Anew about everything.

So it struck me like a bolt of lightning (sorry for the cliche-ness). 

I had an idea for another project...but this one has a more personal attachment than most. I'm not really sure why, but I feel like this could be something pretty big. Much bigger than anything else I can imagine. I'm willing to put forth a lot of effort into the project, not to mention maybe hiring some help. I've thought about turning this idea into my first complete graphic novel. Now as far as if this will ever complete itself, who knows. All I know is that this could be an actual idea that can stick around for a while....

Besides, the fun has already started. I've already shown some of my excitement on my Facebook page to share with others. I have a feeling it's going to freak some people out. Oh boy, if they only knew the grand scheme of things to come! xD 

I'm beginning to become really excited about it...even though it is 3:30am and I should actually be sleeping because I have to report to work for a pointless morning meeting @ 7:00am, yuck. 

More details as they come...

In spite of all that has happened...

I look back at this year as a collection of some great learning experiences.

Not just in my professional life, but especially in my personal life. Things I once have taken for granted are now more carefully thought through than before. New realizations and revelations unfolded about my life through the words of others.

I'm truly lucky to be in company of such wonderful people.

Through all the hard times, the good times, and the times in which we just simply did not know what to do, I thank everyone and everything that has happened throughout the year as it has all given me the chance to develop into the person I am today. I wish the best to all of you and continue to hope for better, for worse, and for more for all in 2007.

Congratulations everyone, we've made it through another year.

Iowa Games

What a weekend it was...

Tennis is 100 degree weather is something I wish to never do again. It was ridiculous. The head for the tennis portion of the Iowa Games couldn't have planned it on any better weekend than the two hottest weekends of summer. Of course, I guess I can't really complain too much as it was still a lot of fun, despite the killer heat wave.

In fact, my doubles partner and I happen to place 3rd in men's doubles. I'm sure we could have made it further, but my partner I believe had suffered from heat exhaustion on Saturday. So, come Sunday he wasn't really feeling too well. I don't blame him for ducking out in the second set. He had shown signs of fatigue, nausea, and light headedness. I would probably call it as well if I felt like that. My knees were killing me though, having to play all day on Saturday. But, we decided to call the match because winning the match was not as important as the health of my partner. Plus, we were already guaranteed a medal and reaching the semifinals was quite an achievement. This was the first year we had made it this far. So, needless to say we were pleased with our placement. There's always next year.

I didn't do so hot in my singles match, which occured before the doubles around 9 am. I could say that the heat had a part in it, but really I ended up just beating myself, as I'm sure I had a good number of unforced errors. I just hate it when I just give points to my opponent on stupid mistakes I make. I think it was pretty clear that I could the guy down, but I don't know what happened for me to just not be able to close the match. I was up 5-3 in the first set and I had him. But then, I made a crap load of unforced errors and lost in the tiebreak 7-6 (3-7). It was absolutely frustrating for me, as it showed in the second set when my opponent pummled me 6-1. I was not satisfied and was very disappointed in my performance to say the least. It helped that later in the day my doubles partner and I performed really well. It certainly helped in bring my spirits up again.

In mixed doubles action, I teamed up for the first time with a friend of mine who also graduated from my same high school. She attends Drake University now and still continues to play tennis down there with the local university club team. I'm definitely sure we had the match, but of course when you destroy your opponents 6-1 in the first set, you tend to get a little loose in the second set. The first set was amazing as we returned everything and just dominated on both net play and baseline play, especially my doubles partner. She had some amazing baseline shots that were unbelievable. A couple shots down the line, and some superb lobs that just totally caught our opponents off guard. I was very impressed to say the least. We lost the first game, but came back and won our first set 6-1. The second set was like what happens to most music artist's sophomore albums, flop. We had a good start, staying with our opponents 2-2, but then we fell behind and dropped the second set 3-6. But we didn't give up and faught back in the tiebreaker 3rd set, but we came a little short and lost the tiebreaker 7-9, for a final match score of 6-1, 3-6, 0-1 (7-9). It was a great match and I'm sure we could have taken it, but by no means was I disappointed. We did a good job and there is always next year.

Frisbees, Chilli Dogs, and Routers...

You ever get one of those days when everything just doesn't seem to work?

Well, for my roommate that was totally the case...well, at least when we went disc golfing. It was quite funny, but I could understand his frustration and wanting to stop playing by the time we all were on the last 9 holes...err, baskets.

It was him and two other friends who decided to come along and play some disc golf. I'm not much of a fan of disc golf, but today was one of those days when the weather is perfect to do anything outside. Since I really didn't feel like staying inside and being on the computer all day, I figure why not give it a go. I mean, I had been sleeping until the afternoon hours, so it was time to get up and go play outside! First of all, I needed a disc. So, my roommate and I left for the mall to pick up a new frisbee for myself and he wanted another one as well.

Boy did he regret picking a new one up...well, at least the one he picked. Hehe.

