• Chuck Norris Saved My Life

It's my third time around doing my school's spring musical, and I kinda got the shaft again. I was pretty upset for not making callbacks again, but I realized that I still have one more year and I can do better. Also, if I have a lesser part this year, I can have more fun at practice and focus more on my schoolwork. But for the while I was depressed and scanning a tech forum (yeah, I'm a loser) when I stumbled across a thread about all those Chuck Norris jokes. I nearly died laughing. (Thus proving that not only am I a loser, but an idiot as well) I am not going to give you samples of my favorite jokes, because most are crude and tasteless (which is part or all of their appeal). If you share this dumb sense of humor with me, google it yourself.

[Chuck Norris was once said to have been defeated by a pirate. This was a lie made by Chuck Norris to lure more pirates to him. Pirates were never very smart to begin with.]

So, Pirates are cool

Bailey wants to blog for me. He thinks that if you cross breed a viking, a pirate, and a ninja, you would get Chuck Norris. So I've auditioned for my school spring show, "The Pirates of Penzance". (Bailey prefers "The Pirate in my Pants"). It is the main event of my year, and I am psyched. I love my theatre friends. Just thought you ought to know. More later, it's loud here at school

Bailey's Blog:
Today in Mr. Ojo's class, i was like "hey ojo i heard you killed a monkey!" and in his crazy african accent he goes "i fight da monkey. i neva keel da monkey. heres what went on down. i saw a littlebabymonkey and i wanted it so i took it. then at night da monkeymomma came and wanted a fight for da littlebabymonkey. i fight da monkeymomma and eet good fighta so i steal a banana and i abscond wit it, and da monkeymomma got dalittlebabymonkey back eet was win win."

at this point, strongbad came in and deleted mr ojo.

fin.

Swing, Swing, Swing

Currently Listening: Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman Band

I know something that I really want to do. This is not a whim. I know that it is often heard (among my "group" at least). But upon listening to this song, I am determined. Alas, a problem arises, who is one to take to the prom. I haven't the slightest idea, but I'm not going to get crazy over finding a date for the junior, nor senior prom. I'm going to sit back and play the situation by ear. But I will learn swing, if not for the senior prom, just for the hell of it. Just had to get it out. Hope you enjoy the randomness.

[Jazzy, Upbeat, Garr!]

The Music Man

Well. The first set of performances of "The Music Man" which I was in, flew by. I mean really flew. Now I have to slowly assimilate back into my daily routine before the second set goes by and they're all over. I don't have any pictures because I don't have a damn camera. (but I will, starting today, hopefully, my Dad is coming home with a Canon Powershot SD400) So all the pictures that I will (and I better) have will be taken this coming weekend. Costume pictures and such. (I don't normally enjoy costume pictures, but I look like I'm straight out of "Newsies") These shows are so much fun (for lack of a more intricate and profound statement at the moment). The performances help with my "catharsis", if you will. They're a confidence booster, just like the martial arts aren't.
Sidenote: I take the martial arts (I do not take karate, tae-kwon-do is not karate, neither is judo or jiu jitsu, all of which I take in one combined form called "Heiho-Shin-Do") For as much as people rant and rave about it being a confidence booster, it really isn't. It's just a way for me to waste my breath and feel awkward for two hours a week.

So all zero of you who read this have your fill of me for a few days. I'm sure that I'll have a sketch and some nice photos by Sunday.

[Garr]

Georgia on my Mind

I should be doing my homework, but I'm not. I haven't even put a sketch up for a while. I just had one post with overflowing emotions (I guess that's where people get off calling me "emo"). But I do have some stories to tell about Georgia. For all who don't know, I was in Georgia (Atlanta to be precise) for the "National Catholic Youth Conference". The theme was "Winds of Change" when it should have been called "Jump for Jesus" because it just seemed that shallow. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my faith, especially the masses at my school. (which can be blamed for my high standards for all other masses, my school spoiled me) But when I went to "NCYC" (The abbreviation rings in my head and makes me want to choke someone) I saw a group (18,000+) of some wierd catholic kids trying WAY TOO HARD to enjoy their faith. Maybe this was the church trying desparately to reach out to the uninterested youth. (When I say uninterested I mean, the kind that found the television in the bathroom of the Georgia Dome and watched TV instead of go to mass.) More later, I'm being summoned by my master.

