" or "All Saints Day". In Mexico, All Saints Day, runs around the first week of November. But Halloween in Mexico is way different than the Halloween here in America. Instead of trick-or-treating, the Hispanics will celebrate and honor the dead by having parades and music.

So where did trick-or-treating come from? Well, trick-or-treating originated in the Middle Ages. Peasants would go door to door begging for food in exchange for a crop prayer. Trick-or-treating was basically the first caroling event. Like Christmas, people go door to door sing carols to people. The word "trick" means to give a person what they want or they will play a trick on the homeowner.

Now, what about the scary old Jack-o-Lantern? We all know in order to make a Jack-o-Lantern, we must take out the inside of a pumpkin, carve a face, and place a candle inside the pumpkin. But what does that all mean? The Celtics believed that the head was the most powerful part of the human body. It held the spirit and the knowledge of a person. The Celtics would use the head of a squash or other vegetables to scare off any superstitions. But Who's Jack? Jack is an old Irish legend. Stingy Jack is what they called him and he was a greedy, drunken farmer who tricked the devil into climbing a tree. Jack carved a cross into the bark of the tree trunk trapping him in the tree forever. As a taste of revenge for the devil, he placed a curse on old Jack. He was cursed to wander the night with only the candle he had with him.

But what makes Halloween seem so bad? First of all, the history of Halloween isn't in fact a holy holiday. Plus, Halloween's imagery tends to involve death, magic, monsters, and so on.

Halloween today? Today, Halloween has been slightly altered due to the lack of Halloween knowledge. Many people still celebrate the history of Halloween, but while trick-or-treating is mainly for little kids, older teens have college/high school costume parties and attend spooky haunted house carnivals. Obviously, Halloween has changed dramatically through out the years, especially the costumes. Little kids dress up as their favorite superhero or princess, while teenage girls dress up in slutty outfits and guys dress up as the most brutal character out there.

So there you have it. I hope everyone has a better view of what Halloween really is. Many people enjoy it, like myself, while others lock themselves in their home hoping that no trick-or-treaters will come knocking at their door. Since I don't celebrate Halloween, I either sit at home and watch horror movies or attend a safe Halloween event for teens at my church. After all, fear is the biggest emotion.

Heaven

2008-09-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

In a far distant land, there is a place where people run freely, where pain does not exist, where sorrow ceases to uprise, where the water flows like sparkling silk, and endless singing heard from every corner of the universe. This is a place like no other. None of the wisest nor the smartest human can comprehend of power and glory of this place. We can stretch out our imagination for miles, until we reach the ends of the earth, and we will still have nothing but our imagination. Books, drawings, painting, songs, and movies, are a thousand miles off the course of Heavens description. For in the words of Hamlet, "The undiscovered country from whose bourn, no traveller returns".

Heaven has always been a thought of paradise. We always here the phrase, "This tastes heavenly", or "This place is like Heaven". Heaven is paradise, but nothing compared to human simplicity. A piece of chocolate is nothing compared to Heavens paradise. However, Heaven is a very real, non-fictional place. It is the place where God dwells and his followers go after we pass this life.

Of course, there are many different aspects of Heaven. As a Christian, I believe the only way to get to Heaven is to accept Jesus Christ as the Holy Father and accept Him into your life, believe that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of humanity, and confess your sins to Him. By doing this, you are suppose to live a Godly life. That doesn't mean you'll be perfect. No, you'll still sin, but God will forgive you a thousand times seven. Now, there are other religions, such as Mormonism, which believes in doing good deeds, going on missions and so on will get them to various levels of Heaven (Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial). Some Eastern and Western religions don't even believe in a Heaven, but reincarnation-- or karma --after death. In my belief, Heaven is a place that God created for those who accepted His son Jesus and will live with Him for all eternity.

Through out the years, musicians, film makers, and authors have created ideas of what Heaven is. In the Hollywood hit, What Dreams May Come, Robin Williams dies and goes to Heaven, created out of his wife's paintings. In the movie, Gladiator, Russell Crowe dies and enters a garden that is completely white, which symbolizes the holy spirit. Also, in the movie, The Omega Code 2: Megeddo, Michael Bien's character is killed by his brother, the Anti-Christ, and later wakes up in a beautiful aspect of Heaven.

Like movies about Heaven, songs were also written about God's kingdom. One of the most famous songs about Heaven is Bob Dylan's, Knockin' on Heavens Door, which is about a cop who was shot and now entering Heaven. Another song that describes Heaven is U2's, Where the Streets Have no Name. Of course, one of the most famous Christian worship songs about Heaven is, I Can Only Imagine, which is about imagining what it will be like when we are standing before God in Heaven.

Next, authors have even described what Heaven will look like. A very well known author, by the name of Dante Alighieri, wrote three epic poems about a mans great adventure to Hell, Purgatory, and then finally Heaven. The book, El Paridiso, goes into great description of Heaven. Another book, called The 5 People You Meet in Heaven, is about a man who enters Heaven and encounters five people who have affected his life, whether he knew it or not. Each character tells him the importance of life. The final book is, called 90 Minutes in Heaven, which is a true documentary of a man who was clinically dead for 90 minutes, went to Heaven, and then came back. He briefly describes Heaven, but not in the greatest detail. He states that there was various music being sung by the angels. He says,"Although they [angels] were singing different songs at the same time, it sounded so beautiful and perfect". Imagine listening to five different songs at the same time. Not only will it sound confusing, but it will give the biggest headache.

Now, here's my description of Heaven. I imagine Heaven to be this place where the impossible is possible. It's a place where logic no longer exists and our imaginations come true. The streets stretch out as far as the eye can see, but they continue forever. The streets are made of pure gold, which illuminate the sky. I don't think there is a sun, because if there was a sun then that means there's a universe like ours. I believe that Gods light brightens Heaven, so it will never become night. It'll be so bright that it would blind the living. God describes mansions in the Bible. I think everyone will have their own personal mansion. But for whatever reason, it will bigger than any Hollywood mansion. People will be walking, but it'll never seem crowded. Wherever you may look, Jesus will be right there in view. Nothing will be heard but the music sung by the angels. Mountains are off in the distance, but somehow they aren't far away. One long, single river will run through the valley. We will be able to recognize every person, even those we've never met. Thoughts of the past life will no longer be present. Everyone will speak in the same language. One day in Heaven will be a thousand years. I don't know if any animals or plant life will exist. I think we can look however we want in Heaven. God says that our names will be different than the ones we have now. Although our names will be different, we will respond when we are called. Finally, we will be able to communicate with God anytime we want and we will literally hear from Him.

the 5 Keys to Happiness

2008-09-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

So my friend Matt and I created this list that includes five essentials to live a happy and fulfilling life. We were thinking of things that almost everyone has or the things we want to have. Those things that we want to have or do have will make us feel a sense of joy in our own way. Now, don't take this too seriously. This is merely a comical idea. Anyway, let's begin with the list.

5. Girlfriend/Boyfriend: Everyone wants to have a partner who they can be with forever--or at least a long period of time. Through out our lifetime, we will experience many relationships. Some good and some not so good. Especially if we're at a young age where we want to date everybody. As we grow up, we don't really have the need to rush into a relationship. We have school, jobs, extra curricular activities, and a career search. To most people, having a relationship is sometimes at the very bottom of the list. However, that doesn't mean we don't need a partner. Everyone is meant for someone.

4. iPod: In 2001, Apple Inc. came out with one of the most ingenious contraptions in the world of technology. Yes, I do mean the iPod. Since 2001, there have been about 16 types of iPod creations. First, there was the basic ipod, which felt like a brick. Eventually, they became smaller and thinner. Billions of them have been sold. Anyone would have to be crazy not to have one. Music has become one of the biggest essentials. We are capable of downloading thousand among thousands of songs that we love. We are able to bring our favorite bands and songs with us wherever we go. Going on a trip? Bring the iPod. Going to a boring meeting? Bring the iPod. Going to school? bring the iPod. Going to a funeral? Bring the iPod. I'm kidding on the last one. That's up to you. But you get the idea. CD players have become a thing of the past. I mean, even though I have an iPod, I still use my CD's for my car stereo. But, iPod's are seriously one of the most useful inventions ever...next to the lightbulb.

