2012 Final Thoughts...

Well, it's been an interesting year. I posted a montage on my aviation page, but I figure I can reflect on EVERYTHING ELSE that happened to me this past year, not that any of you really care or anything:

1.) I came home from Japan after two years spent as a Latter-day Saints missionary. Still one of the best decisions I made was making the choice to go; going to Japan was a huge bonus too!

2.) On the topic of Japan, I reunited with Japanese relatives who I haven't seen for over 15 years. We still have a lot of catching up to do!

3.) My dads idea of a "Rite of Passage": The Southside Speakeasy; a bar and grill here in So-lame, Oregon where homosexuals like to congregate; so it's obviously called the gay bar. Had to wait until I was 21 to have THE BEST FISH 'N CHIPS IN TOWN! Yup, we still like to eat!

4.) September Reno trip: got to walk around the casinos (and play a little!) unattended since I was finally 21. Kind of another "Rite of Passage" by playing a few machine games purely for entertainment.

5.) On a church-related note, I joined the Young Single Adults group and participated in a variety of activities.

6.) On the topic of that, KARAOKE （カラオケ！）! Yep, an Applebee's here in town has it every Monday night so I'm out singing (probably not so skillfully...) and have sung personal favorites such as 'Fields of Gold', 'Can't Fight This Feeling', and 'Takin' Care of Business'.

7.) The freakin' Presidential election for crying out loud! The Obama Vs. Romney election was the first time I got to vote; I could have done so the previous time but I was out of the country by then! But talk about an annoyance with the back and forth bashing on the social media; I was glad when the election was over with, regardless of who I voted for!

8.) I got to conduct music; it's another church related thing for a special Christmas program. It's a far cry from my dreams of becoming a drum major back in high school but it will have to do.

9.) I'm no stranger to tragedy but when current events play out in the world, I still remember a lot of things that happened both here the U.S. and throughout the world...

10.) Applied for and got accepted to college. I'm heading to Brigham Young University-Idaho at the turn of the year.

More Of "Getting Ready..." And Three Food-Related Reasons Why You Should Do A Road Trip To Eastern Idaho/Utah-ard

Hmmmm... Updates on life... Oh right! So at the turn of the month, my dad and I drove to Idaho; mainly so I could go look for housing. Needless to say, I'm glad I got through this trip relatively well. It was kind of an impromptu spur of the moment thing with my dad being able to get the week off from work so it was kind of an opportunity. Plus, we travelled early in the morning (I mean at 2AM early in the morning!) and got to our destination in the mid-afternoon (we did this on the return trip also.). But the thing that weighed heavily on my mind was finding adequate housing, which I am happy to say that I did so. My new apartment made a good first impression and I went ahead in purchasing a contract. Some of the things I really like about the place I will be living at is the lounge areas, a swimming pool, a weight room, as well as the proximity to campus so I guess you can say I lucked out, considering how late in the game I've gone in searching for student housing... So with that taken care of, I can focus on other last-minute preparations for school in January.

Well, enough of the stress-related junk! Let me tell you about the things I like about the general area I will be around. It's in Eastern Idaho and the town I'll be going to school at is Rexburg. My dad grew up in a SMALLER (I really shouldn't capitalize that word huh?) town about 30 miles north Rexburg called Ashton. And I'm fortunate to have relatives still living there. I have an uncle named Sam (Yes, we call him Sam! And no, he does not wear a patriotic top hat with grey hair and points at people; he's actually bald, like most of my uncles...) who owns a furniture/carpet/floor covering store/locksmith business:

Boy, it sure looks good during the holidays!

So we basically stayed at his place while we were there. It may be a Podunk (Yes, this is actually a word!) little town in the middle of nowhere but I love coming to Ashton; I lived here for nearly a year with my parents when I was a baby so it's a place I can call home. And there are a few good places to eat in the area as well... In Ashton there is a place called Big Juds:

One Pound burger. No joke!

It's basically joint-operated with an Exxon truck-stop/service station but it's a really good restaurant too. It's a place you can appreciate a local, non-chain business.

It's kind of retro, but not really.

Don't worry! They have Pepsi products!

They have the usual choices of varying burgers and sandwiches in addition to the baskets of fries or tots; your choice. We got the finger steaks last time:

Makes you hungry, doesn't it???

I've always liked their baskets and sandwiches. But their famed menu choice is the one pound burger. And if you eat it all, you get a picture of you on their Wall of Fame. I'm not joking! Look:

I've never done it but scores of people have for different sandwich choices, as is evident on the wall.

So if you're ever driving to/from Yellowstone and happen to stop for a bite to eat in Ashton, I'd recommend Big Juds! Another place I've come to like is in a town 15 minutes south of Ashton called St. Anthony. A tiny restaurant called Chiz's Restaurant:

It doesn't get anymore Podunk than this but it's gooooooooood stuff!

Actually it used to be called Chiz's Cougar Cave but in today's society, the name kinda sends out the wrong message so they changed it obviously. But their food is just as good. The only problem is it's just a lunch/dinner counter with limited seats so it's first-come, first-served and wait until a spot opens if you're late. On Tuesdays, they have a fried chicken special:

It's probably not the healthiest thing to eat but I promise you won't regret eating it!

