Hi!

Hi, and welcome to my blog-turned-place where I post my writing. This is my outlet to put them up, which was radically different from the blog that this started out as. I hope you'll have a good time reading my blog/place where I post some poetry and some short stories. I try to cover a variety of topics in these works of mine, so I hope any readers will enjoy it. I'm not an English major by any stretch, but I enjoy writing. Critique would be nice for my writing, cause lord knows I could work on it. Enjoy!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Unexpected Good News

So I just found out that Alex, one of my exes, broke up with her boyfriend of eight months. She said that she's upset about it, to put it bluntly; from what it sounded like was that he didn't really pay much attention to her at the end. Now, where's this going, you might ask. Well, I quote Alex, "but now I can guarantee something I've owed you for a while"...which is a kiss! I'm not gonna lie, it was probably the last thing I was expecting to hear tonight, but shoot, I'm not complaining at all! Oh and she did go on to say, "I've always wanted to kiss you". Score one for me!!!

(The irony of all this is how I'm currently listening to the overture to Much Ado About Nothing. Go figure, a play/movie about love. Irony, much?)

Monday, May 24, 2010

Today

This is a recap of what I did today:
- 1st period Government: Mr. Thomas and Mr. Watson came in and talked to us about senior information stuff. Then we lectured about credit cards. In other words, we did nothing in first period.
- 3rd period/Bruin Block: Watched a crappy and cheesy video about texting/distractions while driving. Then I practiced during Bruin Block. In other words, I didn't do anything.
- 5th period Jazz Band: Literally didn't do anything; we had a free period and some people had to clean the rooms they invaded. This period embodied how little I did today.
- 7th period AP Stat: Went out to the island behind school to collect data for our "Into the Forest" lab. Then we came inside, where we chilled the rest of the period. And according to Sporcle.com, I know 114 of the world's 185 countries (and it should have been more but I was having a bad day, hence missing a ton of them I should have had). It actually was a good way to kill almost an hour, really.

In short, I didn't do anything today, but hey, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Hockey update

The Windsor Spitfires won their second straight Memorial Cup by defeating the hosts the Brandon Wheat Kings 9-1. Shame I missed seeing them repeat, but I was busy playing in a heartbreaking hockey game (see last post for further details).

My Chicago Blackhawks swept the San Jose Sharks in 4 games, and will be playing in the Stanley Cup Finals!!! Good luck boys and let's bring home the cup this year!

Heartbreak of a hockey game

You know the feeling when you're so close to something good and it gets taken from you? Well that's how I felt last night. So we were down 2-1 with 3o seconds left in the game when we scored (and it shut up those damn obnoxious Centreville fans). We all felt that we were on our way to a tie, when we couldn't clear the puck out of our zone, and thus the inevitable goal came with 2 seconds left in the game. Talk about getting screwed. Plus, it would have been easier to take had the fans not have been such douchebags, cause yes, they were bad; who the heck heckles in warmups? Sadly, that was probably the closest thing to a victory for the rest of the season. And come to think of it, I only have three, THREE, more games left in my high school career. Eek!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Who I am

Who is he, the kid
That listens to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on YouTube
That writes poetry, that plays sports.
Who is he?

Why does he do that? It's a rather odd combination.

And he answers, "I do it because that's who I am".
I am a kid who thrives on the little stuff that life has to offer.
Yes, it may result in not having a ton of friends, but really,
What I have means more to me than a rowdy bunch of friends.
I don't care if you like me or if you make fun of me, I am who I am.
I will stick up for my friends to the last, and I'm happy.
Happy with what I have. It's my joy in life, the things I have.
And I love it. Love with an undying passion.

Nobody, not anybody, can take that from me.
That's the kid who he is.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Signs that you're being bullied by someone you're obviously better than

Due to my recent experience dealing with other people being cyber bullied, I felt that I needed to address the topic. So without further ado, here's the list that goes with the title.

- You pity them if they are that shallow to have to try and resort to bullying you just to make themselves feel better.