3. Car: Indeed, a car is everybody's potential need. Ever since we were young, we dreamed of having the coolest, fastest car out there. Of course, my dream car was the Batmobile and James Bond's tripped out BMW. Most teens receive a car right after they get their license. Sometimes they get a car when they don't even have their permit. I feel that a person should get a car when he/she gets a job and has to go to college. I didn't have a car until I was almost 18. Men created bikes and God created legs...just a thought. Like I said, we all want the fast car. The Honda Civic's, BMW's, Mustang's, Corvette's, Pontiac's, Vipers, and of course the Ferrari's are the cars we all dream of having one day. I myself wouldn't mind having a Mustang, but the way the economy is shaping out to be, I think I'll stick to the basics. Getting a car is basically the next step towards adulthood.

2. Cell Phone: Today, the cell phone has become one of our essential needs for survival. Well, not my survival, but others survival. There are so many phones out there such as the Black Berry, Black Jack, Chocolate, Razor, Envy, Sliver, and now the iPhone. The cell phone has come a long way since its brick form. I myself have a phone, which is not a brick, but feels like one. A cell phone has kinda lost its way through out the years. People no longer need them for calling, but only for texting. They should just make a cell phone that only texts. It'll be cheaper and easier. Let's face it, none of us can survive a second without our phone. It's basically become another body part and when someone removes that part, it hurts. It hurts really bad. Otherwise, cell phones can basically do anything, well except not break. They can call, text, IM, send pictures, internet service, download songs, watch Youtube videos, take pictures, take videos, watch TV, and call 911...very useful. I don't know any teenager or young adult who uses their house phone anymore. I don't.

1. Job: We all want a job. We all need a job. We all need a job to get money that will buy the car, cell phone, the iPod, and pay for the expenses of a relationship. Having a job is the key foundation to be happy. If you have a job, you are well respected, mature, and ready for what life has to throw at you. We may not all have the best jobs, but I have respect for anybody who at least has a job and not living out on the streets holding up signs. We need a job to support a lot of things. If we ever move out on our own, we need to pay for housing, school, car/gas, food, and other various essentials. Having a job is definitely the number one key to happiness.

Now, everything here is just our everyday wants and needs. I want to make it clear, don't completely follow or listen to this list. Again, this was just an amusing idea. I always joke around by saying, "If you have one of these things, then you are one step closer to happiness". But not all these things bring happiness. Happiness is what brings joy and comfort to us. Our country is based off the line, "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Find your own happiness.

Jonas-Mania

2008-09-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

In 2005, three brothers by the names of Kevin, Nick, and Joe Jonas started a pop rock band, known as The Jonas Brothers. In 2006, they released their first album ''It's About Time", which didn't take off anywhere, but in 2007, everything changed. The Jonas Brothers released their self-titled album. They had hit songs, which included ''Hold On", "SOS", and "We Got the Party ft. Hannah Montana". Immediately, these three boys became star icons. Everywhere they'd go, girls were soon to follow.

Nick is the youngest, Joe is the middle child, and Kevin is the oldest. Out of the three, Nick and Joe receive most of the attention from their screaming fans. They have done opening acts for groups such as Backstreet Boys, Kelly Clarkson, the Click 5, and Jesse McCartney, and have also appeared on the hit Disney show Hannah Montana.

Eventually, Nick and Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) dated, but broke up due to complications. Rumors go around that Nick is now dating Selena Gomez (star of Wizards of Waverly Place) and Joe is dating country music star, Taylor Swift.

The Jonas Brothers is a group that is like no other. Though they are a typical boy band, they set themselves apart from all the other pop icons out there. All the boys in the group are Christian and have committed themselves to abstinence by wearing a Purity Ring. They seem like they know what they want and they know how to get it.

In 2008, they starred in their first full length movie with Hannah Montana in "Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds Concert". Then again in the Disney movie "Camp Rock" with Disney's short series "As the Bell Rings" star, Demi Lovato. The movie was a huge success among Jonas fans. Target retail stores everywhere obtained Jonas/Camp Rock merchandise. During their rise to success, they released their third album "A Little Bit Longer". "A Little Bit Longer" is a song Nick wrote about his struggle with diabetes at such a young age. It immediately became their number one single along with "Burning Up".

Today, they continue with their highly successful career, playing sold out concerts and selling millions of albums worldwide. I would be surprised if no one knew who the Jonas Brothers were. The Jonas Brothers are not my type of band, but they certainly have the skills to win over the hearts of million young teens. The Jonas Brother have been called the next Beatles generation. Is it possible for another band to live up to the success of the highly acclaimed Fab Four? I don't know. That's all up to the music industry and the fans. But who knows? But for now, we live in Jonas-Mania.

Paranormal State

2008-09-02T17:12:00.001-07:00

Notice: I do not believe in the existence of ghosts or alien creatures for any reason whatsoever. However, I do believe in the existence of Satan and his demonic followers that dwell, not only in Hell, but here on Earth as well.
2 Corinthians 11:14 (KJV)
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."

On A&E, there's a television show, called "Paranormal State". It follows a group of college kids who seek out answers to the supernatural world. They are called to many different cases, but they only go to the most severe cases. This is not like any other ghost hunting show. About 99% of what they seek are of demonic forces. In one episode, an elderly woman is obsessed with contacting the dead. Everyday, she would set up an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) tape and record voices. EVP is basically an open door for demons to come through. Demons are very common within the shows boundaries.

Again, I do not believe in ghosts, but I have had some pretty scary encounters in my younger days. I will tell you my two stories, whether you believe in them or not, that's all up to you. This is just from my experience, what I've seen and heard. I'm not even sure if I believe in what I heard or saw, but anyway, here are my two stories...

When I was about 11 or 12 years of age, I suppose I had my first scary moment. This was a moment that I'd never, ever forget. I remember it was a school night, so I had to go to be early. My bed was against my wall, under the upper window in my room. With that, I could see into the hallway and the light shining from downstairs. My mom and my brother were downstairs. My mother was watching TV and my brother was doing his homework. I know that my dad was asleep because he had to get up early for work the next day. So, I was lying in bed trying to go to sleep. I heard these kids skateboarding outside by the grinding of the wheels on the pavement. I got up and stood on a shelf that was behind my bed. It was easy access to look out the window. When I peered out the window, there was no one there. I swear, I heard at least three kids out there. Not only was no one there, but the sound of the skateboards suddenly stopped. As I'm looking out the window, I hear a faint whisper in my ear. It whispered, "Get down". Immediately I sank into my bed. No one was in my room nor in the hallway. I knew it wasn't my parents because no one just tells you to get down in a whispered voice. Parents always say, "Hey, get down. Go asleep". But, as soon as I dropped into my bed I looked into the hallway and I saw a shadowy figure swoop by my bedroom and into my brothers bedroom. It looked about six feet tall, but without a head. At least it looked like it didn't have a head. And that was that.

My next story freaked me out even more. Again, this happened when I was in bed. I was just laying there and all of a sudden I hear this pounding on the roof. I knew it was not a cat because I've had many cats on the roof and I know the sound their paws make when walking. It sounded as if someone was dropping heavy boxes onto the roof. It kept on going and going. Immediately, I ran into my parents bedroom to tell them what had just happened. Of course, like any parents, they don't believe the child. They thought I just had a bad dream or I was just imagining it all. No, I was not. Believe it or not, I wanted the pounding to continue so that they'd believe me. Finally, it started up again. My parents heard the pounding and my dad got out of bed and ran outside to check the outside of the house. No one or anything was on the roof.

After those two experiences, nothing ever happened again. But I've always been somewhat fascinated by the supernatural. Whether it's the Mothman, Chupacabra, Shapeshifters or anything abnormal, I find it very interesting. You don't have to believe in anything in order to like something.

