Judo

This year instead of P.E i decided to take Judo for an interest in something different and because of my deep love for Japan. As i talked to more people about it turned out a lot of my friends were also interested in joining Judo. I was super excited when i learned i had Judo with my best friend. Judo is a throwing martial art. In class we learn massages and yoga on Mondays to relax the body and mind. Middle days we learn new throws or spar. Fridays we learn Ju-Jitsu which is illegal to use in Judo matches, but quite helpful in perfecting small movements and street self defense.
The first couple days of Judo were a breeze as we learned how to slap the ground and role. Mainly because David N. taught my how to role before hand in the summer. Our first throw was Ogoshi a forward hip throw. I felt uncomfortable practicing this throw as you had to stick your but in the other persons crotch and push in to get good leverage. Being a rather slim guy at 100lbs I had difficulty lifting my partners. Only a few weeks later Ogoshi is now my go-to move. The left handed throw for Ogoshi is already half way set up in a normal stance. I'm no longer conscious about what body parts are touching anymore and that gives me the ability to throw with full potential.
For each new throw we learn i keep facing more difficult challenges to move my body in a certain way to throw my partner without using so much of my energy that i become super tired. After some self examination i noticed I'm trying to lift people with my upper body while my legs just stay there to keep me up right. When in fact it is much more useful for many of the throws to bend your legs and slightly at your waist then pivoting. With this it is more more efficient for me to throw opponents who weigh a great deal more then me which is sadly common =(
My partner is normally Stephen a Chinese guy about my height and size just a few pounds more then me. For some reason it is difficult for me to get a good throw on him in practice. Yet when i practice with David who is considerably heavier and a few inches taller then me i can throw with much greater ease. Maybe its because its easier for me to get under David since he is taller? Maybe i take Stephen too lightly? These are all factors i must figure out before entering in a major tournament (our version of finals) Will write on this more hopefully.

The body, a hinderance?

So today we all saw the amazing TED video on replacing limbs with a more decorative theme. She uses her legs more or less to show off her unique-ness. Very stunning and i think it is an amazing way to have a fashion sense.
I would replace so much of my own body. Being human i love instant gratification and having limbs that are more able to get me what i want NOW!!! or make daily life a ton easier is something to look extremely forward to. I'm pretty sure most people could think of several body parts they would want to replace but for me i would love to change or upgrade my eyes. The eyes, something most people would not notice if i altered them. I would love for my new eyes to be able to zoom in and out focus on the smallest atom to focusing onto the vast stars in space. These eyes would also be able to take pictures and record videos for later viewing, WHICH IS AMAZING. The eyes would be able to see infrared and other lights our eyes cannot see. X-ray obviously for the more mischievous reasons that dwells on the inside of us all. An internet browser installed in my eyes would be pretty nifty as well!!
All this talk of replacing limbs or yet your whole body reminds me of an anime called Ghost in the Shell. An amazing and though provoking anime well worth looking deeper into. In a world where the norm is to be in a full body prosthetic crime has changed so much. It gets a lot harder to take down a body that only has one or two organs cleverly hidden. Bullets become useless to a body with no nerves or can simply turn off nerve sensors and restrict blood flow to wounds. Warfare is drastically changed. Your body could be hacked and taken over by outside forces a whole different way of living for the better or for the good it would still be interesting.