- You actually feel BETTER about yourself after they attempt to bring you down

- TIP: Just suck it up, as it not only takes away from their "fun" but it shows that you're far more courageous to deal with it all. It may suck by doing so, but it shows who's the boss.

- You're a normal person who's in good shape who has no qualms with anybody...yet the person/people in question isn't/aren't athletic, to put it kindly.

- You didn't do anything to provoke this, other than being an amazing person that they're jealous of.

- The irony that if you made fun of them, they'd cry foul and bitch about it, whereas you're the alleged "pussy" if you complain.

- They are so pathetic that they have to get your friend to deliver a message of "fuck you". Because we all know that's just manly when you do that. Let alone not having enough courage to say it to your face.

- They can't even say it to your face, let alone have the balls to do it to you in private; they have to summon the courage of having friends around to do so.

- When you don't even know if they have balls in the first place.

- They resort to saying crap about your family members.

- They're pretty much provoking you to fight them, but you won't, cause really, that's what we call "assisted suicide".

- Why's it assisted suicide? Cause people bully wimp out when push comes to shove. Or try to cheap shot you.

- Said people in question run away at THE slightest hint of retribution.

- Regarding the last statement, one wants to ask them, "Does it get claustrophobic in that little mind of yours?"...before realizing that in order for it to get claustrophobic, you first need to have a mind.

-The fact that no matter what, you're still a better person than anybody who tries to bully you.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The nightmare is over...thank God

USA hockey finished their horrendous tournament today, finishing 13th out of the 16 total countries participating. And we barely beat Italy 3-2 in a shootout, which isn't good considering we should have blown them away. Oh well at least we won three games...against three teams in the Relegation Round. Oh well, as Toronto Maple Leafs fans (there are some out there, right?) like to say every year, next year's the year.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Monglia on TV!

As I was watching Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods show on the travel channel, I was stoked to see him going to Mongolia. It was nice seeing a rather less traveled country, as I really like learning more about those countries. Not only was it great to learn some more about the country of Mongolia, but I actually got to see what the country looks like, as opposed to seeing a selective few pictures of it, and actually getting a feel for the food and the culture. It was probably the best episode to date of that show I've seen! If the Travel Channel wants me to watch more, I'd strongly recommend going to more 'far out' countries (hint hint).

"Words of Wisdom" as stolen off of my Facebook

Today during 4th period I was lucky to have received a very solid story about working, courtesy of Mr. Holder, that perfectly defines my life. Once he started talking to us about it, I knew that I had to write my thoughts about it. He told us a story about how back in I think it was 1990, or at least the early 90's, how there was a trombonist in Symphonic band who was second chair despite his best efforts to dethrone the first chair player. This kid, Art, worked and worked yet no matter what he couldn't move up to that coveted first chair; he ended up being in the shadow of the first chair player throughout that year. Now, his best efforts may not have produced results at that time, but guess what? He's the lead trombonist in the Army band. It just goes to show how although your work habits may not necessarily produce immediate results, they will pay off.

What does this have to do with me, you might be asking? Mr. Holder's story described my life up to this point to a t. I've been in the shadows of a ton of great players, and no matter what, I'm stuck behind Eddie (though to be fair, that's not bad at all; it's actually pretty dang good) as the second chair, and second of the two bass trombonists. Still, I've been practicing, practicing, practicing, even when I have relatively little to look forward to, minus college auditions in August. Why do I keep on practicing this late in the year when I don't have anything to practice at in high school, and why do I practice when everybody else has stopped after our last batch of auditions? It's simple. I want to improve. I want to be the best I can. I want to compensate for my lack of natural talent compared to others and I want to outwork everybody else. Simply put, I know I can be a ton better and only by sheer work can I improve. Only working hard and maintaining that work ethic, it's the only way that you can get in the habit later on in life; who knows what might happen by working hard all the time.

I just want to work as hard as I can, no matter what happens. I only ask that people take notice and say, "Wow, that kid wants it badly." That's all I ask, and nothing else.


