Tiger

The strength of Tigers makes them dynamic and courageous. Outspoken on every subject, they are still tolerant and sensitive to the opinions of others. Kind to their fellows, Tigers can be short-tempered if they don't get their way. The Tiger balances between the passions and demands of the outside world and the comfort and inwardness of home. They tend to be philosophers with great intellect and think most about themselves and their families. Protecting their interests and loved ones to the utmost, they are generous with their love and affection.
Tigers are fighters. They fight not only with the outside world, they also spar with themselves. They are always seeking the balance between their search for inner and outer peace on the one hand, and their career-driven mind on the other. They will walk through a fire for the right cause, and are not afraid to appear rebellious when they believe in ideas that go against the majority. Tigers will support everything and everyone they choose -- in love, career, friends, etc. As friends, colleagues and lovers, they are loyal to the death ... and even after. People admire the stripes of the tiger, their look and their talents, but are always a bit on edge with them, as one never knows exactly how a Tiger will react.

Something I have learned about myself

Since I changed majors from biology to anthropology so I can get my BA and teaching credential faster, I have been so much happier and at ease. My creative side also seems to have been freed as I have been drawing, writing, and am now thinking about editing AMVs (anime music videos, because I am that big of a nerd).

Feels like spring.

Here's to the future.

Some Quotes

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. "
- Galileo Galilei

"Johnny Bravo...The only kids cartoon focusing entirely on the pursuits of a man trying to get laid."

Sometimes you have to lose your way to find yourself.

“Be true to your feelings, Ryoko, or you will lose yourself.” – Ayeka, Tenchi Forever

Not all who wander are lost.

“If love is surrender, then whose war is it anyway?” – Frou Frou

What makes you feel alive? What makes you remember the part of yourself you lost long ago? What makes you happy no matter anything else? - me

Year in Review: 2008

January: Start spring semester and Education 10, Populations Biology, Archery

February: Hang out with Wyatt, Carri, and Jon for his birthday; movie rentals cease at work; talk to Beth Child, former bio professor, for a letter of recommendation; work the polls for the presidential primary election

March: Begin fieldwork with Ms. Brown at Rancho Cucamonga High School; go on first ever camping trip with pops class and Professor Robin Ikeda; begin surveying Day Canyon for fungus with fungus buddy Jenny; submit application to UCR for internship

April: Go on second camping trip; finish fungi survey; accepted by UCR for Copernicus internship

May: Receive A- in pops; see Speed Racer; finish the first version of my teaching portfolio

June: Work the polls for the CA state primary; get the flu and remain sick through my birthday; my mom has shoulder surgery; I start playing Pokemon Ranger for the DS; my grandma gets me a new bike for my birthday and for getting all As at school

July: I am chosen to be Green Team leader at work; I "lose" my car and report it stolen, then find it in the other side of the parking lot; I start the internship at UCR

August: Finish at UCR and leave enlightened and gracious; become an obsessive DBZ fan once again; restart my Tenchi/DBZ crossover with the intent to finish this time; go to Carri's 21st b-day party; start Chaffey following my new ed plan; finally work as a true GM clerk at work; someone from my store wins a car

September: Finally become an ardent Obama supporter and buy a shirt and some buttons

October: Halloween party at Wyatt and Carri's

November: Obama wins the election by a landslide; the beginning of a new era for the country

December: Finally buy a new iPod; have someone steal my debit card number and buy something from Canada online; find my lost DBZ figures again

The Forest

This is a creative writing piece for my class senior year about the first time Jon and I saw the forest on our day of adventuring.