Follow You Into the Dark

2008-08-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, in a small village hidden among the woods, lived a rabbit by the name of Mr. Thomas. Mr. Thomas was just like any ordinary rabbit in the village. He had a mother and a father and three brothers. Mr. Thomas was the youngest, not only in his family but among the entire village. He was considered the "odd bunny out", sort of speak. While all the other rabbits were growing up, Mr. Thomas stayed the same size and never looked a day older. For a young rabbit, Mr. Thomas ate quite a lot. For each meal of the day, he would eat more carrots than all the other rabbits. Nevertheless, Mr. Thomas lived a great life.
In the village, each rabbit was required to attend school. Everyday, all the rabbits and bunny's went to a classroom and were taught how to take care of one another, how to preserve carrots, and how to live life. The males were, called Rabbits and females were, called Bunny's. Well, one day, Mr. Thomas was sitting in class and he happened to glance over to the other side of the room. When he looked, he saw the most beautiful bunny in the entire forest. Mr. Thomas could not take his big round eyes off of her. The problem was was that he did not know the bunny's name. He hopped over to her and asked for her name. The bunny responded by saying, "My name is Millie". Millie was considered one of the wealthiest bunny's in the village. Her fur was always fluffed and her coat was always shining. Mr. Thomas knew he could never be with a good looking bunny such as Millie. He realized that he was not the wealthiest rabbit around or the best looking in village for that matter. But this rabbit was determined to be with her. He knew from the moment he laid eyes on Millie that she was the one he'd be with for the rest of his life. For weeks, Millie avoided Mr. Thomas. She would look away when he looked at her. Millie would not even say one word to him when he passed down the school halls. Weeks have gone by and Mr. Thomas was still very persistent. Finally, Millie came up to him and rubbed her fluffy white head against his. Out of pity or out of true love, Millie had fallen for Mr. Thomas. Days later, they both grew very close to each other. Each day, they would explore the woods after school. Occasionally, Mr. Thomas would snatch the most flawless orange carrot for Millie. They'd hop to the pond and stay until the sun set in the velvet sky. Life was absolutely perfect for the both of them. On one cold evening, Mr. Thomas took Millie to the village park. There, they both sat on the green grass watching the sun set and the moon brighten before them. Mr. Thomas turned to Millie and said, "I love you, Millie". Millie turned to Mr. Thomas and twitched her nose onto his. A twitch on a nose is considered a sign of love to rabbits. That night, they laid next to each other under the pine trees and incandescent stars.
The sun had risen and a new day came upon the two rabbits. Mr. Thomas woke up that morning with the radiant sun blazing down onto his cheeks. He opened his eyes and glanced over at Millie. Mr. Thomas sat there waiting for Millie to wake up. She must have been really tired, so Mr. Thomas didn't want to disturb her. He thought it would make Millie really happy if he brought her a morning carrot. As Millie laid there, Mr. Thomas hopped away to search for the biggest, most beautiful orange carrot in the forest. He hopped for miles in search of a great morning gift. Finally, the carrot had been found and Mr. Thomas was off to to deliver it to Millie. When Mr. Thomas arrived back to the park, Millie was still laying there. Mr. Thomas assumed Millie was still sleeping. He hopped towards her and laid down the carrot beside her. "Millie, wake up. I got you the biggest, most beautiful looking carrot in the forest, just for you", said Mr. Thomas. Millie did not respond. Mr. Thomas ignored the carrot and began to sniff Millie's body. He laid one ear on her chest and the other on her stomach. There was no sign of life within her. Mr. Thomas, in denial, kept trying to wake Millie up from her sleep. He eventually gave up. He laid next to her body for two days. After the second day, Mr. Thomas hopped away and continued on with his life. Even though rabbits have a heart, they do not feel pain or sorrow. Not one tear came from Mr. Thomas' broken hearted soul. It turned out that Millie was a year older than Mr. Thomas. The average lifespan of a bunny is three years while a rabbits lifespan is four years. Mr. Thomas wandered back to his village and went on with his life. Overtime, some other bunny's came along, but Mr. Thomas could never forget Millie.
A year had passed. It was fall and the leaves were turning brown. It was the day Mr. Thomas and Millie first met. Mr. Thomas had just turned four years old. In memory of Millie, Mr. Thomas hopped over to the park where they had both laid together that cold, bright evening. Mr. Thomas watched the sun go down and the moon brighten alone that night. He eventually closed his eyes and fell asleep under the stars. When he awoke, he found himself in a field of wheat overlooking a sunset. Mountains were in the distance and not one single cloud in the sky as far as the eye can see. The wind blew swiftly as it whistled through the trees. Out in the distance, Mr. Thomas saw a river running through the valley. He hopped over to take a look at himself in the waters reflection. As he looked into the water, the suns light reflected onto his face. Though it was bright, it was not blinding. As the glare moved across his face, a figure appeared before him. The glare passed and when Mr. Thomas looked up, there sat Millie. Mr. Thomas was fully aware of this dream, but this was no ordinary dream. Forever, this dream will be dreamt.

The Reason

2008-07-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

If someone came up to me and asked, "Do you believe everything happens for a reason?", I would say, "Yes, I do". You see, we live in a world where either life is reason or life is by chance. If it's by reason, then that means God has your life planned out in His hands. If it is by chance, that means there is no meaning to life, no purpose, no value, no respect. Life would simply be pointless. I figured, no matter how many mistakes a person has made, it all leads up to a reason. With every breath we breathe. With every step we take. With every word we think and with every thought we have, there is always a reason behind it. Of course, that reason may not show up until later on down the road. For example, say someone came up to you and said, "Did you know that there are 206 bones in the human body?" and you probably never knew that. Now, days, maybe months have passed and you still have that fact in your mind. Now, someone else comes up to you and asks, "Do you know how many bones are in the human body"? With the memory still tied in, you would say, "206". I'm sure that that person did not expect someone else to ask him that question, but he/she was prepared. That all happened because of reason. There's always a reason. When people escape death, there's a reason why. When good things or bad things happen to people, there's a reason why. Reason builds our relationship with others. Everything we do not only affects our lives, but others as well. I want you to imagine life as a movie script. A script is a book with characters, dialogue, actions, and storyline. Everything in a script is written out from start to finish. Just like us, our lives are also written out from start to finish. The director just happens to be God and we are His actors living by His script. No matter what we do, even if we think it's wrong, it's still going accordingly to our script. Just writing this blog entry affected my life instantaneously. I don't know what the reason is, but according to the script analogy, it has. Also, think about the butterfly effect. The idea is that a butterfly's wings could change the atmosphere altering a path of a tornado or even preventing a tornado in a certain location. But, if the butterfly had not flapped its wings, the system might have been different. Of course, the butterfly effect deals with chaos theory, which is a totally different blog entry. But think of the idea in terms of reason. So whenever we think we have lost, we have actually won, but not yet. Trust me, you'll be glad that some things didn't work out for you. Life cannot be without reason. Whether you believe in it or not, it surrounds every aspect of life.

The Greatest Adventure

2008-07-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

Recently, I got the privilege of watching a very good movie, called "The Bucket List". The movie goes about two elderly men, played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, who only have six months to live before they 'kick the bucket'. They create a list of things that they want to see and do before they die. Morgan Freeman plays a very intelligent mechanic. He doesn't have much in his life, only his family, but is still very grateful. Jack Nicholson plays a lonely wealthy man. His only companion is his sarcastic servant, Thomas. The two characters are sitting on top of a tomb in Cairo, Egypt when Morgan Freeman asks Jack two questions. He asks him two questions that the Egyptians believe God will ask them when they die before entering Heaven. He asks him, Do you have joy in your life? And, Have you brought joy to others? Jacks characters couldn't think of anything to respond with. After watching the movie, it made me think of my own life. Do I have joy in my life? And, have I brought joy to others? I can answer those questions by saying, yes to both. I feel that I do have endless joy in my life. The joy is brought upon me from my family, friends, my talents, and especially God. I also believe that I have brought joy to others lives. Maybe not everyone, but I know for a fact that people have a sense of happiness when I'm around. I know when I'm loved and I know when I'm not loved by others.

Also, I thought about a day when I might die. I thought of two things:

1) I thought about all the people I have hurt in my life. I know I have hurt so many souls and I can never take those mistakes away. I try with all my heart to make things right when I mess up. I don't ever expect a friendship, but just the fact that they know how sorry I was. I know I'm going to hurt others down the road, I'm only human.

2) I thought about all the things I should have said to others. No one likes to die knowing that they have some unsaid words to let out. I always feel I could have said, "I love you" more to my family. Even if there's a girl that you love a lot. Just the fact that they know you love them can make all the difference in the world. Maybe I could have complimented people more. I feel I also could have done something better. I could have helped someone or could have done something to make someone elses life a little bit easier.

I know I have my whole life to fix my mistakes and be a better person, but my entire life could end tomorrow. I am prepared to meet God and spend all eternity with Him in Heaven. In fact, I always insist that God comes back today to take us all home. I know that everyday is another day for me to do God's will. And when God feels that I've done my part in this world, He will carry me home.

When I die, I don't want to go down as just a somebody. I want to be known as "Eric, the man who lived his life for others". I don't want to die and have some people be glad that I'm dead. For now, I will continue with my life and do the best I can to live it.

What is Love?

2008-06-27T00:32:00.000-07:00

Warning: Before you read this, realize this might be about you, the reader. This may go against your beliefs on relationships. This may make you a tad angry or this could help you out in your future relationships. Whether you'll want to accept this or not, that choice is up to you.