Block...age

Writers block a beginning authors and veteran authors worst enemy. Our brains being so complex and being able to see and imagine in different ways how could we as intellectual beings "run out" of ideas? Most of yo uare probably thinking, "Come on Ahdum we all know that noone uses the full capacity of our brains of course we have trouble with making up new ideas!" To you people the percentage we use is still vast and more then enough to be creative AND original!
Some people claim that ideas do in fact come to them, that they just are not worthy. WORTHY!!?? No such thing write it down anyways it will spark your mind to thinking more and more until BAM the best idea ever comes floating into your mind. Sutherland talked about this a couple days ago (I was still writing a draft before)and I'm sure he has numerous ways to help you get over it.
For me the culprit is laziness, as it is for a vast majority of people. I'm almost 100% positive that if i try to write ( for my novel) i would surely get some ideas down. Every time i try to though i always find something that is more important to do. I barely write anymore so how can i boast to be an author??!?!? Writing in general is a very important to me at this moment of my life.
To write fluidly you can't be thinking "what will others think of this?" or "I seem so immature when i talk about this" WRONG (in my opinion) When you are writing it should come straight from your heart or my favorite your imagination. It shows everyone in closer depth of how you think as an individual. Imagination is something people think they lose as they grow up. I find that a terrible waste of a brain. Might as well say, "I wanna stop thinking for myself do everything superiors tell me and get a lame-o job that is barely keeping me awake." Imagination its so wonderful to me its your own personal world or take on any world. Anything and everything will happen its that feeling that keeps me wanting to have an amazing dream or write in such a way that it grabs your attention in an instance.
Kinda switched topics, but i tried to write fluidly uhhh hope you didn't strain your eyes too hard to read this.

Everyone is a stripper in the bathroom

Ahh quicklys my second home

Tired
Just ate some horrible gummi snacks
At davids playing call of duty mw2
Anxious about selling pies tomorrow

FUX! FORGOT TO DO WEEKLY BLOG

Chem sucks right nao

Bermuda Triangle

Ahh the Bermudas a tropical paradise, fun for everyone. For some yes, but for others venturing towards Bermuda's triangle be weary. Mystery shrouds the area with a dark allure. Many stories have been strung about this specific place and most not all that friendly. What is a fact is that several anomalies have happened in the triangular area. Numerous ships, planes, and people in general have seemingly been wiped from the face of the Earth. Compasses and electric reliant machines almost fail 95% of the time while in the area making it very difficult to examine.
The compass being messed up is what raises in a red flag in my head. That means a electromagnetic field with enough power to disrupt a compass in that area. I'm not quite certain and I'm not saying I'm an expert in this area or anything, but this is what makes the most sense in my head. I would be more then happy for someone to prove me wrong or show me some more evidence on this electromagnetic theory. Then either way if I am correct or wrong there still lies the question of what is making the compass go out of control. Such a tool that relies on little work from humans and more of nature.
One of my days strolling though Bermuda triangle theories i came across an alien themed theory(huge believer of aliens, just unsure if they are intelligent enough to pay us a visit). Some people think that an alien base is at the depths of the triangle, and that their advanced technology is what is interfering with our equipment when we go near the area. Why the aliens would choose that specific place is past me, but i would guess research.
Some more people threw in the idea of there being a sort of area where two different dimensions meet. Such as a 4th dimension intersecting with our 3rd dimension selves. Just the pure energy of the connection is what throws off our best attempts to gain specific knowledge electronically. That even possibly people go missing because they get "sucked" into the other dimension. This is a tad harder for me to swallow, but i would love it for this to be true. Who wouldn't want to go explore a new dimension?
Then probably my favorite theory that at the very center of the Bermuda triangle is a worm hole. A worm hole is like tear in the universe that will allow you to jump through to a different area in the universe and possibly a different time(remind me to show you an example with paper). What interests me about this is that very close to Japan they have a similar triangle called the Dragons Den (or Dragons triangle). Having almost the same traits as the Bermuda triangle. Making some people believe that a worm hole goes through our Earth and connects one distant place to the other. If this is indeed true we could think of a way to travel at incredible speeds to Japan if all the variables are in our favor (very unlikely)
I gave up on writing about my day when i was sick, pretty sure David is writing about it.