The thing I didn't believe about this place was that it's owned by a Japanese couple! I know right?! You're thinking "Japanese people in the middle-of-nowhere Idaho?!" Okay, you weren't thinking that but I was... So yeah, I recommend this place too.

There are a lot of great things to do in eastern Idaho but I think I'll save that for another blog post...

So after I got what I needed to get done school-wise in the general Ashton/Rexburg area. My dad and I drove to a town called Firth where my uncle Paul lives; it's about a two hour drive so it's not too bad. Plus Idaho traffic is just so easy to drive around in. We had dinner there and spent the night and pretty much just enjoying each others' company. My uncle Paul has words of wisdom and such painted all around the walls of his home. Here's one of my favorites:

His wife's (my aunt's) name is Debra and this is all in the name of a good running joke of the family!

So the next day, we were supposed to drive all the way into Salt Lake City and help another one of my aunts (Yes, I have a lot of relatives!) replace a couple of toilets in her home but for some reason, something changed and we ended up NOT going to Salt Lake City after all. Instead, we went to Ogden and spent time with my aunt Kathy and her husband Spence. Now, I'm not a fan of Utah (I prefer to call it Utah-ard!), given the traffic congestion which is the result of economic/population growth (and the crazy Utah drivers!) but I do love going to a chain restaurant exclusive only to the state called Crown Burgers:

You may be thinking "It's another fast-food chain. What's the big deal?" Trust me, when you eat a Crown Burger, you will declare McDonalds or Burger King as crap.

Fry sauce, gyro, and pastrami with the hamburger... Crown Burgers is the best!!!

Sure, In-N-Out now has a few locations in Utah as well as the Salt Lake area, but they got NOTHING compared to Crown Burgers in my opinion.

So from a food connoisseur's point-of-view, if I had any reason to visit eastern Idaho and Utah, I've pretty much just summed it up in a couple hundred words and nine photos.

Getting Ready...

So yeah, I'm gonna be a little more open with this blog post and this blog overall from here on out...

It seems like blogs are a lot more interesting to read for other people when it's all about someone and that someones particular life in general; my sister does that, a few of my cousins run one (despite privacy settings and accessibility issues they have set!), and of course some friends of mine have blogs that do just that. I originally started this blog in order to speak my mind on the many things there is to talk about but recently, I just haven't had any ideas to even consider blogging about... Blogs on Blogger or WordPress seems to be popular to have especially when one is married and wanting to share what's going on in such a chapter in life so close family and friends are in-the-know. I suppose it's a useful way to utilize technology and the social media; like Skype! And before you ask, yes I do hope to be married someday; it's all about priorities and long-term goals. I'm just not ready for that stage in life yet.

So there you have it! From here on out, I'm gonna include the goings-on in my life when I feel inclined to. I suppose it'll have it's benefits and drawbacks. Drawbacks might include a lack of pictures since I lack creativity. Benefits might include more frequent update at least on this blog and you'll get to know what's been going on in my life that I don't mind sharing. And while I'm thinking about it, if you have any friends who are aviation enthusiasts or just like aviation, please direct them to my aviation blog as well as my aviation Facebook page! I would greatly appreciate that A LOT!

So it's been nearly eight months since I've been back from Japan. It's late-November and things just feel like it's been slowing down... The last few days, we've seen heavier rain than what we've seen all year, which is no surprise when you live in Oregon! We had Thanksgiving dinner with my uncle and aunt (who also live here in Salem) and it was nice and simple I suppose. I definitely haven't had turkey in a while so naturally, it tasted really good; of course my appetite hasn't been the same as it used to be. But after being in Japan and experiencing some of the holidays over there, that's just it: it's just another holiday. But don't take it the wrong way; these days still hold meaning to me. Really though, it's just nothing more than a good time to spend precious time with those you care about. Nothing fancy about it but celebrating for the RIGHT reasons doesn't hurt all! But it's just really another holiday.

I applied for school (hence the blog post title) to two of the Brigham Young University campuses in Utah and Idaho; I got accepted to Idaho, which I was slightly disappointed about. I was kinda hoping to attend the main campus in Provo, Utah but that's not gonna happen now (they're REALLY picky about who to accept!). And since I was denied, I figure I can cheer against the BYU Cougars in their sports events for a while! But in all seriousness, the benefit of being close to relatives (plus I like Idaho air better!) might as well make up for it. I HAVE spent about 3 months in Provo prior to going to Japan and let's just say the dry air wreaked havoc on my respiratory system and skin while I was down there. And for some reason, I'm not affected in Idaho as badly as I was in Utah. Considering my dad is native to the area where I'm gonna go to school, I suppose I have SOME of his "blood" that makes me somewhat more immune to the particular climate...

But it's no cake walk! Getting ready for school has been stressful. Getting accepted somewhere was one thing but my mind has been spinning about housing, overall expenses, what classes to take, etc. I don't even have a major picked out yet! And honestly, I could use all the help I can get! But I learned recently the more problems you have, the more alive you feel. The dead don't have problems because their dead! So sorry! That got a little dark there...