"Success is achieved and maintained by those who try and keep trying"
-W. Clement Stone
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift"
- Steve Prefontaine
"Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it"
- Steve Prefontaine
"I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it"
- Steve Prefontaine
"I've always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn't have a chance to win."
- Arnold Palmer

What do you call being proud and yet a bit bitter for somebody?

Okay, so my friend Alexis just passed her behind the wheel and gets her license on Friday. I'm super proud of her, cause I know how much it means to her; I couldn't be as proud as I am for her! However, I'm a bit bitter for the reason of I feel that whatever I say, such as 14 months ago when I announced that I got my license to little to no fanfare, where she gets a ton of fanfare. I swear, some people get all the publicity for the same thing as I do, and really, that kinda pisses me off. It's like the world stops for certain people while it moves on for me. I don't want to spoil the mood, cause I know it's monumental for her, but at this point in life I'm starting to get a bit tired of being vastly underrated over the same things as other people.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

When losing feels better than losing/discovering something

Tonight's game of the Reston Raiders against the O'Connell Knights ended up in an 11-3 loss, yet the score didn't reflect how close it was. Overall, you could see how far we've come, as our two lines of forwards and two defensive pairings were playing really well. We started passing to each other more, meaning that we trust each other know. We started clearing the puck from our zone which was a ton better from us trying to go through three guys to get it out.

Also, I now know that I passed into the true category of a hockey player-I've been nailing anything and everything who was wearing the O'Connell jersey. I'm proud of myself, cause I've become fearless and I don't shy away from contact anymore. So yeah, that's all I have to say, and I'm proud that I'm able to say that.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

You know you've had an underwhelming World Championships when...

While I'm thrilled that Team USA beat Kazakhstan 10-0, it sadly came in the first game of the Relegation Round. At least we're not relegated, nor does it seem like we'll be relegated. Anyways, that just goes with what I have to say, and how you recognize when you've had a very bad World Championships. So without further ado, in the style to the blog Down Goes Brown, here's the ways you can recognize how bad your team is doing.

- You lose to a team that would have been relegated last year, had they not have been the hosts of the tournament this year (Germany).

- You lose to a team that just got promoted from Division 1 just last year (Denmark).

- Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland are doing better than you

- Your starting goalie for this tournament was the backup to a goalie on a nonplayoff team, aka the Florida Panthers. And said backup goalie has lost more when he has played. And your backups are a minor league goalie to the St. Louis Blues and an ECHL castoff who's now playing in Finland. Yeah, that's really gonna strike fear into the hearts of your opponents, knowing who you're facing in goal.

- You face relegation for the first time ever in the history of your hockey's program.

- As a fan, you've thrown in the towel and starting rooting for another country. And one of the other countries you have to face in the relegation round at that, too.

- You have guys from the Oilers playing for you, they of the second worst overall record in the NHL.

- For that matter, your roster is pretty bare of any big name players. So bare that even I, a hockey nut, had to pause for a moment.

- We have a player who just finished his freshman year at Boston College. Yeah, he's a second round draft pick, but you cannot be serious if there weren't any other NHLers who were available to choose from.

- Your coach is the head coach of the Islanders, which isn't that impressive considering how much the Islanders suck.

- Finland beats us despite the fact that we shelled them in the Olympics. Okay, so Miika Kiprusoff wasn't there, so that might be why we lost.

- Your first win so far is a 10-0 victory over Kazakhstan, a country who hasn't been at the elite level since six years ago.

- The fact that you have to play Kazakhstan, Italy, and France to determine who gets relegated.

- You go from being the reigning Olympic silver medalists to almost losing your spot at the top level of international hockey.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

College, here I come!

I just activated my Mary Washington email account, and I'm honestly pretty stoked, considering it's a minor thing. Yeah, it was pretty confusing, but I eventually figured it out; it mainly was the password thing that was confusing, as always. Oh well. Now I have my college email account, and I'm super stoked that I'm partially in college! (The email makes me feel already like I'm walking around on the campus of UMW!)

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Revenge. Is. Sweet.