So, what exactly is love? Many people have began to question that word: Haddaway, Brian Fantana, John Lennon, and Nat King Cole. Many young teens seem to be falling in love faster than I can say supercalafragalisticexpialidotious (and that's even harder to spell). Webster defines love as: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. God defines love as patient, kind, and peaceful. So no matter who says what love is, it all comes down to one thing...patience. Many people feel that they need to rush love. They make it seem so easy. Love is omnipresent. No matter where you are in life, love will always be there, so there is no need to create cinematic love. The word "love" is probably one of the most used words in our vocabulary. We use it to describe a feeling towards a person, place or thing, like a noun. We always say, "Oh, I love that dress" or "I love that place". Since the word "love" is used so much, no one really takes it seriously. It's just being thrown out there as fast as we spend money. People will say they love you for doing them a favor and the common response would be, "I know" (in a humorous manner). But did you know that there are four different types of love?
One type of love is...
Security Love: which is a basic need for one's survival.
Another type of love is...
Friendship Love: This is the type of love that you have with someone who you can open up to about anything and always feel comfortable around.
Next, there's...
Romantic Love: Most people experience this type of love many times in their life. It is when you see that person for the first time and he/she makes your knees go weak or gives you butterflies in your stomach.i.e. "Love at first sight”. Most people don’t even love the person they think they are in love with…they fall in love with the idea if being in love. This is more of a lustful kind of love, it wears off after a while.
Finally, there is...
Unconditional Love: This is the type of love that is sincere and will last forever.

For the longest time, I never understood the word, love. I'm still having a hard time comprehending it, but I know exactly how it feels. ( I am only human afterall) I'm the kind of person who doesn't believe in "high school love". What I mean is, I don't believe people can fall in love with someone at such a young age. This is true especially towards young girls in their mid teen years. (Girls, don't hate me. Read on, it gets better. Trust me.)They have a syndrom that society calls, "Boy Crazy". They will seem to fall in love with the first boy they come in contact with, mainly because that's what they feel at the moment. But later on down the road, another "lover" will come into place and the love cycle will start over. But look at me, I'm "Girl Crazy". I do the exact same thing. I'm no different. But that doesn't mean I fall in love with every girl I come in contact with. People, I know we have our hormones to blame for our actions. But don't think it's ok to make googly eyes at at passing guy or girl. Doing that makes a person even more lustful. (But let's keep moving on)For some reason, people have the need to say I love you in a relationship. I guess it's a way to keep the relationship going without the fear of an approaching break up. But really, the more you strive for a long lasting relationship, the more likely it will fail. Most of the time, early "I love you" relationships break off after a few weeks or months (not all the time though). That happens because the person only feels in love and they realize that they don't know anything about the other person. I can tell anyone right now, from experience, that saying "I love you" in a short term relationship isn't the smartest thing to do. I say that because the word, "I love you" should be for the one you really do love and the one you plan on spending your life with. I can't see how so many people can love another person as much as they did the other. Myspace is the biggest way to express one's love for another. We see the status stating, "In a Relationship" or my favorite, "Married". Young teens are already saying that they are married when in fact they've only been dating for maybe a few months or a year. Did you know that only 5 of 100 people will marry their high school sweethearts? That's not a lot. And for the people who did marry their high school sweet hearts, most of them ended in divorce. That's truly sad and disappointing. If anyone wants to have a healthy, happy, and satisfying relationship, they have to accept the fact that it will NOT LAST. Whether you are 14, 15, 16, or 18 years old, it will not last. I know. I wrong about your relationship. Your relationship is different from your friends. Your bf is so great and you love him very much. You both have everything in common and he makes you the happiest person in the world. Hate to burst your bubble, but that has nothing to do with true love. You may refuse to accept this, but I got to tell you, it is true. You got to accept this fact that it won't last. If you don't accept it, dating will destroy you. You will be crushed, obliberated, heartbroken until God knows when. Once you do accept this fact, you will have a happier relationship. You'llbe ready for whatever comes your way. Like I mentioned before, love is patient. It should never be rushed into.

For all you people who are reading this and are saying, "What does this guy know about love? He doesn't know me? Everything he is saying is a lie! He's probably never even been in love before". You're probably right. I don't know you. Everyone has there own definition of love. I'll give it a shot at what I think love is. Here's my definition of what love is:

Love is Hopeful. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is when your hands shake and begin to sweat when the one you love is present. Love is when the words slip right from your mind when you want to speak. Love is when you have this overwhelming joy bursting inside of you and you hope it never leaves. Love is when everything seems to remind you of that person. Love is when you lay in bed at night and wonder if he/she is dreaming about you just as you dream about that person. Love is when you'll wait forever for him/her. Love is when that person begins to make you figure out your own life. Love is when you respect each other. Love is when you'll always be there for each other. Love is when you'd never close your eyes and miss one moment with each other. Love is when you think about his/her feelings before yours. Love is when you'd die for that person. Love is absolutely knowing you'll spend the rest of your life with each other. Love is never giving up on each other, no matter how bad things may seem. Love is following the words and wisdom of Gods will. And of course, love is making each other feel loved.

Now, here's my definition of what love is not:
Love is not about sex. Love is not about a sexy, curvy body with nice breasts. Love is not about a hot, muscular body with a pretty face. Love is not critical. Love is not always telling the girl she is beautiful no matter what. Love is not buying gifts for each other. Love is not instant. Love is not around every corner. Love is not shameful. Love is not abusive. Love is not controlling. Love is not manipulative. Love is not demeaning. Love is not about having things in common with each other. Love is not a romantic Hollywood movie. Love is not what you think it is. Love is not as easy as anyone makes it out to be. Love is not saying "I love you" 24/7.

I still have years before I can fully understand this thing, called love. Who knows when that love will come? It can come tomorrow, the next day, the next week, the next month, or even the next year.

If you have doubts about your relationship, don't worry. God has designed someone just for you. You will find the one who will bring you the happiness you deserve. As we get older, the dating rules seem to change. So what you believe in right now, will no longer apply to you as you grow up from the teen years.

In the words of John Lennon: "Love is wanting to be loved".

The Greatest Memories

2008-06-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

For most people, their best memories are either experiencing their first kiss, graduating high school, getting married, or witnessing the birth of their children. We all have our own definition of "the greatest memory". So far, during my lifetime I have experienced three of the greatest moments that I'll never forget. These are the moments that just make a person feel nostalgic, but also filled with an incomprehensible amount of happiness.

Hawaii Band Trip 2006: In the Spring of 2006, the Sierra High Symphonic and Jazz Band, along with the Choir, had the privilege of flying down to Hawaii for a week. For me, the trip was absolutely unforgettable. The trip was filled with excitement and also exhaustion. We got to eat anywhere we wanted and go anywhere we desired. During our free time, we all gathered at the Waikiki beach for some ocean swimming. But when we were busy, we performed for the Hawaiian audience. We performed at the Polynesian cultural center and even at Pearl Harbor, aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. Each day, I would hang out with my friend David and Miriam. Miriam and I would text day and night, especially when we were riding in separate buses to our performance place. I felt like we were on tour. My greatest memories of the Hawaii trip were: The night we explored Honolulu and ate at Tony Roma's, the Luau at the cultural center, dinner at Planet Hollywood, and especially hanging out at the Dole pineapple plantation. The Dole pineapple plantation was absolutely my favorite day out of the entire week. Overall, this was the best trip I had ever been on. Once in a while, I'll have a flashback of the trip or I'll see something that reminds me of it.

4th of July, 2006: When ever I think about fourth of July, I always think about the movie, "The Sandlot". If you haven't seen the movie, there's a scene where the kids are playing baseball at night while the fireworks are going off in the distance. Then the characters begin to move in slow motion while Ray Charles is softly singing, "America, the Beautiful". Watching that scene always makes me go back to my 4th of July.
I woke up early that day, around 7 or so to go see the 4th of July parade with my friend, Miriam. We began the day with a waffle breakfast. We then sat and watched the parade march down Main Street. After the parade was over, I went back to Miriam's house and hung out with her and her friend, Boomer. We went for a swim in her pool to get cooled off from the scorching heat. Eventually, Boomer left and it was just me and Miriam again. We both decided to call some of our friends up and hang out with them. Me and my friends walked around the block a few times just acting like teens. After spending the entire day goofing off, we went to the high school to watch the fireworks shoot off. We all went home thinking that the night was over, but my friend Matt called. We decided to have a late night snack at Denny's diner. My friend Reggie ate someone elses food that they did not finish. It was the most hilarious thing to have witnessed.
So to make a long story short, I spent the entire day with Miriam, then hung out with my other friends, watched the fireworks, and ate at Denny's...sounds like a very fun day to me.