But I registered for some of the classes I wanted to take but let me tell you, I felt like vomiting while I did so (but I didn't thankfully!). I have been losing some sleep over the matter since I do start in January so all of this plays out very soon... I feel very lost right now, to be honest. I can't say it's 100% thrilling; more like 67% (I just came up with a random number on that.). I really wish I got at least a semester in before I went out on my mission so I would've had that experience when I got home... And of course my mission was a great experience but at the same, not the same as what I'm facing now... In the rulebook for Latter-day Saints missionaries, there was a part that said to use the funds provided to pay your bills. I'm sure every mission is different but we always sent our bills to a financial secretary and the church took care of those utility expenses. It could've been the language barriers associated with difficulty of understanding on things such as an apartment utility bill (especially for a missionary foregin to the country) or it was just expensive overall in Japan but I feel somewhat cheated of that really... I am grateful it was taken care of, but it just didn't seem so "real world" or "life on your own" (in this case "life somewhat on your own") to me.

So there you have it, the majority of my mind is occupied with the prospect of rocky start to my Freshman year of college! I don't mind admitting it get's discouraging once in a while. But I'm wanting to get it done so my future can be secure.

Multitasking, A Double Edged Sword

I sure do love funny cat pics but I honestly don't even wanna think about what it's doing!

You know what the benefit of having multiple blogs is? I get to express different things I like to talk about. It all started with my good ol' aviation blog. It was meant to go along with the photo collection I got going. And oh, how convenient it was with Google and a single account by linking YouTube, Blogger and Picasa... until I realized Picasa had a limit! The digital space limit makes dedicated users BUY more memory... and Google makes money in the end. Lousy stinkin' rip-off...

You and me the same, baby puppy....

And when these corporate guys make money, they smile!

When Kaiba Google Corporation smiles, a puppy does die...

Thankfully, I switched over to Facebook for my aviation gallery by creating a page. And I discovered fellow aviation enthusiasts and their own Facebook pages with their galleries in the process. And thankfully, departing from my initial use of Picasa on my Google account yielded little to no consequences. And then there's this blog, which I originally started to just talk/rant about general things; in other words, subjects that might have been small to have its own blog for. And before you ask, no, I'm not gonna create more blogs anytime soon (I think four is plenty enough!). Usually, I just like to make fun of things, popular people, in addition to the things that drive me nuts (no pun intended!) that I sometimes seriously need to get out of my system... And I gotta say, I think this blog has done it's part well. As for people who ACTUALLY read my blogs, it's a different story. Sure, I would like to have tons of people subscribe and actually follow my blog. But in the long run, this blog is especially for me to utilize since I'm not the most conversational type of person out there so I make up for that via my blogs... But having followers read my updates (and this goes for my other three blogs as well!) would be a nice bonus because these are usually things I don't mind sharing with people.

Now as for my Japan and I guess what you can call my religion blog...

Shut up baby puppy!

...anyways, as I was saying, my two most recent blogs were pretty much the result of my two years that I spent doing missionary work in Japan (duh!). I think I can leave it at that.

The downside to running four separate blogs under the same account is it's pretty much multitasking. Sure when you multitask, you feel like you're getting a lot of things done but it's a double-edged sword. So why do we do it? When you're stressing over multiple things, you get a temporary feeling of satisfaction while attempting to get different things done ALL AT THE SAME TIME. But in reality, the result of multitasking most of the time is overall productivity in getting something done totally gets screwed over. You're more likely to make a lot of mistakes when you multitask. And going back to my blogs, the consequences of running four of them at a time has resulted in a lack of frequent updates. I get started on one blog for an update only to lose my focus and writing comes to a complete halt. Then I later feel remorse for being at a total loss for what blog I want to update next. It has become a rather intriguing dilemma. So why bother running four blogs at the same time you ask? Well, this dilemma actually keeps my mind occupied when I'm bored (and when you're living in rainy Oregon at this time of year, that's gonna be the likely case!) and I eventually just go off and focus on something else. And going back to the "having followers" thing, if I actually got flak from people for not updating, things might be a bit different. But for the time being, people are most likely not interested in what I have to say and I'm fine with that. Blogging takes a back seat in my life from time to time. Priorities are usually in order. And I still like writing for those that are interested in what I have to say. Thanks for reading if you actually did.

And if you have any funny ideas you want me to blog about, I'm all ears.

DISCLAIMER: No puppies were actually killed in the writing process of this blog post!

A Math Joke For You...

This will be a short one, but I found this really funny:

So where did I learn this you might ask? Well, while I was in Japan as a missionary, we had to observe certain rules and code of conduct. Let's just say there were many things written regarding the opposite sex in our book of rules and one day, some other missionary wrote this up on a white board and anyone who read through it found it funny so I took a picture of it.

I guess you can call it taking math to a whole new level...

And if you're a female who happens to come across this post, you can just apply the opposite by omitting "w" and "o" in "Woman". Either way, the math is correct. What do you think? Funny? Unfunny? Heard it before?

2012 Is One Of Those Years...

"I hate election years."

Wonka for 2016?