One thing: I fucking love you Jaroslav Halak. Thank you for eliminating the Pens!

Rock bottom? I think so

Well, we've hit rock bottom ladies and gents. Team USA lost to the Fins, thus sending us to the dreaded relegation round at the 2010 World Hockey Championships, for the first time in our hockey history! I think I ask the obvious question here: what the f**k happened? We're the reigning silver medalists in the Olympics and yet we're potentially two or three games from not even being at the top level of international hockey, for crying out loud!

Then again, when you look at it, all is not lost. We lost in overtime to Germany, in front of over 78,000 fans I may add; the Germans do have talent, so that's not exactly the worse loss to take. On the other side of that, we lost to a team that should have been relegated had they not been the hosts of this year's tournament. Okay, so that makes me feel better that we lost to one of the two worst teams from last year...or not. We also lost to Denmark, who wasn't even at the top level of hockey last year; they were in Division 1 and had to qualify to get up back here. Still, we lost in overtime to them by the same score as the first game, 2-1. Now, we JUST lost to Finland, a team that we totally ran over and shat on in the Olympics. Result? We lost, 3-2. Then again, that's to be expected when you give up 43 shots, as opposed to taking far less shots on net. Uh, I blame this on no Miikka Kiprusoff, cause the dude gave us that win in the quarterfinals of the Olympics. Kudos to Scott Clemmensen for keeping us in the game, cause it could have been a lot worse, and by that, a lot worse than getting sent to the relegation round and finishing last in Group D; we could have gotten shelled AND sent to the relegation round. As Toronto fans like to say, next year's the year (but hopefully not in Division 1; I think I'd kill someone if we somehow got relegated).

And really, are you comfy with the backup goalie who barely played all year with the Florida Panthers, aka a non playoff team, being your number one goalie? Hell, the backups are an AHL goalie and a Finnish Elite League goalie, which I'm sure is gonna strike fear into the hearts of the other teams. And you're telling me that Ryan Miller, the hero of the Olympics, wasn't available? I mean, most of our players are guys on really bad NHL teams, ex. the Islanders, the Flames, and even the Leafs. Plus they happen to be young. Like, barely in the NHL young. Oh well, if it's any consolation, we could beat the crap out of the likes of France and Italy.

Then again, all is not lost. For my friends the Swiss shocked Canada (I'm honestly getting acclimated to the fact that they now play freakishly close games, see the last two Olympics as proof) 4-1. We may have gotten the silver medal cause of Sidney bleeping Crosby and are now going to the relegation round, but hey, screw you Canada, we at lost with relative dignity, you just got pounded!

At least we're probably, hopefully going to kill whoever we play in the relegation round. Otherwise I'll be doing the killing (read: breaking things) if we don't do so. All for the World Championships. Hey, I'm that dedicated. Let's go Team USA!!!

Monday, May 10, 2010

To whom it may concern

Alrighty, so this is a direct follow up to my last post. I know some of you guys aren't happy with where you placed after the auditions, and I truly sympathize; it is hard to swallow your placement when your other buds got to where they wanted to, and I've had that happen to me, twice in fact. But you know what? You are still awesome regardless of the outcome. Never, ever, let a number define you as a musician, even a person. Believe me, if you ever got to Concert 1 or even Symphonic in your first year or two, that still beats what I accomplished at that point in high school, and that is something to proud of as it is. I know it is tough to swallow, but you know something else? You still have something to be proud of. Be proud of what you did to get at that point, for the journey is what matters, not necessarily just the outcome.

And here's my advice for next time, courtesy of a deceased, brilliant man, Randy Pausch:
"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people".

What you do after the results will define how successful you are. Will you be content with mediocrity, or will you work your ass off to improve? Do you have a fighters spirit that says, 'get back up, never back down, and keep fighting'? It's all in how you want to deal with it, and I know that every one of you is capable of getting back up and delivering a knockout blow! Either way, I will be there to support you in your journey to attain your goals!