hm

website hit counters

Re-Statement of purpose

I just finished re reading all of my past blog posts and I'm kinda sad. I thought i would talk about waaay more interesting stuff but i apparently i was wrong. No worries though im determined to get more into my writings. My biggest hope was to share my novel that I am having trouble continuing. Sadly I am not all that motivated to post let alone come up with new material for it. The remainder of my posts have almost no plan behind them and was just on my mind at the time i decided to post. Albeit i did touch on a few subjects i planned on writing on before.
I noticed i write in "chapters" almost, meaning i write as much as i want (or as little) then post the remainder relevancy of the story in my next post or a future one. I wrote mainly on personal things and topics that mainly involved me, myself, and I. This quarter i feel like i should take an ego check and write on something more universal and that more people would not normally know about.
Space has peeked my interest beyond belief right now. I am finding more and more as i mindlessly surf through sites. Did you know Scientists discovered a "ribbon" that surrounds our galaxy. It protects us from other galaxies colliding with ours and screwing up all of what we know.
I was excited to type about Japan and Indonesia but soon lost courage to. As i was thinking of what to write about them i though, "Hmm i really shouldn't right about Japan as i have only been there for a week. Being a wanna-be native will make over glorify Japan and create many statements bigger then life." So i decided to stay clear of Japan (for now)
Recently i have been looking up on studying abroad. I have spent countless hours, finding out about foreign schools that accept foreigners for a year, when i should have been doing PreCal homework.It's not too hard to guess which too countries are on my mind for this trip. Indonesia is my first choice. I was born there and i love everything about Indonesia so much, plus i have a basic language advantage. Japan, the land of my dreams which i have set foot on there soil only once before. I'm not super familiar with the language, but i wouldnt mind that.
Expect to see posts about traveling, space, random shizz, and hopefully my novel (dont hold your breath)
( I am also feeling super better then i was a week ago, beware God you cant kill me with just disease i am becoming immortal) ;D
P.S Looking for someone who will help me rule the world~

So today

I've been sick for about two days now and I'm hating it. I'm so bored at home and Radar (my dog) is so annoying when he barks at people pass. Today was different though, my friend Nathan called me up and told me he wanted to go bike riding. Naturally I said yes since I didn't go out for a whole day. In the middle of White Collar (an amazing new tv show) Nathan arrived. I went to dress and it took us forever to get ready. Our other friend also named Nathan came over and that got me into working faster to get our bikes out. As we got outside we got a call from David saying that he couldn't pump his tire. Kind of annoyed we waited in front of my house trying to tell him across the phone how to use the pump correctly. Eventually we (the two Nathans and me) just went to the gas station and filled up our tires with fresh air.
We decided to meet up at the Bay Farm bridge (about half way from our houses). Going some park that I'm drawing a blank on I'm pretty sure we saw a group of people play Quiditch ( Harry Potter) and i felt a sharp pang of jealousy. As
As we approached the bridge Nathan Tieu's chain went off and it took us several attempts to fix, since we are such bike geniuses(/sarcasm).
David finally met up with us at the end of the bridge along with Brandon Ng and Sean who we just greeted and went along our own ways. We decided to bike along the bike path that goes around Bay Farm. Being sick i was dieing from dehydration and was complaining until we found a water fountain that had enough pressure to not disgust me. I learned how to ride with no hands at an adequate speed and distance.
I will continue next week I'm about to die TT_TT and hi Hali (counts as me talking) about you. (sorry for minimal word count and probably multiple mistakes)