State Youth Conference 2006: This was the memory to top the entire year. During the end of December, 2006, me and the rest of the church youth group attended a State Youth Conference in Long Beach, CA. Before we actually reached Long Beach, we made a pit stop at a little place I'd like to call, "the happiest place on Earth". I hung out with my friends Matt, Reggie, David, Miriam, Alyssa, Aaron, and literally my oldest buddy, Dale. Although we didn't go on many rides, we still had a blast. At first me, Matt, Reggie, and Dale, got food poisoning from the Disney fried Chicken. So during the entire time at the park we all felt weird. But after that horrible experience was over everything was good again.
The next day, we headed off to Long Beach for the conference. Everyday, my friends and I would eat at this really good Mexican grill, called Sharky's. The food was cheap and very tasty. After we were done eating, we would go back to the hotel and play some Guitar Hero 2. Of course, we weren't allowed to bring any electronics such as video games, but we were very sneaky. Eventually, we would have a gathering in our room waiting to play the game. We ordered pizza and made a mess of the room. While others had "cabin leaders" me and my friend had the hotel room to ourselves. That's why we had the party's.

So that wraps up my greatest memories. All of them happened during the same year and what a great year that was. I know I'll have even more great memories down the road of life.

Is it the End of the World as We Know it?

2008-05-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

Since September 11, 2001, many philosophers and researchers have claimed that day to be the beginning of the end. I've been pretty curious about all of this as well. Of course, no one knows when the end will occur, but doesn't it seem like the world is falling apart each year since 2000? Here, let me give you some examples of events that have occurred since the new millennium: 2001; September 11 terrorist attacks, 2002; U.S. invaded Afghanistan, 2003; SARS outbreak, 2004; Tsunami in Thailand, 2005; Hurricane Katrina, 2006; Avian Bird Flu, 2007; Solomon Islands hit by 8.1 earthquake ending in a tsunami, and 2008; in one week there were seven Tornadoes, fires, cyclones, 7.1 Earthquake in China, and to top it all off the stock market is dropping. But those are just some of the terrible events that have occurred so far. What could happen next is something no one can predict.
For millions of years, civilization has been obsessed with time. The ancient Mayans revolved their entire life to time. In fact, everything the Mayans constructed dealt with days of the year. For example, the pyramids would have 365 steps on each side. But what's more amazing is the fact that they constructed a calendar that told when "Doomsday" will occur. The calendar was set to December 21, 2012. It's the most talked about year in recorded history. Is it true? Who knows? But the worlds clock is ticking even faster each and every day. Sir Isaac Newton once calculated the earth's life and declared that the Earth will not last passed the year 2060. With all of these numbers flying around, the Earth could just end tomorrow.
So far, in 2008, gas prices have soared, food has become expensive, natural disasters are happening around every corner, the war in Iraq doesn't see a light at the end of the tunnel, and now we are about to choose the next president of the United Sates of America. Scholars are making accusations about Barack Obama being the Anti-Christ. Of course, no one really knows who the anti-Christ is, but just the fact that the word "Anti-Christ" is back gives some people a little concern. Everywhere you look now in days, you see billboards, bumper stickers, and hear more people sending the message of salvation to the world.
And let's not forget the biggest disaster of them all, Global Warming. For years, we the people of the Earth have been concerned with our environment. But lately, things have become a little out of control. The ice caps are melting faster than we have ever expected, which is why we have warmer winters and hotter summers. Also, we have been seeing more tornadoes down in the South West. Since 2008, there have been about 702 tornadoes striking down. We are doing everything we can to prevent Global Warming, but how can we prevent something that has already occurred. It's like cancer; once the virus has spread, all you can do is wait and see what happens. Of course, the ending is mostly never a good one.
God talks about how there will be diseases, many natural disasters, rumors of war, poverty, and claiming of being God. So far, I think every one of those omens have been fulfilled already.
But what about the rest of the years. Astronomers predict a major asteroid impact within the next three years, scientists have predicted the next earthquake to be the biggest of them all, gas prices are told to be twenty-five dollars a gallon by 2019, and the prediction of another stock market crash. I'm no Nostradamus, I'm not here to predict or make assumptions, but if God decided to come back now then I think that would be just fine. So, is it the end of the world as we know it? God only knows.

Goob-Bye Zoe

2008-04-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

On one fine afternoon in March, a kind little kitty came upon me. I had peaked out the back door because my eye had caught a glance of small movement. And that's when I saw it. I figured it was a timid cat who would run away if you came too close. But I still went to the back to see the cat. I grabbed a scoop of cat food and laid some on the ground in front of me. It appeared that the little kitten wandered about in the backyard of our house. The little kitten walked toward me as I kneeled to the ground. It rubbed its head on my leg and without notice it fell sideways onto my foot. I then noticed a collar around its neck. It had a pink name tag in the shape of a heart. Her name was Zoe, Zoe without a "Y". I then saw a phone number on the tag. Obviously, the young kitten belonged to someone. But who? I later showed my parents to the newest member of the family. Zoe was the friendliest cat in the whole world. But it wasn't long until we discovered that Zoe was pregnant. Well, I discovered it. No one really believed me when I told them she was. We later let Zoe come into the garage whenever she felt like it. She meowed so much and always caused some kind of mischief. If anyone had left the door open she would run into the house. But little did Zoe know that we had another cat living in the house already. They would always get into fights, but of course Zoe would win because my cat doesn't have front claws. Weeks had passed and Zoe was getting a little bigger from her pregnancy. It wasn't until Sunday, April 13 that no one could ever say she wasn't pregnant. I woke up that morning to go to church. Like always, I would check Zoe to see if she was okay. My parents always made Zoe go outside at night, but for some reason I felt the need to let her in the garage that evening. So when I went into the garage to check on Zoe, I couldn't find her. I searched and searched. I knew she couldn't have gone anywhere. I then looked at these shelves on the right side of the garage and there she was. I called her once. She didn't come. I called her once again. Still, she did not come to me. That's when I started to think something. I walked over to where she was laying and yes I was right. She had had kittens during the night. She had four little kittens. There was this black cat that always came around, so I always assumed he was the father. We didn't like that cat coming around. We had called the owner of Zoe, but there was no answer. A week had gone by and I was taking care of Zoe and her kittens. On a Sunday afternoon, there's a knock on the door. My mom answers it and it's the owner of Zoe. We let her in the garage to see Zoe and her kittens. The woman had two younger boys, both 7 years of age. They had come to take Zoe and her kittens home. I wasn't too bummed, but then I saw the way the two boys were handling the kittens. They were picking them up as if they were action figures. They were forcing the kittens to drink Zoe's milk. I was ready to yell at those kids. But soon, they had taken Zoe to their van. Immediately, when they put Zoe in their car, she ran back to our house and into our backyard as if she didn't want to go. And that was probably the reason why. But they got her back and now she's gone forever. It's different around house now. I use to go in the garage ready for a greeting from a cat. The spot where she laid is now just a spot. Zoe was the best cat in the whole world.

Perfection is an Oxymoron

2008-04-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever known someone that you just love and care about so much only to be disappointed by them? If you have, then I know how you feel. It's really hard to deal with. You just want to picture everyone with little halos above their heads. But when you discover that the golden halo has been cut into two red thorns, all of your views suddenly crumble to the ground. Especially when you have so much respect and confidence in that person. Sometimes I wish God did make us all perfect. By that, there would be no wars, no anger, no sadness, no imperfection of the human mind. What are you suppose to do when you find out the one you love isn't all he/she is cut out to be? Again, it's not an easy thing to deal with, I know. But it doesn't matter because of the fact that we humans are not created perfect. And that's the beauty of it. In order to achieve happiness, we must all encounter disappointment by our fellow friends. From that point on, we can help one another and maybe encourage them to become a better person. When someone really disappoints you, it's hard to see them as you did before. But you still love them just as you did before. It's kinda like a "love/hate" situation. You think to yourself, "Why did they have to go and do that?" and it saddens you to have to think that way. I know everyone makes mistakes. I should know, I'm a huge problem. I'm nothing close to perfection, and I don't intend to be be perfect, but everyday I strive to become a better person. Not just for myself, but for my family, friends, and especially for God. We are a fine example of what Jesus Christ went through when He walked the Earth. He was disappointed by his own disciples, by his followers, and by the entire human race. But he still loved us so much to give His life for us so that when we disappoint God we may be forgiven and given a second chance. There's just no way of escaping man's imperfection. So the moral of this blog is, "If you love someone and they disappoint you, don't give up on them. Love them just as God will always love you".