Enough said. And no, not the end of the world! It is the latter portion of the year 2012; that means it's presidential election season again on 50 pieces of land called the United States... Now I've written something about politics one other time and I have good reason for having it that way. It's a topic I prefer to avoid mentioning in public and on this blog, I do NOT tolerate debates on political issues so don't even start with me.

Needless to say, I am looking forward to Election Day, cast my vote, find out the results, and move on; rest assured, I'll do my "homework" and then decide on who to vote for. Who am I gonna vote for you ask? Well, it's for me to know and you to mind your own business!

...????????

 It's human nature to be biased and quite frankly, we all are. But even I'm astonished to see friends and family, the ones I love and care about be so consumed with the presidential election campaign. I'm both amazed and disgusted by what friends and family have said over the social media regarding broadcasted debates as well as the presidential candidates. Election season brings out the worst in people. And when that's the case, there is nothing united about the United States when people are at each others' throats about it or complaining about it on Facebook. The other day, I read an article about a group who threatened to riot if the candidate they're voting for lost the election. Now whether or not they were serious or not, who has the audacity to do that?! Just goes to show how civilized some people are. But people are entitled to their own opinions no matter how extreme it gets. And some people are gonna be total d-bags about it.

When I first started this blog, I called it my "rants" page, meaning it was a place for me to speak my mind, rant about something whether it was about something I liked or something I hated; a place to blow off some steam and move on with life. This is a true rant; my complaint is aimed on how friends and family just blurt out on how they hate and disrespect a politician running for office, even to the point of incorporating crude, offensive language, complaining about the issues the country faces, and even posting Internet memes that just add to the fire. This is everybody elses' view:

And vice versa.

So why am I gonna vote? I want what's best for the country I call home. It is my civic duty (as well as everyone elses'!) to vote for a leader who I think can lead this country in the proper direction. I'll do what I've always done in times like this; I'll keep my critical opinions to myself. But I won't keep my head buried in the ground and completely ignore it; otherwise the extremists will win.

"We are rightfully worried about the swelling bureaucracies of government, which need to respond to us—not to regiment us. But we cannot tame those bureaucracies unless we first tame our appetites, for a bloated bureaucracy is merely a mani

festation of citizen appetites, demands, and the subsequent need for external controls. 

If we are not able to build into ourselves and our families the brakes of self-restraint and self-discipline, we are apt, unwittingly, to create tyranny in our government or anarchy in our citizenry. If we push onto the government the management not only of our economy, but also the management of our morals, the civil servants of the future will be neither civil nor servants." 

 -Neal A. Maxwell

Three Reasons Why Reno Is AWESOME!

For some reason, I like this sign.

Last month, I left the confines of boring ol' Oregon and spent a week with my dad and a few other relatives in Reno, Nevada. The main reason for going is the Reno National Championship Air Races. But that's not what this blog is about; click here for that stuff or check out my aviation Facebook page. I think it would be really self-explanatory if I just say "I had a blast." But since I love you guys (and NOT "in love" with you!), I took some photos of the things I like about Reno. You're welcome.

If I gave at least three reasons why I love being in Reno for anything other than the the annual air races, it would be the following:

Reason #1: The "Entertainment"

The Nugget

This year was the first year I got to walk around the casinos legally; all the times before I always had to be around the grown-ups so I wouldn't be breaking any state laws Nevada is know for...

They have Keno machines where you can just bet a Nickle at a time.

Reason #2: The Food

The two pictures above are from a casino called The Nugget (obviously). It used to be called The Little Nugget because it's a small "hole in the wall"-type place compared to the other nearby casinos but this place is one of our favorite 'watering holes' because the food they serve in the restaurant is hard to resist. In the back of the casino is a diner where a well-known burger called the 'Awful Awful' is served.

Admit it! Just looking at it makes you hungry!

It's advertised with such name because it's "awful good". In fact, the Travel Channel's Food Wars made a huge mention of it and the burger has been voted the number one in northern Nevada for the last decade. But it's not the burger that will fill you up; it's the half pound basket of fries! Just for the record, I can barely finish a basket of fries at this place! Besides the burger, The Nugget serves other "American" foods such as wings or one of my personal favorites, the Pastrami Reuben.

You are getting hungrier.

It's just too good to resist!!!

I gotta admit though, when one takes a trip to Reno, you're bound to eat a lot of meat...

I'm sorry! I just had to put this here!

Now I don't drink but another thing The Nugget is known for is a 32 ounce margarita; that's right! A 32 oz. margarita! They call it 'The Famous Nugget Asskicker'. No, I'm not joking! I'm serious! Look:

See? I told ya!

It's called "Asskicker" because it's A LOT and they serve them in a 32 oz. container you get to keep for a souvenir when you're done with it! And the place even sells commemorative T-shirts for the drink and I got a "kick" out of it! Here's the front:

As far as I'm concerned, I haven't seen too many shirts that encourage you to "get your ass kicked".

And here's the back:

Get it? "Asskicker" because it's a 32 oz. of margarita? "get your ass kicked" with a lot to drink?

Reason #3: The View

Trust me: it doesn't look as good as it does during the night

That's much better!