From atop a short yet steep hill, a stretch of open, barren land stretching from one knoll to the next is the only thing separating one from the edge of humanity’s civilized world and the peaceful paradise bathed in sunlight and the shade of tall tress. Walking across the grassless earth, the next hill becomes clearer. Rocks decorate the brown dirt, a small stream of water gurgling down and passing over the speckled granite chunks. The top of the next hill brings the destination into view, the forest not shrouded by the usual smog of the lower valley. To the left lays a seemingly dangerous quarry of gray and white rock, the most common of its kind found often in backyards and park playgrounds. On the right, a long and winding worn dirt path heads in the opposite direction of the valley of stones, snaking closely by the mountainside and then returning to its original straight-line direction. A chain-link cage, obviously man-made, protects a pipe and the raging water that flows through it, the furious stream echoing through the mountain canyon. Ahead on the trail, a weeping willow sits undisturbed by the light afternoon breeze, beckoning weary travelers to take refuge in its cool foliage. Hiking past the giant tree, the entrance of the forest becomes visible, and as one makes the final strides toward the calm and cool woods, the breeze begins to die down until it is almost nothing but a faint whisper upon the leaves. Almost immediately in one swift gust, a horde of strange insects descends upon you, blinding you from your line of sight and landing on various parts of your skin, causing one of the worst forms of irritation. The quiet and steady sound of the delicately flowing stream echoes through the empty woodland, filling one with a sense of calm that only nature can provide. The sun overhead is all but blocked out completely by the various branches of leaves that are just barely starting to turn in preparation for the autumn season. The light bouncing off creates the subtle illusion the branches are on fire while still maintaining their natural radiance and beauty. A log, suspended from two trees by unraveling yellow twine on both sides, swings slightly over fallen brown leaves, enticing the inner child to skip over and hop on to relive days past. An old net attached to a tree hangs just above conveniently paced metal spikes, almost looking like a man-made trap set to catch someone’s prey. Past this stands a crumbling stone bridge, dating back farther than anyone really knows. The once strong viaduct, now rusting with age, leads over the small stream, and when the slippery rocks are climbed, an old car riddled with bullets resting on the other side becomes discernible, along with the rest of the forest. Inhaling deeply, the sweet scent of the all-season flowers overwhelms the senses, and for the first time, the setting sun becomes apparent through the vegetation above. Only the sounds of the trickling water, the faint buzzing of insects, and the serene quiet of nature itself fill the ears, and a state of tranquility is reached. All of this makes the long hike up under the hot searing sun worthwhile, and perhaps the most rewarding is the view from atop that small hill after night has fallen and the lights of the city twinkle below.

23 October 2003

Truth.

Reflection

A gaze upon the sky by innocent eyes yearning to discover the universe’s great truths. It seems so long ago as Father Time pushes everything and everyone forward. The grass was soft and itchy, and the satellites twinkled above in the cool air. My mom called me inside, but I begged for a few more minutes. He was the only one I could beg for more time with, and he always would be. As usual, it was granted. We continued to stare, conversation unnecessary. The other’s company was most important. Many evenings passed in this fashion before we reluctantly said goodbye. He would leave for his house ten minutes away, and I would watch from my door until he was down the street. Much of our free time was spent with each other, and it still remains one of the most peaceful times in my life.

He was my best friend whether by accident or by fate. As symbolic as it was literal, he made me take that leap of faith with him on the steps during recess. Together we started a journey that would shape not only our teenage years but the rest of our lives. He would become the one I couldn’t wait to see, the one I would do anything for, even cheat and commit academic dishonesty. I, the straight A valedictorian, put his name on my work so he would graduate with me. One summer that is still clear in my mind, I watched him cross the grass from the shade of our meeting tree. Perhaps a cliché, I found myself grinning so dumbly that I had to look away.

I have always been a critic of teenage love because teens know nothing of the real world. What life have they experienced to understand that emotion? Still, I feel I must say I was perhaps the biggest hypocrite. I always cared for him, but the true way I felt was deeper than friendship, perhaps even that something more. I did love him, and what ever that meant never mattered. He knew and I knew what it was.

He was my best friend. He saved me, made me jump from that step. We grew up together, went on a journey of our dreams and imaginations, and even wrote a thousand page story. He showed me anime and trance, what a friend could be, this emotion that I still cannot describe. Did I love him? Do I miss him? The answer to both is yes. Even though life has pulled us onto separate paths, those memories and experiences mean more than that. Life is a journey, and your companions will change whether by choice or necessity. But I would be less prepared for that journey had he not made me take that leap those years ago. For that I will always be thankful, even if I never tell him