Delta:911

2008-03-06T23:01:00.000-08:00

Today, at approximately 2:30pm, Delta College had a school emergency. It all happened during my last class of the day, astronomy. Our teacher was giving a lecture on comets when out of nowhere I hear this loud, obnoxious buzz. I first turned to my neighbor, Adam, to check if he was hearing the same noise. It wasn't long until our teacher took notice and checked to see what all the noise was about. It turned out that it was the school alarm. People were running to go in the nearest class for safety. Of course with all the school shootings occurring, it wasn't a surprise to see people freaked out. It was really weird because no one knew what to do. It wasn't like high school where the alarm goes off and everyone stands in front of their classroom. Plus, our class was on the fourth floor. We all walked down the stairs together unaware of what was going on. As we were walking down stairs, we could see firetrucks and police cars surrounding the campus. We all figured that there was a fire somewhere, since we were in the science building. Maybe there was a chemical fire in the labs. I walked around a little to see if anyone knew anything. I could hear people whispering to one another, "I think they're looking for someone". Firemen were coming out of their trucks with stretchers and oxygen tanks. I don't know if anyone got hurt. I figured since this was happening I'd head on home. But my car was across the campus. Police officers had blocked off all access to the department buildings. So I had to go around, through the scene of all the action. I finally reached my car. I drove away, but only to see more firetrucks on every corner of the school. When I drove off campus, I took a right onto Pershing Avenue. There's a detour I always take to avoid traffic lights. All of a sudden, I see a line up of police cars. They were all parked along the sidewalk. The police had arrested a Caucasian male. The man looked about 40 years of age. Dirty blond hair, partially bald. He looked somewhat rugged, wearing a white shirt and jeans.

Several days later, I discovered that the man I saw getting arrested was involved in a bank robbery that same day. Him and a couple other guys were on the lose from the police. I'm guessing the cops arrested the other men.

So that was a pretty cool experience. School was let out and justice was served during the same day. Actually, we were supposed to go back to class afterwards, but I didn't know, sooooo....yeah.

My hero, Tom Delonge

2008-02-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

Mostly everyone knows who Tom Delonge is. But for those who don't, he was the founder and lead guitarist/vocals for the former punk band, Blink-182. He then formed a side band called Box Car Racer. Soon after, Blink-182 was abandoned. Both Tom Delonge and bassist Mark Hoppus went their seperate ways, never to talk to each other again. Mark formed a band called, +44 with Blink-182 drummer, Travis Barker. Tom went out to make something better of himself. He formed a band called, Angels & Airwaves (AVA), with Box Car Racer's guitarist David Kennedy. So that's who Tom is and where he's at now. But many people ask me, "Why is Tom your hero?" Well, to to answer that question, it is simply because of who he is now. Blink-182 was a very talented band, but immaturity was always occuring throughout their career. Tom and Mark would run around naked, write songs about having sex with a dog, and tell all the penis jokes possible. There was nothing mature about that band. But in 2003, all of that had changed. Their last album contained no immaturity whatsoever. The reason was because Tom felt the need to grow up. He wanted to make a change and start something beautiful. If you're a Blink fan then you know what happened next. At the time, Tom was married and was about to have his daughter, Ava. He also has a boy named, Jonas. Tom needed to go home and spend time with his wife and child. So Tom decided to make a difference. His new band, Angels & Airwaves, is more of a serious band with a spiritual message. Believe it or not, Tom is a Christian. He was raised by religious parents. I was reading the thank you's in the back of the album cover and Tom thanks God for every opportunity he was given. Also, whenever I see a picture of Tom or a music video, he is always wearing his wedding band. That shows true devotion to his wife. The point is is that he went from a skater punk to a well respected, father, husband, and musician. That proves no matter how famous you may be you can still be happy and live your life for the ones you love. There is always a time to make a difference. Most musicians are doing drugs, having sex with various women, going through divorces, and going through rehab. Tom still has that potty mouth, but he says it is a terrible habit that can't seem to go away. But besides that, he is a musician that deserves a lot of respect. His music has impacted and inspired many teens to get off their feet and make a difference in their own life. That is my hero, Tom Delonge.

Spongebob Squarepants:Fish Wars

2008-02-15T23:22:00.000-08:00

This is a story that I wrote when I was little. I thought I'd try to make my own Spongebob episode.

"Ah, Bikini Bottom...where all sea creatures live in harmony. But wait! What's this? Something is happening at the Krusty Krab".
"Red alert! Red alert!" Spongebob shouted "Plankton is stealing a Krabby Patty! What should we do, Mr. Krabs?"
Everyone was screaming and running around in circles. Mr. Krabs was holding his safe tight against his chest. Spongebob had never seen Mr. Krabs sweat so much. He was sweating more than the time he was playing The Flying Dutchman's Treasure, a board game based off a real treaure map.
Mr. Krabs, still shaking at his boots, answered Spongebob,"I don't know! I'm just a cheap old tightwad!"
"Yeah, that's true" said Spongebob.
Then, with a sudden outburst, Spongebob yelled, "I got it Mr. Krabs! I got it!"
"What is it lad?" questioned Mr. Krabs
In a smooth, calm voice Spongebob answered, "It says in this book what to do if Plankton steals a Krabby Patty".
Mr. Krabs was amazed to have some help. "Oh, really? What's the book called?"
Spongebob stood there for a moment and just stared at Mr. Krabs before answering, "It's called What to do if Plankton Steals a Krabby Patty".
"Oh. Well, what does the book say, boy?"
"It doesn't say anything Mr. K. You know books can't talk, silly. You have to read it. Duhhhh."
"Okay, then what does it read?"
"I don't know. I didn't know books could read".
"Spongebob, just tell me!!!!"
"Well, it says here in Article 125,648,467,857,758...
(The Next Day)
575,797,001 that we can start a fast food war."
"What's that?" questioned Mr. Krabs
"It says here in Article 125,64..."
"Spongebob, please...I beg you, just tell me what it says to do".
"Geez, fine. It says here if the Krsusty Krab is ever ambushed by Plankton, of the Chumb Bucket, then Mr. Krabs can declare a war against the opposing restaurant."
Mr. Krabs knew there was no way he could lose.
"Ha! There's no way I can lose! We'll take him to the cleaners".
"Uhh, Mr. K. It also says if we lose then we must give up the Krabby Patty secret formula".
"Spongebob. Don't worry about it. We'll get you, Squidward, your friend Sandy, umm Patrick, and the rest of the charcters in the show no one cares about".
Mr. Krabs yelled from the front door of the restaruant. "Hey! Plankton!"
Plankton walks out. "What is it Krabs?"
"The Krusty Krab declares a fast food war against you".
"Ah, I see Spongebob showed you the book".
"How do you know about the book?"
"How do I know? I wrote it!"
Mr. Krabs was very confused at this moment.
Plankton discusses to Mr. Krabs about his plan to defeat the Krusty Krab once and for all. He wrote the book in order to start a war. Plankton was ready for any attack Mr. Krabs had planned. There was no way Plankton could lose.
This made Mr. Krabs very angry.
"It doesn't matter what you think, Plankton! The Krusty Krab is going to win!"
"Oh yeah?!"
"Yeah!"
"Oh yeah?!"
"Yeah!"
"Okay, see you tomorrow." They both said cheerfully

5:30 that night

"What's up plankton? See you tomorrow".
"Okay bye".