Shadows -argh so hard to write about-

Shadows are pretty neat. Scientifically shadows are just an area of space that a light source cant reach. Thinking like this nigh time is like a blanket of a shadow, but then that makes no sense because the moon+stars make a pretty good light. Hmm maybe at night its possible for a shadow within a shadow? Just rambling on now =(
When I was little i always thought of my shadow as my personal friend/stalker (to me same thing). It seemed to always follow me, and i would play games with my shadow like trying to run away from it or trying to trick it. Unfortunately my shadow is super smarter then I am so yea.
At another point in my life i used to think it was the opposite me who lived on the inside of the Earth. That i was probably his shadow if the world was inside out pretty crazy idea but i think it would make an awesome novel. Although it would be pretty bland if everything was a shade of black. More recently I have been looking into multiple dimensions and how very possible it is that multiple realities could be happening in a area of space we cannot perceive, which makes me think back to the days of my alternate me (shadow) and our many adventures.
A lot of cultures and people think of shadows as evil beings. Which in a sense shows what they think of themselves if a shadow is a part of you. I can think of a few reasons as to why some people might think of this. The thought of a dark being following your every step in the day and suddenly disappearing at night is a pretty scary thought. People with more open minds or even simple ones often love there buddy who seems to never leave them alone.
Hali I'mm sorry ill write about you next week, The Office is on so shhhh

Close Friends Part 1

I usually hang out with the same 3 people at lunch. I'm fine with it because i love these people very much and would never get tired of being with them. I know that i can always trust David (Bruce Lee), Nathan tieu, and Nathan Truong. We have been hanging out and close since 4th grade and we are all still very close. All we did during recess in elementary school was play different variations of tag. We loved to run and be active and race and all that jazz.
I met David first. We sat next to each other in Mr Weinreb's class. Our first great bonding moment was when i offered him some Nerds to eat. We started messing around like "aah don’t eat me I’m a Nerd” and stuff like that. Basically a play on words with what the candy was called, Nerds. After that we began to sit and talk to each other more and even play at recess. I believe it’s meeting David that I love running and sprinting so much. (Thanks David :D ) Playing tag and survival tag at recess is how I met Nathan Tieu and Nathan Truong. At first i was kinda wary, i was scared of making new friends and how they would think of me. 9/11 was still fresh in people's thoughts and I'm Muslim so yeah.. Turns out they were very accepting and we had a bunch of fun. The Nathans and I never got all that close until middle school though and our elementary friendship was strictly recess which i thought was fine. Back in the day we weren't really into music as we are now but more into exploring and roller-blading. I loved exploring Alameda it used to be so huge and filled with wonders unlike today's boring old Alameda. (The Friendship story continued next week!)
P.S. I love how so many other people are into Muse I love them also~
(lack-luster blog post =( )

Kayak

Back in the day when I was shorter and much younger I was enrolled in a boat camp. And yes you guessed it my favorite part of boat camp was to kayak. It was fascinating to me as a kid. The way you sliced through the water silently and fast, not to mention the simplicity it was to make it move. It was love at first sight. Of course I jumped into a red (favorite color) kayak and frantically tried to learn how to paddle. At first it was weird since there were a whole bunch of kids in a small area desperately trying to move from point a to point b. Eventually we all got through our basics and were able to ride free in Lake Merit (Oakland). At first my friends and I were all about racing and who go the furthest with the minimum amount of pushes. We basically loved the smooth parts of the water.
A couple weeks of this and I eventually got a little bored of the same routine. I noticed, as the wind picked up the waves grew a lot wider and deeper. Curious as to what would happen if I paddled into the newly formed wave I rushed over before it could die out. I plunged down in a short burst but bobbed right up in a fast motion. Surprised I was a tad stunned but it was surprisingly very fun. I loved windy days from then on, I thought that this was the true joy of kayaking. Oh, how I was so naive I then noticed how when a speed boat goes by MULTIPLE deep waves come racing towards you. Seeing this i tried my hardest to go towards it. It was scary and fun I rocked so violently that I could have sworn I was going to capsize. I didn't and it has been a very fond memory, lasting even until now vividly.
Now i hope to go Sea kayaking I would like to ride those huge waves i see. I'm a tad scared of going in fast rafting waters though. Too many rocks for my liking =( . My goal i do have sort of planed out with my mom though is to kayak all the way around Alameda. I think it would be fun and an awesome experience to do.