Here's why:

We all met out a disc golf course just north of the Fredricksen Court, which happens to be the living area of one of the other friends who decided to come along. It was all fun and cheery for the first 3 baskets, which we happen to have started on the back 9 first because we didn't want to wait for the group who were at basket 1. But after basket 13, everything changed for my roommate. Reason being beecause he ended losing the brand new frisbee after his first toss at basket 13. I think it took us about 30 - 45 mins. to search for it, only to find that we all had overlooked the frisbee. Then pretty after all that, it happened again by the time we reached basket 4. Again, it was another case of overlooking, but with his disc missing all the time, about 7 groups had passed us on the course. :P Of course, we had to save the best for last at basket 8 when my roommate tossed his frisbee up into a tree and got it stuck.

Oo.......are you freaking serious!? LMAO, this is unbelievable!

But no worries, as our other friend happens to be an accurate shot with rocks and knocked it down before we resorted to the plan of sending me up the tree to retrieve it or just forgetting about it and having my roommate be out $8. Hehe.

Of course though, all ended well and we decided to head over to Dairy Queen to relax and grab some food to eat. The reason of course for going to Dairy Queen was because it was the only place that any of us could think of who serves chilli dogs. Mmm! For some strange reason I've had a strong craving for chilli dogs for the past week and now I finally get to eat one!

But it wasn't the end of my roommate's bad day. Oooooh no it wasn't! :P

There happened to be a woman working at the Dairy Queen we went to who happened to be the same woman who threatened to inform the police of my roommate's activities around that Dairy Queen when he was working for the ISU Daily student newspaper.

Oo...this is just too much! LOL!!!

Of course, he was beat by the end of the day we all parted ways and my roommate and I returned home. Fun day though, very interesting and I have to say it was a lot of fun...even with all the unfortunate events that occured to my roommate. As frustrating that was for him, I have to say that I think we got a good laugh out of the day.

The way days should end. :)

Afterwards, I ended up leaving for Osceola to visit family and friends. With having high speed internet hook up finally at my home in Osceola, it was more of an incentive to come down and hang out. Before when we just had dial up, I really didn't want to come down, only if I had to. Now, it's like I don't mind coming down at all! Kinda pathetic for someone to have high speed just to come down to visit their hometown. Certainly tells everyone how much time I really spend in front of the computer. Anyways, my sister has been having a hard time with her wireless internet access before of the stupid Netgear router she bought. But, being the genius that I am (yeah, right :P), I happen to figure out that mystery. Of course, my sister was already asleep by the time I figured it out, I was still very happy and now very content as I can now use my PowerBook wirelessly in my own home! Yeah, I was quite relieved to figure that out so that I wouldn't have to be wired to her router in order to gain internet access whenever I come down.

Good stuff I tell ya :)

Like Blood Like Honey

Again, I haven't come back to writing about things that have happened in my life recently. I guess I find it difficult to remember that I can jot down thoughts I've been having all day one here. It's a good outlet and I should utilize it more....

You ever get that feeling when you can sense whether someone likes or dislikes you? I don't just mean in relationship terms, but even as a person. A friend of mine happen to reintroduce me to someone I had briefly met a while back during the school year. She is quite beautiful and is even from a different country, of course, not that different.

I'm talking England. But still, the accent is pretty attractive. hehe.

Well, we all happen to go out to play some tennis. She refused because she thought she lacked the skills to play. Even with all the heckling and begging my friend and I proposed to her to play, she still decided to watch from the sidelines as my friend and I continued to play two sets of tennis. Of course, being the idiot I am, I had shown a little of my aggression when I'm losing, because lets face it, who likes to lose?

I think that was a major turnoff for her.

I'm sorry. I get that way sometimes when I'm frustrated. I was really frustrated that night because nothing was really going in and I was losing pretty badly.

Anyways, when I escorted her back to her apartment, she didn't really look at me or say anything to me, and it seemed like every time I tried to talk to her, she wouldn't really respond. I'm thinking it's because of my reaction to not making a particular shot.

*sigh* If only I had been so stupid and did that, maybe she would continue to speak with me, but I think she's afraid to.

I guess I can just say oh well because I didn't really know her that well, but I just didn't like the way I behaved on the court and leave setting that kind of tone until the next time we meet. I guess I got carried away. Seems like I tend to do that. What can i say, I can be dramatic sometimes even though I say that I don't like drama.

New Release Tuesday!

I love Best Buy Tuesdays <3!

New stuff is always fun and today was a good new release Tuesday. After finishing a substitute shift (I worked for someone who happened to injury themselves during a softball game), I went ahead and picked up the movie "Underworld Evolution" and the super awesome mega CD that is "Holly Brook Like Blood Like Honey (hence the title of this post). I've listened to the CD 3 times now and I just can't get enough of it. I first sampled her CD about a month ago on her MySpace page. I actually discovered her through Fort Minor's MySpace page. Fort Minor of course being Mike Shinoda's (from Linkin Park) little side project with Styles of Beyond, which is also a sweet CD as well. She has a style similar to Rachael Yamagata and maybe even a little Sarah McLachlan (sp?).

Definitely worth a check out.

I haven't watched the "Underworld Evolution" DVD yet, but I'm thinking about it and I think I'll go ahead and do that now.... :0)

That's Understandable.....?