Like I said before, I don't drink. But trust me, when you're out walking the streets of downtown Reno at night, the environment feels intoxicating! Maybe it's the dimly lit casinos or maybe it's the neon lights of the cityscape. Maybe it's the food but I'll tell you this: Reno is one of my personal favorite places to visit for a week. I go mainly for the air races but there are a lot of other cool things to check out as well.

One more thing:

We all know "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

But in Reno: "What happens in Reno goes on Blogger Facebook."

No further comment necessary!

Gas Guzzlin' bOregon

I apologize for not writing here in a long time... I've been busy with life and dedicating some time to my aviation page. And believe it or not, I've been hesitant in writing here for several reasons:

1.) It seems when I do write about things, I'm usually met with counter-responses that make me feel stupid and the time spent typing feels like a waste of time. The purpose of me blogging here is to express my personal opinions and thoughts. To be honest, I like doing it this way because I'm terrible with people skills and I botch conversations.

2.) I'm usually at a loss for what I want to blog about.

3.) I'm just afraid about what to write next because once again, the response. Like I said, my expressions, my thoughts, my opinions.

So let's see what happened recently... Oh, I went out of state for about a week; first time since coming home from Japan actually. I went to Idaho/Utah to visit relatives. But that's not the main point of this blog. You may recall a few posts from before where I was railing on the state of Oregon and the weird thing it has; well, I haven't changed my views on that. Yep, I am still not 100% fond of Oregon. It has been six years since my family moved to the birth place of Matt Groening. And did I mention that I pumped my own gas a couple times while I was out there?

Right on brother!

I just couldn't help but think "IN YOUR FACE OREGON!" I think the state government of Oregon is afraid of THIS happening when drivers pump their own gas:

Whether you're some Oregonian paid to pump gas for people or you do it yourself, it's a bad day when this happens.



 Oregon and New Jersey are the only two states in the U.S. where it's illegal for drivers to pump their own gas at public service stations. Sure, this creates jobs in in those states (not really!) but I can't stand some of the cons of not being able to pump your own gas. And paying up to $4.00 per gallon in some places, it's this:

Call it whatever you like but I call it pissing money away.

Now accidents happen from time to time but compare and contrast for a moment:

1A.) You're pumping your gas because your car gas tank is getting empty and you spill some on your car (and damage the paint job in the process) or your car catches fire. Pretty much your problem, since YOU have to pay for the damages done to your car.

1B.) Now take the scenario above but let the damages be done to your car by the gas station employee. NOW who's gonna pay for the damages??? Either way, it's an issue of liability. In this situation, the gas station has a bigger risk factor to deal with. ESPECIALLY when an incompetent employee is involved.

Now if you fill up at CostCo, they're smart because they have extending hoses as well as a "one way in, one way out" system to keep drivers flowing instead of having a mess created by the issue of what side the intake for the gas tank is at. Now picture this scenario:

2A.) You drive up to a gas station and it's crowded with people coming off the Interstate to top off their near-empty tanks. You wait in a line of your choosing, fill up, and it's a "get in, get out" situation.

2B.) Now the above but someone else is filling up your gas tank because state law says it's illegal for you to do it let alone touch the gas hose or nozzle. Chances are, you're probably waiting a little longer than you wanted to because some incompetent station employee failed to notice that your car gas tank is full OR the employees are just screwing around doing nothing even when it's not crowded.

It's happened to me and it's frustrating. And consequently, drivers in both Oregon and New Jersey themselves become incompetent in pumping their own gas when they travel out of state simply because of the laws that exist here and there simply won't allow them to at home. As a non-native resident living in Oregon, it is frustrating to see another Oregon driver in another state who doesn't know how to pump his own gas; especially when I'm waiting in line behind him.

So why bother blogging it about it when it's not gonna solve anything you ask? Well, it's an opportunity to blow off some steam and get it out of my system (and for you too as well in the comments section!) and move on with life! Is that too much to ask without getting flak for it?

Video Game Critique: Beyond Epic!

A few months back, I wrote about how simply awesome video game music was. Still is by the way!

So the purpose of writing this is because I just finished playing the latest installment of The Legend of Zelda series. And let me tell you this game is EPIC! But I'm not gonna spoil anything major for you if you haven't played it for yourself yet... Considering the game has been available now since late 2011, I can't find any reason NOT to own this game by now. Receiving critical acclaim and pretty much perfect scores from different publications and worldwide sales of over 3 million units, I can assure gamers out there this is a game worth playing. These are a few things I just love about this game:

1.) The Plot

Let's just say this game explains a lot concerning the origins of recurring characters and reprising quest items and weapons. I'll leave it at that.

2.) Weapons and Equipment

I am gonna mention that certain weapons and equipment get the "Final Fantasy" style treatment here. Meaning you can have the option to upgrade weapons and other equipment to gain a more powerful version of the original, granted that you gather the proper materials found, where else? The overworld of course!

3.) The Flying Element

Given the subtitle is 'Skyward Sword', you gotta assume this has something to do with the sky. Well, let's just say it feels like playing Star Fox when you're travelling from place to place. The music makes it feel like Star Fox as well; at least for a little bit. Okay, well not THAT much. But still, it's about time Link got some flying time in!