Tatum Paragraph

Though this group of children, almost all of whom were White, did not live near a large Native American population and probably had had little if any personal interaction with American Indians, they all had internalized an image of what Indians were like. How did they know? Cartoon images, in particular the Disney movie Peter Pan, were cited by the children as their number-one source of information. At the age of three, these children already had a set of stereotypes in place. Though I would not describe three-year-olds as prejudiced, the stereotypes to which they have been exposed become the foundation for the adult prejudices so many of us have.

The first thing I annotated was the thing about "smog breathers" I think it would be kind of cool to be called a smog breather. It's like my lungs are so pro that they can thrive from the toxic smog that I breathe in. I also commented on hmm maybe some smokers might find this offensive. I then circled bombarded and defined it, since it’s used in an unusual way. I made a little not that said bombarded = relentless exposure in that context. In the later of the paragraph i wrote about how a lot of my friend’s parents seem to be very uhmm stereotypical especially in the car or when speaking other langues.

Build On part 1?

So I have recently joined Build On, as you probably know. For me it wasn't just about the community service hours, although it was a huge bonus. I decided to join because I have a ton of free time on my hands, and i don't want to just spend my time idley on the computer or TV. I decided to get off my ass and give back to my community. Turns out it not even boring but uber (computer talk for super/very) fun!
Last Saturday a group of friends and I went to the Alameda County Food Bank. We got there earlier then we should have so we just spent some time climbing and jumping over stuff (as you might remember David is very into parkour and I am sorta also). When it finally began we were greeted by a bunch of kids from a different school and instantly made a couple new friends. Angela gathered us up and another lady who's name i forget starts to brief us on our jobs and how what we do helps out other people in need. As we disperse we slowly get separated into different groups to do the tasks.
David, Nathan, Nathan, Sean, a girl who's name i don't remember but is in our school, and I were all working together at a plum station. At first the task seemed so tedious, but i soon started having fun throwing the bad plums into the garbage box. I then challenged myself to best my other throws and out-flash myself in the way i throw them. Unfortunately i was the first of the group to throw a plum and miss. =( After filling up countless bags of plums the bottom of our box was finally coming into sight! Unfortunately we had to go take a break before we could clear our whole box.
The Break room was so crowded and i only had a drink, so this is all i will be mentioning about the break.
As we got back to work we got switched to a new station, the potato station. The potatoes were much more fun in my opinion. They filled the bags faster and I didn't have to look for any bad ones since they were all good. We went through the potatoes incredibly fast while having a fun time doing it. Lifting each bag of potatoes individual became yet another contest between our group, I am happy to say i could lift the bag by myself (barely).
Overall i had an awesome experience working with Build On and cant wait to do it again~
Japanese word of the day is Onegai which translates to: Please!

guitarr

I wasn't really involved in music until the 6th grade. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but i suddenly was involved with rock/alternative/j-rock music. It was an amazing experience that made me want to learn how to make such amazing or calming sounds on a guitar. When i arrived overseas in Indonesia in the summer of 5th grade i had to buy a guitar. I had no idea how to make the slightest pattern to make a enjoyable song. I had to wait a year until finally i was in the 7th grade. Being in the 7th grade gave me the opportunity to take lessons during actual school time. So instead of paying hundreds of dollars or being in some boring class i was able to play thsi wonderful instrument. I loved that class so much i took it again the next year and got my basics to a solid. I knew my way around the neck, i knew octaves, and how to read music. As i entered high school my practice sessions started dieing away slowly and only seemed to peak during test times or heavy homework days making it a hindrance. lately i have been trying to play more on the weekends when homework isn't so staked up against me. Currently i have noticed that me coping another songs strumming pattern is the most difficult part of me doing a cover.
My favorite bands to cover ( not necessarily listen to) are Weezer, Muse, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, and interpol. I preger playing lead since it has mainly single notes and an easy riff, as to rhythm which has a constant strumming which if you cant catch on or even fumble for a second could throw you off. For soft or slow songs i rpefer playing on my nylon acoustic guitar which Ive had since i could remember. For the more fast or songs that cover all over the neck i use my red Strat which i bought from Indonesia. Playing with friends has become bothersome for me. I don't practice as much as i used to causing most of my friends who like to jam with me to get ahead and im just sitting there bewildered by their awesomeness.
Nowadays being able to play the guitar is standard to most people. It's gettign harder and harder to show off to people by saying "hey i play the guitar" do some tiny little part and getting the reply, " oh that's cool but check this out" and they totally out play you. That doesn't matter too much though it just fun to see yourself progressing on parts and bits of songs.
Japanese word of the week: daisuki = I love/like you/it!
P.S David and Nathan idc you grammar nazi's stop trolling >:[
loove you