The Next Day

The war had begun. Sauces were flying left to right. Let's see how the fight is going.
"Nooooo! I can't believe I'm losing!" Yelled Mr. Krabs
"I can. No one can defeat me! That Krabby Patty is as good as mine!"
Then out of the cold blue, Mr. Krabs had an idea. It was the only way they stood a chance for winning. It had to be done.
"You know what, Plankton? It doesn't matter what you say or think. We have a secret weapon".
"What? Is Squidward going to play his Clarinet?"
"Psh, no!" Mr. Krabs turned to Squiward and whispered to him, "Sorry Squidward". Squidward left with his clarinet in his hands.
What will Mr. Krabs do now? If that was his secret weapon, what will happen. What will become of the Krusty Krab? Who will save us? Wait! What's this?
Out from the distance, Spongebob flies in on a fighter plane.
"Hey Mr. Krabs! Look what I found".
"Spongebob, where did you get that thing?" asked Mr. Krabs
"I don't know. Some place called Area 51."
"Spongebob! Thos planes carry bombs! You can let them go!"
"Okie Dokie Mr. Krabs."
"Okay, it has an Atom bomb in it, so we might have a chance. When I count to three, you drop the bomb. But you better hurry, you might fly off course."
"Ok, Mr. K!"
Mr. Krabs turns to Plankton. "What do you think of that, Plankton?"
Plankton grew speechless.
"Ok...one....two...three! Drop the Atom bomb!"
So Spongebob threw down a bomb in the shape of a guy named Adam.
"No! Not the Adam bomb! The Atom bomb!"
"ohhhh..."
"Ok, you're off course now. Don't fire!"
"What? Fire? There's a fire! Everyone run, there's a fire!" shouted Spongebob
"Spongebob, what are you doing?"
" There's a fire and I can't land this thing. Maybe this big red button that says Do Not Push will make me land."
Mr. Krabs yells to Spongebob, "No, that's the Atom bomb button!" You're off course!"
"What was the Kr. Krabs?" spongebob said in a dumb manner
"That's the Atom bomb button! Turn around!"
"What?!"
"That's the Atom bomb button! Turn around!"
"What? You want me to push the button and blow up the town?"
"Yes, no wait..."
"Ok, here I go. I'll push it in slow motion for a dramatic effect."
"Spongebob, nooooooooo!!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spongebob had dropped the bomb. It blew up the entire town, including the Krusty Krab.
Spongebob finally landed the flying machine.
"I did it Mr. Krabs! I did it! Even if I am suffering from mild radiation. But I did it! I saved the Krabby Patty secret formula! I...hey, where did everyone go? Oh, they probably went to celebrate. Man, look at this town. Glad I don't live here. Hey look, fish sticks!"

The End

Sons of Thunder

2008-02-07T23:22:00.000-08:00

Sons of Thunder are a Christian rock band from Manteca, California, in 2006 by drummer Eric Medina and vocals/lead guitarist Dale Brockhaus. The band also consisted of guitarist David Corder , lead guitarist/vocals Jake McKinsey, rythem guitar/vocals Reggie Spiers, bassist Matt Rindels, and keyboardist Heather Winston. Sons of Thunder occasionally had back up singers. The band are considered pioneers of Christian rock and contemporary rock, alongside bands such as Sonicflood, Chris Tomlin, Desperation Band, and Day of Fire.

Sons of Thunder underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first self-titled album, "Sons of Thunder", in 2006. The band recorded their most successful song, Cornerstone. Keyboardist, Heather Winston, had left the band during their rise. The band then recorded their second album, "Let's Go!" in 2007.

Sons of Thunder successfully sold an estimated 150 million copies worldwide, including 68 million in the U.S. This made Sons of Thunder the 5th highest selling Contemporary Christian Rock album ever. They were ranked 20 on VH1's top 100 "Greatest Indie-Rock Bands of the 21st Century".

Name
Eric Medina developed the idea of the band's name after reading Mark 3:17 from the Bible. Sons of Thunder was the name Jesus gave John and James. He told them to follow God and cast out demons and save the unsaved. The band thought it was a "cool" name that really fit the style of the band itself. And the name certainly showed in Sons of Thunder.

History
All members were born in California. Besides Dale Brockhaus, Jake McKinsey, former guitarist of the band, "Forgivin", was the first among the band to be lead guitarist/vocals. Sons of Thunder soon recruited acoustic guitarist, David Corder. It wasn't long until the band really needed a bassist. Eric Medina insisted that his long-time friend, Matt Rindels, should play bass. It was then the band knew he was in. After many performances, keyboardist/guitarist Heather Winston joined the band. It wasn't long until Reggie Spiers, an electric rhythm guitarist/vocals joined in. The band and audience immediately fell in love with his voice.

Tough Times for Sons of Thunder
But it wasn't all fun and games for Sons of Thunder. Guitarists' Reggie Spiers and Jake McKinsey
soon became worst of enemies. Jake grew angry with Reggie every moment. It got bad enough where Jake wouldn't play with the band as much as he did before. During this time, Heather Winston had dropped the band to pursue schooling and choir. Like every family, the parents have to let their children go on their own. Lead guitarist, Dale Brockhaus, left the band due to his outside work. Sons of Thunder were left to continue Dale's work.

The Band's Revival
The band's first performance was at a miniature golf course, called Boomers. They presented a free concert to the public. From their the band made it mainstream.

The Fall of Sons of Thunder
In the Summer of 2007, Sons of Thunder had broken up due to new management of the band. Although, the band had left, one stayed behind. Guitarist David Corder, was recruited by another Christian Rock band, "Powerhouse".

Sons of Thunder Today
Today, all former members of Sons of Thunder are working solo. Eric Medina is occasionally invited to play with other Christian bands. Jake McKinsey continues to play guitar. Matt Rindels still plays bass, but no longer for a band. Him and Eric have began to create songs of their own. Keyboardist Heather Winston was recruited by David Corder to play in his new band.

Former Band Members

Dale Brockhaus-Lead Guitarist/Vocals
Jake Mckinsey-Lead Acoustic Guitarist/Vocals
Dave Corder-Rythem Acoustic Guitarist
Reggie Spiers-Rythem Electric Guitarist
Heather Winston-Former Keyboardist/Guitarist/Vocals
Matt Rindels-Bassist
Eric Medina-Drums

Discography

Sons of Thunder Released April 2006 Label: Atlantic U.S. Sales: 68 Million

Let's Go! Released June 2007 Label: Atlantic U.S. Sales: 72 Million

Election 2008

2008-02-05T22:20:00.000-08:00

Today is February 5th, 2008 aka "Super Tuesday". But this is a particulary different Tuesday. This is a Tuesday that will go down in American presidential history. Whoever particapated in today's voting will be a part of history as well. Why is this election such a big deal you may ask? For the first time in history, there is an African American male (Barack Obama) and a female candidate (Hillary Clinton). If Hillary wins this election, then that means we've had two Bush's (Geroge H.W. Bush & George W. Bush) and two Clinton's (Bill Clinton & Hillary Clinton). But that is only true if you were born in the late 80's.

Because of these two candidates, it also makes this election the most expensive election ever. Clinton has spent over $118M while Obama has spent over $103M. Obama and Clinton are both leading Democrats. McCain of the Republican party is in first, next Romney, followed by Huckabee in last. Edwards, Richardson, Dodd, Biden, and Kucinich are all out of the race. Each of them only spent under $40M on their campaign. Romney has spent a little over $90M, McCain $42M, Paul $28M, and Huckabee $8M. The following candidates are out: Giuliani, Thompson, Tancredo, Hunter, and Paul. Each raised under $60M.

In the state of California, only 15,527,076 people are registered voters. Forty-three percent are Democrats, thirty-four percent are Republicans, and twenty-three percent are other. Forty-five percent of male and fifty-five percent of female Democrats voted today. The highest percentage of Democratic voters were between the age of 45 and 59. Sixteen percent of young Democrats voted ( ages 18-29). Fifty-four percent of male and forty-six percent of female Republicans voted today. The highest percentage of Republican voters were from the elderly, ranging from age 60+. Ten percent, being the lowest, were from young adults. Again, these results are only for California.

For myself, I voted for Huckabee. I am a true Republican and I stick to my roots. Will Huckabee win? Probably not. But he is the one who is not giving up. Also, he is the only one with the best morals and values. He is the governor and the pastor of a Baptist church.

Today was only the primary election. The general election will be on November 2, 2008. Is America really ready for a change? Are we ready for a new experience? Only you, America, can decide. Vote 2008!

The Flying Drumstick

2008-01-31T18:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it was about a half a year ago. I was in my high school pep band my Senior year. We were able to perform half-time at a UC Berkely football game, along with other bands. First of all, I got to say that it was the hottest day of my life. If that day was hot, I can't imagine what Hell must feel like. But anyway, back to the story. We were heading back home on a bus. I was sitting next to my friend, Pier. Her and I were listening to music to kill the time. Our band consisted mainly of Freshmen and Sophomores. Imagine what that might feel like. But there were some Freshmen eating some crispy chicken drumsticks. KFC or homemade, I don't know. A red convertable drives to the left side of the bus. One of our band students thought it would be hilarious to throw the crispy chicken drumstick out the bus window and into the convertable. And that's exactly what they did. They pushed up the window and they let that sucker go. It landed in the backseat of the red convertable. The driver, who was a woman, did not even notice the fallen greasy chicken. It was just really funny. Just think about it. All of a sudden a chicken drumstick flies out of a bus window and into a car. It was one of those it's-only-funny-if-you-were-there kind of moments.