4.) Wii Motion Plus

This was actually my first Wii Motion Plus game. In fact, I've had this game since April of this year but haven't been able to play it because I lacked the Motion Plus attachments until a good friend of mine allowed me to borrow one (I'm poor and can't do anything about it right now...). I just love how the Wii Motion Plus makes the fighting style seem a bit more realistic. But seriously, if you don't have Wii Motion Plus, that's the downside to owning this game.

I declare this game 'Beyond Epic'! The series have definitely come a long way since the revolutionary 'Ocarina of Time'. And Eiji Aonuma, Shigeru Miyamoto, Satoru Iwata, as well as the rest of the Zelda team sure outdid themselves this time.

"Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah"

After writing yesterday's blog post, I got the strange idea of writing about human nature. So what exactly is human nature? Well, there's a whole article on Wikipedia all about it if you wanna read in depth. To put it simply, it puts thoughts, emotions, and actions (all distinguished characteristics) under the microscope; various/regional cultures have a big play in influencing this it as well.

Enough said. (And no "duh" statements here on this blog post!)

While on my missionary service in Japan after much re-exposure to the culture over there, these are but few principles I learned concerning human nature:

1.) People have the ability to make decisions.

A good friend of mine said something cool a couple weeks back:

"He is the architect of his own destiny, and so are you."

In our belief, we have a term for it called 'agency'. Like I wrote yesterday when it came to what we can choose to do when at the "legal ages", we're free to choose for ourselves; as you recall, I choose not to do so since I want remain in a state of good health.

Enough said yet, nobody's perfect and there are people who still choose to do wrong.

2.) People inherited laziness.

Hey, so did I and nobody can help it. It's a God-given principle; we have to work hard for the things we need the most. If this was on my religious blog, I'd be pulling scripture references but this blog is to remain on more neutral grounds so I don't offend anyone. But for the majority of us who are Christian, I'm pretty sure the ancient writings we read will say in certain places to not be judgemental and so on... But it's human nature for us to be annoyed with each other when someone is being "inherently lazy". So to combat that, we shouldn't judge others; that classic saying "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover" really applies here. We also certainly shouldn't condemn others as well. We should however be forgiving. If you're familiar with the 1989 comedy-drama film 'Dad', listen to the dialogue towards the end; you'll hear it.

Going off track for a moment, what do you suppose happens or what does it mean when you to do the opposite of what's written in the above paragraph? Well, if you do get judgemental, you're metaphorically kicking a beehive and you're gonna get stung. If you do condemn others one way or another, you're no being honest, sincere, or appreciative. If you're not the forgiving type, that just shows you've got selfish tunnel-vision, meaning you don't know the perspective of others and you don't want to know.

In a nutshell, don't kick the metphoric beehive and get stung, express honest, sincere appreciation, and widen your perspective to know what it's like to be in someone elses shoes and you'll turn out alright.

Even so, it's fine to harbor some ill-will towards some people. It's human nature to be so and sometimes that has to be the case because the type of people they are. Just be sure not to paint a whole group of people with a broad brush based on the personalities and characteristics of just a small percentage of them.

3.) People know what you're thinking.

Creepy eh? That fact that a lot of us can figure out what's going on based on body language or the emotions we express sums it all up. Whether you're happy, angry, or sad, we can read each other based on facial expression, intensity of one's breathing, or even the tone of one's voice.

4.) People hate listening.

Hey, so do I but don't you hate it when someone else is dominating a conversation? This would be a typical scene that plays out in the movies or an RPG video game but suppose you're just a bar tender making an honest wage while serving customers who make business, and some guy in a sorry emotional state just starts off by saying "I need someone to listen to my life-story...". You're thinking "Oh boy..." and you act like you're listening with the occassional "Uh-huh" or "Right..." but in reality your head is going "Blah blah blah blah blah". Know what I'm saying? How 'bout barbers or hair stylists? There's a saying about that and it says, "They really "care" about their customers" meaning they're willing to go great lengths to make small talk but are really just interested in just keeping their customers. Trust me, I know. I had this Brazilian chick give me a quality haircut at this really nice (and very reasonable!) hair salon and she said she was interested in learning English but never showed up to our classes!

(And she gave one hell of a scalp massage!)

Going back to my time recently spent in Japan, I did A LOT of listening when we WERE supposed to be teaching and sharing about what I believed in. Half my time was surely spent listening to peoples "life story" in one form or another usually in another language. And listening is part of learning a new language right? How ARE we gonna learn a language other than our native one when we aren't willing to listen?

It all comes down to how things are presented and whether or not if there's a purpose to any of this. If we're good students in school, we'll get good grades when we pay attention in class and actually study the things learned. If anyone is so interested in another country and the culture it presents and really wants to (and does) visit for himself/herself, one would be all that more motivated to buckle down and really learn the language.

No purpose? Then what's the point? Action doesn't come without consequence. But what do you think???

The Stupidity/Annoyances Continue!!!