haha made you look

Hmmm having trouble deciding what to talk about so ill just tell you about my classes. :D
So early in the morning i have History with Ms. Casper. First thoughts when i saw her name was, "I hope she is the friendly kind of ghost." Turns out she is very nice and energetic making my slumpy mornings more exciting! I have lots of friend in that class so projects are fun. Gives medium amount of homework with lots of writing.
Secondly I have you! (Sutherland) which is refreshing. Not the same old same old like i expected. Awesome accents to cool blog posts makes it seems like i wont be bored with my second period class too early. I cant wait to see the books we are going to read after having a sneak preview of your book selections. I'm very interested in your stories from japan and Africa which i hope you will discuss in lenghty detail pl0x!!
After you i have Malik. She has a very strong accent to say the least. Her room is way overcrowded but i guess that makes the students more friendly towards each other? So far we had a couple labs like ooblek (turquise goo) and playing with bubbles. I can't wait till someone uses the shower in the back. Oh cool object from her room is called a "smother blanket" xD
Pre-cal is next with Harrington. She is very strict which i think is awesome when it comes to math. It will make me more focused in that class and make me do all my homework on time and complete..hopefully
Then lunch which i will spend with you on Wednesday's?
Then i get to go to judo! It's awesome and super fun. I get to learn flips blocks chokes and releases. Hopefully in the future i will get to meet a couple Japanese kids who are going to come and show us some stuff (kick our asses)
Spanish is not fun anymore, same teacher for three years, crowded, and just not attention grabbing enough for me to be active. Plus its my last class which makes all of us restless.
Japanese word of the week: Otaku = A person who is an expert in anime/manga (me) but in Japan its mainly an insult while online people like it(?)

Blog Statement

For my blog i plan to write a variety of subjects. I would get terribly bored if i didn't. The topic I'm most interested about posting is the story I've been stalling on for about a year now. Hopefully posting it publicly i will get some readers who will give me feedback and hopefully let me improve my overall story.
Another topic i would love to write about is Indonesia. I was born there and i love everything about Indonesia from the terrible polluted cities to the beautiful forests. It would be awesome if other people read what i type and become more interested in Indonesia, and even for them to travel there or find out more about it. I have the best memories from Indonesia and it would be cool to share them.
Talking about Aliens/Conspiracies would be fun. I'll put some links and talk about what i think about it. Hopefully it'll make other people think or even get them interested in whatever it is that i post, and that they might be able to have a conversation about it later. Some of the stuff could be super awesome evidence while others could be poorly made hoaxes.
Japan is another country i would love to share my views on. Anything from Otaku stuff to technology and even history stuff; anything that i find especially interesting. Japan is just going to be fun to talk about. Ive been in japan for about a week and it was pure awesomeness~ I will undoubtedly add more topics as i stumble upon more interesting stuff.
I want to use this blog as a means to improve my grammar, typing speed/skills, and to get to my point without beating around the bush too much. Plus I can improve and gain researching skills on topics that I've been interested in for years but was too lazy to get around to.
~Wow thanks for reading my wall of text~

hay tharr

hello sutherland/class ....and stalkers i guess hey!