Now I Know Where I Belong

(Damn you Indiekid and your catchy music suggestions, Oh and Happy Birthday MJ and Yanns)
My social postion has changed since I last posted regarding my friends. When I decided to do this fall show, I was unaware of how the social environment of my friends and acquaintances would be. I've been told that the summer between Sophmore and Junior years holds the most subtle changes multiple times, and last weekend I discovered that it was true. For the past few years I was unsure of where to place myself among my larger group of friends, the theatre group. I often felt rejected and specifically left out of the loop. But I think I have the right idea, it was me who put myself on the outside and I am now taking the measures to fix this. I was unsure of who I was (and I still am but I have a better idea). To this day, I can't look at myself in the eyes in the mirror for too long. I also keep my hand in my pockets and my arms folded as a posture of security. I also used to walk with my head fixed at the ground, that has changed and I'm trying to keep eye contact. The reactions I've observed after doing this has made me feel very comfortable with my friends (The height of the realization occurred on Saturday). I look at all these people and I realize that there is something special there. If there was one thing that I could wish for my friends as a whole is that I could stand in front of them all and say "Everything will always be alright, live, love, and laugh." I hope that things will always be that way.

[G'Night.]

Update, Because you know you want it.

I know that it has been a while, so I decided to change some stuff around. First of all, I got a new template, even though it's a standard kinda deal. I won't feel complete unless I actually make my own template. I also plan to get rid of my big sketch post way down the bottom of the screen. (That thing was a gigantic mess.) I have a few things to say, but I quickly forget them, so I need a few days to get my next (and maybe my first) big rant in order. I don't really have time to write much, as always. I'm off to the Martial Arts in a few. (If it hasn't been flooded)

More musings later, if my attention span has nothing to do with it.

When "I'm sorry" is too late

Wow. It's the 19th. The 11th flew by and I never noticed. It took me about half the day two weeks ago on Sunday to realize that it was the 11th. When I finally did, I got mad at myself. How could I let it get by me? I wasn't hit so hard by it, in fact, I shrugged it off. I did realize the scale of the matter but I wouldn't let myself get caught grieving over people I never knew. It was about 4 days afterword when it hit me. My Dad is a civil engineer, he had a shot at a big break by building a new NY Stock Exchange. That chance was immediately blown off for priorities. The day of the attacks, it was a miracle that he got out of the city. He picked up my cousin at school and a random person who happened to live somewhat nearby. He started working 12 hour days and I rarely saw him. When I did, he was beat tired and very upset. The car he used was covered in debris and smelt of asbestos. Of course as his shifts changed and he got transfered into a new job site, I gradually forgot about it. While I know there will always be a place in my heart for that, humankind needs to forget to a certain degree in order to progress. Well, I figured I'd get a fraction of my story out there. Everyone has their own to share.

[Don't forget, but move on]

The Starting Gun

And they're off. School is back and I'm off and running. Even more so than I have been in the previous years. I wasn't even 10:00 and I was carrying around a stack of books as heavy as myself. I'm beginning with the best intentions, as I begin every year, but this time, I'm more confident. Maybe Nick was right, the summer between Sophmore and Junior year holds the most changes. I hope so. But back to the school events. The speed in which we started this year was ungodly fast. It's the first day of school and I already know what our spring musical is. It usually is a secret until late November. Well, all in all, I have a pretty positive outlook on this year. More musings (and sketches) to come as life inspires them. Should be along any minute now.

My Social Position

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have no other material so I'm going to write about the condition of my social life that put me here in blogger-catharsis. It all has to do with my "friends". I put that in quotation marks because I'm no longer sure who falls under that category. I have divided my friends into two groups, each with its own sub-groups.

The first group, and probably most great in number, is my theatre "friends". These are the fine men and women that I have happily (for the most part) taken part in my school's musical production with. (A handful, coughindiekidcough, actually read this blog) For the past two years I have felt accepted and rejected at the same time by these people. Some you can call phony and cynical, these are more the nodding acquaintances of the group (coughkristencough). As soon as I found myself among the theatre nerds, I subconciously found myself trying to win their approval. I (apparently) certainly wasn't taking drastic measures (hence, subconciously) but I was criticized for it. I was (almost blatantly) shunned by people I thought were friends and in trying to find out why, I came off as too forthcoming or clingy, thus pushing them away further. (Those are my conclusions)