The Shape

2008-01-17T19:34:00.000-08:00

OK, so I've always had this fear. The fear of someone standing outside of my front door at night peering into the house. I even had a dream about that happening. That increased the fear about ten times. I had a dream that I was walking up the stairs and someone was just standing outside the house. It was just a silhouette of a man or some thing. It just stood there. I remember the fear in my dream. It was as if it actually happened. So every night from that point on I do this look-out thing. As I walk up the stairs at night I take a glance outside, hoping not to see that figure. But here's the deal. After many days and many glances out the window my dream came true. Here's what happened. I was walking upstairs to my room and I looked outside, as I always do. I figured nothing was going to be there. But something had caught my eye. I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating or if something was actually there. I first ignored it and kept walking. But something kept drawing me back to the stair balcony. All I saw was this black figure standing outside the door. I squinted my eyes a little for some focus. I could feel the sweat rising from my scalp and my temperature start to rise. I couldn't believe what was happening here. I walked downstairs as if I'd seen a ghost. I told my dad and brother, "I think there's someone standing outside our front door. I'm either seeing things or someone is really there." My dad got up and walked towards the front door. He opened it. There stood my brother's ex-girlfriend. Yeah, she knocked on the door once and decided to leave it at that. Now what I thought was a black figure actually turned out to be her skin color. But silly as that sounded...it really creeped me out. I could not believe that one of my worst fears had actually happened. I know all of our dreams are supposed to come true...but really, do all of them have to?

Yo Gabba Gabba: The Kid Show From Hell

2008-01-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

Ok so here's the deal. There's a popular children's show on Nick Jr. called 'Yo Gabba Gabba'. It's those kind of shows that teach kids to stay healthy and be a good citizen. But if you've ever seen the show, you know how creepy and disturbing it is. They use a thing called Hypnopeadia. It's when kids are being conditioned to live a certain way to benefit. They support the most bizarre ideas. The show starts out with an African American man named DJ Lance dressed up in orange tights and an orange hat. He carries a stereo, but it's not a real radio. He opens it and there appear five creatures. I guess kids are supposed to find them cute and cuddly. The show will then cut to a segment of a dancing kid. Then, the creatures will sing about the weirdest topics. For instance, they sang about germs. It was really, really scary. A creature by the name of Brobee drops his bread on the ground. He is told that the bread is now dirty and full of germs. They then break out into song and sing about how bad germs are. Here's part of the song, "We are the germs! We are the germs! And we will make you sick! We are the germs! We are the germs! And we will make you sick!" They then repeat it over and over many times. But the germs talk in an evil cynical voice. If I was a kid and I saw that, it would make me fear germs. Another song that freaked me out was a song about not biting your friends. A creature by the name of Muno bites his female friend, Foofa, on the hand. They tell him to only bite food. It goes to clips of him biting food and a clip of him biting his friends' arm. You know what? Let me just show you what I mean. I have a little clip here to show the weirdness of the show. The song is called, "Party in my tummy". For some reason, I kept thinking of "Party in my pants." This show really makes me feel good about going to college and getting my education.

Five People You Meet in Heaven

2008-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

In life, there are three essential properties for living. One is water, another is air, and another is food. But I believe there is one more aspect to life. I'm talking about friends. No, not the TV show...real life friends. I watched the movie 'I am Legend' and I realized how important it is to have friends. Because without friends we would lose all sanity. But I believe that God has given each and everyone of us specific friends for a special reason. I've read the books :'5 People You Meet in Heaven' and '90 Minutes in Heaven' . After reading those two books I thought to myself, "I wonder who I will meet when I first enter Heaven." The first people you're supposed to meet are the people who had a major impact during your lifetime. I have a lot of friends and acquaintances but only a few have not only impacted my daily life, but my spiritual life as well.

The first person that comes to mind is my long time friend, Matt Rindels. We have been friends since kindergarten. Him and I definitely have different view points about things, but it's because of our different personalities that make me view life in a whole new perspective. Not all of us know just as much as the other and everyday we learn something about ourselves.

The next person is a really good friend of mine, Reggie Spiers. Him and I go way back. Reggie is one of the most determined person I know. He shows me that no matter where you come from or how you live, you can do anything you want if you set your mind to it. Reggie is really committed to sports and his girl and that deserves a lot of respect. A lot of people don't see that in him because of his past.

Next is Reilee Brown. Reilee and I don't see each other a whole lot but he has definitely shown me a lot. He is a really loyal person, especially towards his family. He has such a huge respect for his father and he works very hard at being the big brother.

The fourth person is an old school buddy, Rafael Contreras. Him and I never hang out or anything, but I have known him personally since elementary school. He is the hardest working man I know. I have the most respect for this guy. His mom was diagnosed with cancer several years back and he does whatever he can to support himself and his family. He works as a host at a restaurant and at the same time attends college. Not only that, he is also in a long term relationship. I wish him the best of luck.

This is my grandma Angie or what I like to call her, my Nana. She has given me so many life lessons. She is really smart and very involved in her Mexican heritage. She came from a very rough background as a child. But she really worked hard to fit into the American culture. My grandma is just in love with Jesus. She's always in a good mood and is always making friends where ever she goes. She is also very involved in art and literature. My grandma has shown me if I want something really badly I have to work for it. She has also told me to fight for what I believe in and not let others tell me I can't do something.

Finally, this person has impacted my life very dramtically. Her name is Miriam Baccus. Her and I met in 2005. Miriam is one of those people who doesn't come by very often. I've watched her grow from age 14 till now. As her life changed, so did mine. Even though my life has taken a big turn because of her, she is still the one who I will probably see first in Heaven.

Living With OCD

2008-01-03T16:09:00.000-08:00

Most children grow up with the fear of having a monster in their closest or the fear of not making friends at school, but unfortunately, I was never like most children. While kids were outside jumping in mud puddles, touching bugs, and not caring about anything in the world, I cared about every little thing. Some might have called it a phase, maybe child-like behavior, but at the time of my young life, I had no idea what to call it except total stress. That's exactly what I was feeling every single day of my young life. I didn't find it odd that I was afraid of germs or that I had to continuously check door knobs. To me, that was just an everyday thing. To me, that was considered normal. It then became a nightmare when everything I did began to run my life. If I lived back in the 14th century, people might have thought I was demon possessed. It wasn't until I took a psychology class in high school where I learned about a mental disorder called OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). My teacher had discussed what OCD was and it was then that I realized that I had that same disorder. At this point, it had been about seven years since I dealt with OCD. Now in my 20s, I still deal with OCD, but in a different matter. When I was a kid, my OC was out of control. It irritated me as well as my family because I couldn't control my actions, whether it was clearing of my throat, collective of my saliva, or uttering the words "stop it" referring to my paranoia that Satan was messing with my head. Today, my OCD has decreased to a lower level, but I know I still have it and I feel it may progress back to its normal state. The sad thing about this is that I allow myself to keep it with me. Even though I deal with OCD everyday of my life, I feel that it's what makes me who I am today. I am highly involved in playing the guitar and doing photography. Because of OCD, it helps me notice the littlest things in life that no one else pays close attention to. I feel if I rid myself of this disorder I will lose the ability of being a great photographer. If Van Gogh rid himself of his disorder, do you think he would have been a great painter or just mediocre? Though my OC helps me here and there with my arts, it's not something I wish I had. Having to do things such as organizing colors from each other, eating food items one at a time, having to have cabinets/closets fully closed, having to use two forks for one meal, having the microwave say the time not the last second of heating, cleaning the dry white flakes off of the milk carton, or any other irrational task does tend to take up some time of my everyday schedule. To be honest, my brother is the only one in my family who knows I truly have this disorder. Everyone else tends to believe that I am acting or it's just a thing that all people do once in a while. No matter how hard I try to convince my parents that I have OCD, they never seem to understand. Along with the never-ending tasks, I do have phobias that are quite uncommon, not to mention irrational, and religious obsessions, which I have had my entire life. No actor can ever feel the same way that I do. No person can ever manipulate my actions. What kind of person would try to pretend he/she has a mental disorder? Though I try to avoid doing my rituals in public, I sometimes do. I try to keep my disorder as private as possible among people I know, because I don't want to be treated differently or thought about differently. One of my biggest annoyances is when people say they have OCD just because they have certain interests or habits. If you're doing something that you know is irrational, but continue to do it anyway, then you can say there's something wrong with you.

This is my story. This is me living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.