Finally, here are some of my favorite quotes that I think all of you guys should think about, to get you pumped up:

"What makes a true hero? Is it Love? Compassion? Power? Maybe it's a ruthless determination to be the best. Maybe it's a noble outlook on life and a willingness to stare evil in the eyes no matter the odds. Or maybe it's a fighters spirit that says, 'get back up, never back down, and keep fighting'. What really makes a hero? That's for you to decide."

"Destiny is HEART, SACRIFICE, and PASSION"

"All gave some, and some gave all"

"It is the size of one's will which determines success"

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."

"You're never a loser until you quit trying"

"The important thing in life is not to triumph but to compete"

"The essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well"

"Don’t give up…don’t ever give up"

"It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up"

"The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory."

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall"

"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

"It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity."

It's up to you now. How will you react?

Congrats to all new Symphonic Band Members for next year!!!

I just wanted to say congrats and that you guys are awesome!!! You all deserve your spots in Symphonic, and best of luck next year! Shout outs go to Megan Goldsby and Kwasi Terkper, I could not be prouder of you guys!!!!! But yeah, to all who auditioned, YAY FOR YOU!

Wow, Scott Clemmensen and Team USA Sucks

As indicated by the title, I'm really bummed that Team USA is 0-2 so far at the 2010 World Championships in Germany that is taking place right now. Yeah, we opened up in Gelsenkirchen in front of over 78,000 fans, losing to the host Germans in OT 2-1, which is understandable given that it was their first game together. Besides, Germany has decent talent, and our team for the WC isn't exactly the best roster in the world, so this result didn't totally surprise me. Now, it's another thing losing to Denmark today, by the same score of 2-1. We're better than this guys, and really, we should have blown them out. Not saying that Denmark didn't play well, but geez, we have NHL talent, while they only have Peter Regin and Frans Nielsen who are their only NHLers. Turn the ship around guys, and fast, cause we should be doing a lot better. And Scott Clemmensen, please don't be a sieve, thanks and bye.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Looking Back a Month Ago

Right now I'm listening to the LB China Band's performance of the The Sound of Music Medley, and I just got to thinking about the Europe trip to Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany (go figure; I would do that), and how we bonded as a whole group by the very end. I think what was so amazing about it was how Stephanie described us crossing a four lane road (oh man, good times). She said that she was amazed and proud of how at the offset, we all were in our own separate cliques but by the end we all came together as one; she said that he favorite moment of those amazing eleven days was how we all flirted with death when we crossed that four lane road in Berlin. When I think about that, and the trip as a whole, I'm immediately taken back to some of the best moments of my life. And yes, that would include the previous year's trip to the United Kingdom. Why's that? Because all of us in the group from Centreville/Lake Braddock and the Sayville High School became friends, and those friendships will be with me for the rest of my life; they were that powerful. Small, individual groups evolved into two main groups, one for each of the states, and then at the end, one massive group. Guys, I loved being with you for those AMAZING eleven days.

Another thing that just occurred to me is that I wrote a poem on the plane from Heathrow on the way back that summed up my thoughts about this trip, and that I never published it here. So, without further ado, here it is:

"Transformation"
Stepping out of the airport
In another country; Budapest to be exact.

Wow, that was a bit nervous.
We didn't know what to expect,
What we'd be seeing, what we'd do.
I know that I was thinking
"I'm not sure how I'm going to pass these days; it seems like it may be boring."

Yet, as day came to a close, we all went through a metamorphosis.
For as we walked around more,
And as we saw things, we were stunned. Stunned at the beauty of it all.
Those foreign lands, each unique.
Slowly and surely.

Now, we have arguments and discussions over our favorite cities.

Oh yeah, don't forget about how far we came as a group.
Initially we were shy and quiet about talking to others.
But we gradually became friends, friends for the whole trip.
Friends that shared amazing experiences, and without you guys
I don't know how the 11 days would have turned out. And for that, I humbly thank you.
Thank you for being amazing people. Thank you for making this an amazing trip!

More importantly, just thank you for being able to share the memories with.
The memories that will last for a lifetime.