There are three sub-groups of the drama nerds.
Group 1: Talented, Well-known, Leads (In most of the shows) Pretty nice people, easy to get along with.
Group 2: The guys along for the ride. These guys seem like the accidentally showed up for auditions and made it. Fun-loving, good-natured guys who are the easiest to get along with. They don't exactly take the shows seriously, but they certainly make the experience more enjoyable.
Group 3: These guys are in between. Also decent people, but emotionally unstable. In trying to make the transfer from group 2 to group 1, the social scene becomes like business, relationships become acquistions. ::Bleh, you guys think too much::

My other friends are closer, due to the fact that these are the people that I spend the most of my schooldays with. They all happen to be Filipino, it was completely random (so sue me). Because of that I was criticized, as well. (That is why my profile says that I feel my character is under assault.) Each member of the Pnoy group is very different.
The silent but deadly: Mark
The eccentric and fun-loving (to a fault): Lester
The not-so-isolated Azn: Ken
The Samurai: Lindell
These are the ones that share in my anime/manga fandom.

While all these obsvervation were made by myself, the insider, I felt that they were made by an outsider who can see situations clearly without emotions clouding the lens. Well, whatever. This is the center of my social trouble that I'm trying to cure. So I finally got it out.

Feedback. Please

Drink Up, Javaheads

I'm doing this project for the AP English Language class that I'm entering next week. It has kept me occupied (and driven me crazy) for a good amount of the summer, but I know it's for my own good and literary well-being. (Plus, the teacher, who may come off as boring, is a pretty cool guy.) I have to find 5 articles a week, summarize them, and give a reaction. (In one paragraph) I stumble across some interesting articles, and recently (yesterday, in fact) I found one about the benefits of coffee.

I'm not much of a coffee drinker. I can handle strong stuff, but that doesn't mean I like it. But I might start drinking more, though. Studys show that coffee contains by far the most antioxidants than any other food product. Antioxidants are known to help prevent certain types of cancer and are also good for skincare and whatnot. Hey, if it helps my chances against cancer and helps maintain baby-soft skin, what the hell, down the hatch. But besides the health benefits, I think coffee helps me think clearer. Although I might get jitters when I drink it with an empty stomach, I find that those times are the when I have the most clarity. To any of those who actually read this, I want your opinion. Also I have another question of dire importance:

Q: If 1 pirate were to face 1 ninja in a fight to the death, who would win?
(My)A: Ninja (although my name is Ironpirate) I'll give you yhe logic behind my answer when I get some feedback.

I apologize for the mess you see below, but it's not easy to what how the post is going to come out. Try to enjoy. [Yarr!]

Finally!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it has happened! The Cap'n has his scanner! Finally I can post my sketches quickly, instead of putting them off to the point that they are forgotten. I'm not gonna waste time. My first sketch is simple, like most of my sketches. It is of the generic character, which I can't stop drawing, in some sort of fighting pose. It's not much, but it's what I got at the moment. Only in pencil, it's a little faded. But I plan on inking it. In all its mediocre glory:


(Click for larger view)

Join the Revolution

That is, the stencil revolution. After stumbling across and article in last month's Wired magazine, I've found myself trapped in multiple attempts at creating graffiti stencils. It has reached fad-like proportions, but hopefully it won't die out (I've never really been part of a fad anyway.) But I have to say that it is quite fun and it might help me create some decent works of art. I also look at it as another step for me to become myself, a bit of reinforcement. I highly suggest you just check it out. There are a few good websites.

www.banksy.co.uk (Britain's "Art Terrorist")

www.stencilrevolution.com (Join the revolution)

[Out]

Of Gorillaz and iPods

For someone that people might consider somewhat technologically inclined, it was only until yesterday that I started listening to podcasts. I don't have a definitive set of music to listen to, but all the different podcasts can probably help me with that. I can get tech news, indie music, decent talk radio. But I do not condone use of an iPod, in fact I try to dissuade it to give other companies a shot. But with the release of iTunes version 4.9, Apple has brought podcasting into the mainstream and now has unspeakable amounts of free marketing just from the word "podcast" which by no means needs an iPod (any mp3 player will do). And now I am partly dissapointed with myself for being part of the majority and how I have the "most popular" mp3 player and the "most popular" mp3 managment/podcasting software. Popularity doesn't mean sh!t to me, if the product is effective I'll use it.

As for the Gorillaz, well I'm short on time so all I can say is:

[Pick up "Demon Days"]

I've got nothing to do.