So, I knew that I didn't do all that well with my finals, but come on. Let's just say it was quite a surprise when I finally had seen my grades....both a good surprise and a bad surprise because I ended up doing well in the classes I liked the least.....again.

What's going on? I don't get it.

As much as I just want to let it go, it's definitely something that is going to impact my career, but then again, what doesn't? I just know I'll have to really crank hard this next year and from now on. I have to admit, I wasn't exactly the ideal student this past semester.

Anyways, enough of that because that's just something I want to leave behind. In geek news, I recently picked up my 4th piece of my Valor set for my warrior for World of Warcraft. Yeah, I know, it's probably something I shouldn't really brag about, but it is something I enjoy doing and who wouldn't want to talk about something they enjoy. Mine just happens to be this game at the moment. But, I still have a long way to go, as there are still 4 more pieces to discover before I attain the entire set.

In other news, I was finally able to reset my iTunes computer authorization. All I have to say is to remember to deauthorize computers you will no longer use, or if you've formatted your hard drive, you'll want to deauthorize that installation of whatever os you're running. As of May 2, I was able to finally reset the counter and now my desktop is the only computer that is authorized to play songs I purchase from iTunes. I tell you, what a pain it was to buy songs and not be able to play them because I had already authorized the same computer 3 times and 2 other computers. It was pretty ridiculous, but I'm happy now that I can actually listen to tracks I've purchased again. I guess I'll just have to be more careful from now on. Speaking of which, I don't know how people are aware of the new HBO show "Sleeper Cell", but it has a kick ass soundtrack. I've never seen the show, but judging just from the soundtrack I'm going to guess it's a kick ass show.

My Xbox Live Diamond is here! It arrived yesterday in the mail and I'm stoked now. For those who aren't aware of what it is, it's like a special membership card for people who have subscribed to the gold status membership on Xbox Live. The card grants special discounts in over 200+ stores and outlets selling a range of products and services. From restaurants to convenience stores, this card is accepted in a lot of cool places, even to get discounts on movie tickets! It's pretty cool and I'm definitely going to milk it for all it's worth. Now if only there was anything I really needed from any of these stores.....

I guess on a last note, the new WindowsLive Messenger Beta is pretty neat. I like the redesigned interface and color scheme. It's like a gradient of blue at the top and white at the bottom. It's a very calming and inviting user interface and is super easy to use. Other than the redesign of the interface, the message alert is also something that is worth noting as a significant difference. The alert is no longer some flat ding anymore. It's much more lively and actually has a sense of space. I don't know what that is important, but I think it just adds to the overall effect and presentation of the software.

*sigh*....sorry, my geekiness got the best of me tonight :P

I'll try to do better next time. Hehe.

Skies of Light and Blood

Well, it's about 2:15 am and I'm in the College of Design building. Why? Because I just ran out of time trying to finish up my final project.

Yes. That's right. My final project.

Obviously, this is really going to hurt my chances of earning a good grade in the course, but for some reason I don't feel all that bad. I mean sure, I feel like an idiot and all the "could have, should have" stuff is beginning to surface in my mind. I really think I'm going to get thrashed this semester. Something happened that affected my entire semester, and I don't just mean school either.

Not only am I going to do poorly this semester, but I haven't been doing any better at work either. I've missed a day and a meeting, been late probably on 3 different occassions. So, I've been written up and now I'm on my final warning before they give me the boot.

How fucked up is that? I don't understand.

For some reason I just lacked the ability to really do anything. Well, except for spending more time on World of Warcraft in one week than I normally do in a month, and constantly drawing and sketching things that don't even count for any of my design classes. Plus, I'm thinking of basically changing my entire focus now, which pretty much boils down to changing my major.......again, and it's my junior year in the integrated studio arts program. Well, I guess it's not really that I want to change my major, but change my focus within the program.....and maybe a little outside of the program.

I used to be all about the 3D modeling and animation when I first entered. But just from all the exposure that I've been getting with other disciplines like graphic design, web design, and illustration I'm thinking of changing my focus. Of course, this pretty much means at least another 4 years of school, which is not going to be light on the bank account.

Oh yeah, did I mention I owe about $900 on a credit card and I have only $5.41 in my checking account?

Yeah, you tell me if I'm having a stellar semester.

Lucky for me though my parents (mainly my mother) care enough to give me money when I need it. I really think she's just spending her retirement funds away on me. She doesn't shouldn't be doing that. As much as I know she wants the best for me, she needs to take care of herself as well. I don't want her to have to retire at later age than the average. I feel so bad for my parents because they have dedicated a lot of their life to me and I haven't even really discovered what I truly want to do. If I could, I'd do it all, but unfortunately we don't have that kind of time.

*sigh*

What am I going to do with my life? I've already signed my new lease at a new apartment with two good friends, but I'm thinking of going back to my hometown and really try to hash things out over the summer. I also think I'm getting a little tired of working at Best Buy, so maybe if I ask early enough I can become the assistant manager of my hometown's community pool. I've worked their for 5 years as a full time lifeguard, so they are familiar with me. I just hope I ask early enough.

I hope this all works out, because I have some major thinking to do.

God, please give me a break.

P.S.

The time stamp for this post is wrong. fyi.