For those of you who have photographic memory, you'll recall on some posts two years back I wrote about things regarding the annoyances in life as well as the bull crap the Hollywood industry pulls (and I think I mentioned my list of pet peeves*...). You'll also recall on a post I wrote about a month or two back this year, I might have mentioned something about the pressure to marry and some other things... And that's just the tip of the iceberg (terrible analogy!). And this also has something to do with some of the things I've seen on Facebook as well. But rather than bring your eyes to bordom (and to make things easier for the readers**), I'm just gonna list off some of the things that caught my attention and honestly, annoyed me.

1.) Boyfriend/Girlfriend relationship statuses.

Go figure you can know all about this on Facebook. Hey, I found out that one of my cousins proposed to his girlfriend via Facebook and they're engaged; good for them! But seriously, people often use Facebook to over-broadcast  those annoying status updates about their own upcoming wedding or they just never shut up about their "significant other"... And the other thing that's annoying are these Facebook wedding group/events pages. The way Facebook operates these days, the admin of these groups puts his/her friends into the group(s) and these inserted friends are automatically admitted to the group membership; people admitted into the group later has to go through approval of the group admin(s). And until you reconfigure the settings on your own profile, you'll keep getting those annoying status updates you frankly don't care about. And another thing about this group is some couples ask you to post your mailing address so they can send you invitations/announcements. Am I gonna put my address on the part where everyone writes? Absolutely not! The way cyber crimes are committed these days, it's a potential way for cyber stalkers to become one step closer to doing who-knows-what they wanna do! And on the other hand, the last thing I (or my family) needs right now is MORE junk mail. No thanks!

2.) The whole turning 21 thing...

Just to throw this one out there, the legal age for tobacco and alcohol products in Japan is at 20 years old just sayin'... While it may vary depending on the individual states, the United States legal ages are generally 18 for the tobacco products and 21 for the alcoholic beverages. And quite a few people I knew from high school has recently turned 21. You getting the picture I'm trying to paint here??? And you guessed it, a few friends of mine started taking a few sips the day they turned 21; some even bragged about it on Facebook. All I'm gonna say about is that everyone is free to choose on this one; we all have that God-given ability to choose that product. Many choose not to which is totally respectable and some do and if that's considered a "rite of passage" for you, go right ahead and have the time of your life. But with all honesty, this blogger believes there are better ways to celebrate a 21st birthday than go out to a local bar/pub (if you're British!) and get sloppy drunk. And this blogger can't stand the smell of tobacco or alcohol!

3.) Justin Beiber

All I can say about that is BLECH! By far one of the most disturbing things I've seen on television recently was Katy Perry touching Justin Beiber's butt. That image has been badly burned into my mind and it will forever send shivers down my spine! But I'm over it. This was on a television documentary including footages of crazy fan girls going nuts to Beibers songs and going so far as following him on boats and anything that floats while he was travelling on his private yacht. Yuck... Back in the day, people had to have legit skills and talents in order to make into the Hollywood business. Now it's just sleaze, sex and controversial drama and scandals that makes up the Hollywood business.

So there you have it, my top three life annoyance of the year!

*Just so you know, I'm no longer in possesion of a pet peeves list; I burned it on a camp fire as I figured nobody gives a crap about what annoys me.

**Readers?! My so-called friends don't even... you know what, forget I said anything about that.

"Their" Is a Problem And "Your" Not "Hear" To Fix It

Notice something odd about the title of this post??? No? Okay, well imagine someone wrote this as one of their Facebook statuses:

I'm surprised English teachers don't flunk "they're" students when they can't use "your" and "you're" properly.

Did you catch that? Now, borrowing the supposed phrase above (and using it properly), I'm surprised English teachers don't flunk their students when they can't use "your" and "you're" or "there", "their" and "they're" properly. So I've been seeing this on Facebook and handwritten memos a lot. It's funny but at the same time a growing trend. And it really should call for one of these:

Did you catch that error?

Don't get me wrong; I appreciate a good note or short letter from someone I know as a means of communication even when parts of the letter or note will make an English professor cringe his teeth. By the way, do think these will also make an English professor bite his/her lip?

This one will just plain right embarrass him/her:

I had a daily planner once and it was really useful because it had charts for different school subjects. One of the charts was a section called 'Common Misspelled/Misused Words' and it defined the differences between the two words spelled differently but sound the same. Now, in a world of technology of texting, social media and so on, a handwritten letter is becoming a lost art. In fact when I was in Japan, I greatly appreciated letters especially since I was far away from home. We got to use E-mail once a week to communicate with family but the anticipation of receiving a letter from home was always there since a letter can arrive anytime.

Now, it's one thing to get/have an education but sounding better educated is something else. Makes me wonder how business owners feel about it when they hire someone...

So what can we do to sound (and look) better educated? I can offer four suggestions:

1.) Know the difference between "your" and "you're".

2.) Know the differences between "there", "their" and "they're".

3.) Careful of the word "like" and "um".

This seems to be a huge trend among casual conversations;

"I was like..."

"Like, you know, whatever."

"Um, like there was..."

I dare not list anymore examples. If one's gonna say something, one would be wise to know what to say first.

And finally:

4.) Be aware of how fast you speak.