Yeah Yeah, It's my second post within the same hour. But it was these past 53 or so minutes that I realised that I should post a entry that somebody would actually read, be it about news, music, art, summer, I'm really not sure. But in writing this, I'm not sure if I can do that, I'm too preoccupied by one thing. That thing being an empty schedule. I have no job, no girlfriend, no future planned vacation, no volunteering at any place (which I really should be doing). It's giving me an insignificant feeling which I can only stop though creation, I have to write, draw, just make something, which I'm doing now. I have a few new sketches which I am proud of but I have no damn scanner to show you them. I'm sure that tomorrow I'll have an idea which will withstand the test of review by an Iron Pirate.

[Aye]

This is the post where I should post my musings on my rafting trip to West Virginia, but frankly I'm too tired and, after thinking, all I can really say is "Go rafting in West Virginia". Plan your vacation now. More musings on a different day, I have work to do and I need a while to get back into the swing of things.

Well, I'm finally back from West Virginia (the only planned event of my summer) I should have pictures up soon and my own commentary on the trip. But for now, I'm just letting you know that I am back. (to summer reading *sigh*)

I've decided to add another function to my blog. That function is a review for just about anything. More often than not I will review and recommend Anime and Manga, Japanese cartoons and comics. [If you don't like it, piss off]. I used my xanga for the same purpose, but I found that too many of the other bloggers were anime fanboys. Blogger dot com seems to be a more remote and unbiased center where the other bloggers are open to new and/or different ideas. I begin this process with a review of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Fullmetal Alchemist is the almost mythical story of two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who are young alchemists who are punished for attempting to use alchemy to ressurect their dead mother. They are eleven and twelve at the time. Alphonse, the younger brother, loses his body, while Edward loses his left leg. [I know it sounds pretty rough, but stay with me] Acting quickly, Ed seals his brother's soul to a nearby suit of armor. For this, Edward loses his right arm. Ed has his arm and leg replaced with [very cool] metal prosthetics. Although they give up their initial dream of ressurecting their mother, they set out to become "State Alchemists" and create the the Philosopher's Stone and regain Ed's missing limbs and Al's body. Little do they know, but they will embark on a journey that will surpass their already difficult expectations.

I need a scanner, plain and simple. I was intending this blog to not only be a journal, but a sketch journal. I keep asking my Dad, who keep saying how we really don't need one. I am lucky enough to have friends with scanners who don't mind my mooching so I take advantage of that when I go over. [I'm not saying I'm a bad friend, my friends can vouch for that.] Here's a sample of "my work" feel, free to criticize just be gentle.

It's a video game character, so sue me. =P I'm rather proud of it though.

[Editing Note: Click the picture for full size. The size above doesn't do it justice.]

I teach and take lessons in the Martial Arts at a dojo which happened to have my last name in the title. I found out after I joined that it is owned by a distant relative. This was about 5 or 6 years ago. I still attend the school, even after shaky times when I really wanted to leave. Now I'm actually starting to develop a sense of family, now that my Sensei's daughters are helping at the dojo. [Two of them anyway, One is out pursuing her own ventures while the other, less reputable is "staying out of trouble"] We will have to see just how long this bond can hold up.


I hope it does. More musings later.

Ahah. I love the shore. For all who don't know, I have a house down here [I am at the shore as I write] which is part-owned by my grandparents. Although I find myself inside more than I should, the change in atmospshere is great. Also, I enjoy company because it's ten times more fun with the beach, boat and boardwalk. ["BBB", I love acronyms!] Not to mention that my house is only 3 miles from an actual Krispy Kreme Donut Shop [Best Donuts Ever!] So if you're a personal friend and you're reading this, feel free to give me a call and invite yourself down. Summer has finally started. =D

Wow. Why do I feel like I'm the only person who is not doing anything for the summer? I know that I am doing things, but not with friends. I'm being hounded to get a job everyday and I have an offer, so I'm going to jump on it. This offer is courtesy of my very nice distant relatives. Oh, here is a note to anybody who reads this: I'm looking for ideas for a comic[manga], a serious one. Help me out if you can.

Today, I had the most fun I think I've ever had in my entire life. Frisbee is my favorite sport, the theatre nerds are my favorite group of people. Just a thought I had to get out. Is it wrong that I actually enjoy and support my school. Yeah. I thought not.

I'm looking for a job. I'm also a horrible procrastinator so alot of jobs are taken from smarter, more responsible college students back on vacation. Now my mom is on my case and almost cornering me into a job at shop-rite. (-.-) Yuck. So if you can help me out at all please reply...

I welcome you to my new blog... Something new, not overrated, not myspace which will actually function as a blog.... More musings to come.... [It's late - A good time for an impulsive act like this]