Seriously, I can understand a native Japanese speaker going at Mach 5 speeds better than a English speaker going Mach 5. And my response will always be the same when I finish listening to someone who just went Mach 5: "Uh... what???" or "What did you say?"

English. It's like trying to hold a pleasant conversation next to a roaring jet engine.

By the way. English was NOT my first language.

Feeling the Pressure, One Hose (and One Job) at a Time...

Move over doggy! Man's found a new best friend in the mechanical world! So today, we were doing some yard work projects with the family; and did I mention they were all dirty jobs??? Now whoever invented the pressure washer is a GENIUS! One of our projects involved using one that my dad recently bought. Now, for those of you KNOW what living in Oregon is like, you would know that it is wet and rainy for about 25-30% of the year. Because of the abundance of trees (especially more towards the coast) creating shade combined with the lack of sun light from the seasons and moisture added into the mix, mold and moss have been know to grow just about anywhere from rooftops to patches of baldness where grass SHOULD grow, and EVEN in cracks of driveways and sidewalks. It also makes our sidewalks and driveways dark in color (which in my opinion was ugly anyways)...

But as I said, we used the pressure washer and we made short work of the moss and mold, and as a result, we got the driveway and the sidewalk running along the property BACK to its natural color and it made a huge difference. Now, my dad said he would not dare to use the pressure washer to wash the cars (for fear of whacking off the paint job!) but it is also another use for it; you just gotta be careful. When I was in Japan, I saw that most service stations had car washing services and most of the ones I saw use (most likely) industrial pressure washers exactly for that purpose. Now ours is a decent but cheap one (especially since ours can only run on a quarter gallon of gas per tank) so we can't compare to what other styles there might be out there. Now if you live in a place as dull as Oregon, or any other place where moss and mold could be a potential sight, I would highly recommend getting a power washer; trust me, you'll get your moneys worth of work done on your first time using one.

And guys, let's be honest here; aren't we just crazy about tools and workshops and our work benches ? We all love our "new toys" and as a guy who does his fair share of the yard work, I sure do love my new toy!

"The Expectation"

Since returning from Japan, I have seen wedding pictures on peoples Facebook profiles and friends of mine are either engaged or already married. On the Facebook News Feed, all I've been hearing about is the topic of marriage. Marriage is something hoped for; we all know that. It's not a bad thing; it's supposed to be a happy time and I'm all for it.

But I must speak my heart and mind here and this one is kinda aimed at my fellow LDS friends and acquaintances. But everyone is welcome to read this.

In my opinion, I think marriage is sometimes rushed among the LDS culture. I'm not saying it's a bad thing; that's not what this is all about at all!  But especially for the R.M.s (short for 'Returned Missionary'), getting married is something that's expected out of them. Now having served a mission for the LDS church myself in Japan, I fall into this category. But this is how I feel right now after seeing what I mentioned above on Facebook the last couple days.

Here's my take on the topic of "expectation":

1.) The only expectations that matter, out of everyone one can know is oneself.
2.) Other peoples expectations (ie. family, friends, acquaintances, everyone else around you) shouldn't matter.
3.) We need to align our own expectations with Gods will for us; that's a hard one because it can take time (or even a lifetime) to really figure out what Gods will is...

So, as an R.M., I want to say this:

If you expect me to be the type of R.M. obsessed with dating and focusing towards marriage, you're sadly mistaken. I have no intention of rushing the process and quite frankly, I could care less about any expectations you might have of me considering the matter... Priorities come first. And the last thing I want is getting pressure from anyone about it nor hearing the stereotypical "LDS jokes/sayings" such as "If you're 25 years old and unmarried, you're a menace to society." Consequences of rushing the process in my opinion will probably result in higher probability to failed marriages. And let's be honest here and ask yourself this: If you're rushing to get married, are you really following your heart???

Now I'm just gonna say it straight say that I am NOT a menace to society and I am NOT gonna rush the process! I WILL however, follow my own heart!

Video Game Music for the Win!

For those of you who are like me, and you like video games AND music, I thought you might like reading this blog post from a fellow blogger who I never met before. Enjoy!

http://holtcoloringbox.blogspot.com/2012/01/here-dadlisten-to-this.html

Oh, you finished reading already? Well, one thing's for sure: the Classical music genre is definitely gonna be kept alive so long as popular scores from popular video games are orchestrated and symphonized (Is that even a word?!).

Video game music: the way to my heart!

By the way, you like video game music? Check these sites out!

http://www.zreomusic.com/

http://diggidismusic.com/

Dear Readers...

I'm back! And I'm ready for more blogging more than... well, let's back up. I've been going through my blog contents recently and lo and behold, I have discovered many typos and slight errors to what's been said in the past. So for the time being, I will be going back and fix these mistakes. But I have an announcement: After my (approximately) two year grind in Japan, I have decided to keep my "Yellow fever" burning by starting up another blog. This will be a blog dedicated entirely to Japan. I'm excited as heck to get it started; I've already been to a few places there so that's enough to get me started. Here's the link:

http://mwithakhavingyellowfever.blogspot.com/

As a freelance writer/blogger I thank you for your continued support. It is great to be back!

Sincerely,
Michael with a "k"