(RE) Hard Work

Yes once again I'm doing a response post about Ben's free post. I just felt like writing about my sports life again. And I'd have to strongly agree with Ben. There's so many questions an athlete asks him/herself. I always ask myself these questions. I'm not that great of an athlete at all. But I try as hard as I can. Since I started High school water polo last year I've gotten really into it. I'm definitely not the best player on the team and maybe the one who has a lot to work on but I haven't given up. Even though I haven't gotten as good as I wanted to this year my teammates and I pull through this year. Without them and my coaches I definitely wouldn't have the motivation to keep getting better. 

I've gotten a lot better since last year and my team together we have especially. We all motivate each other to put in a lot of dedication to our sport. Our hard work payed off and we became undefeated this season. There were many games in the season where I totally sucked ass and barely contributed to anything and times where I would just want to give up. I even asked myself why do I even play if I suck so much? I realized its cause polo has really become a big part of my life. Even if I'm not the kid who's scoring all the time. I just know if I try my best I'll have fun.

 Today was our last game against Pinole and it was my final chance to try to score. I was so determined and my team were all ready for me to finally score. With hard work and determination I got what I wanted. My teammates really worked hard this game and got a good lead against Pinole. There were so many moments in the game where I was so close to scoring. I got the opportunity to take a free shot at the goalie but the pressure kind of got to me. After playing almost the whole game I was taken out depressed and beat up. I missed so many opportunities but my teammates kept motivating me. My coach put me in again the last quarter with a few minutes left. With the help of my teammates and two years of waiting for this moment to score, I took a no look shot at the goalie and scored. The crowd filled with varsity teammates and friends all cheered for me. My teammates all went wild for me. It was like a scene from a movie. I finally got what I worked so hard for. It might be kind of embarrassing not scoring from two years of water polo until my last game. But I'm kind of glad I scored the last game, last quarter and last few minutes. This will for sure be a moment I'll remember for a long time. 

(CE) Animal Killers

In an Ohio farmland a owner of many exotic animals committed suicide and freed all of the animals. The owner was previously charged with many animal abuse charges since 2004. The police were put into the position where they had to put down many of the animals since the tranquilizers couldn't take the down. The animals were all pretty dangerous and it caused many schools to shut down and residences to stay inside. Endangered species like the Bengal tigers, black bears, grizzly bears, lions and more animals were killed. It must of been a sight to see animals like these to be running around in neighborhoods. I'm pretty sad that the authorities couldn't have tried a little harder to not have killed as many animals as they did. At least no civilians we hurt but at the cost of many animal's lives.

It's sad to see so many animals being killed just because they were set free. I don't get how the owner got to keep that many exotic and dangerous animals after having 11 charges of animal abuse. He was also recently released from federal prison for a firearms conviction. The authorities really should have kept a close on this guy. He kept so many dangerous animals but they did nothing about it. There were many complaints about the way he kept the animals too. But he still kept the bare minimum of required care. Which I find ridiculous. I don't think endangered animals should be kept captive. They don't belong in cages and should be where their natural habitat is.

(FREE) Brainwashed

"Generations have been working in jobs they hate, just so they can buy what they don't really need."  ~Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club)

I found this quote to be quite true. If you think about it many people in the current generation really do work jobs just so they can get money for stuff we don't need. Our past generations have done the same and future generations will probably too. And its all because the media. Commercials make us think we need all these unneeded items. You see things on billboards, television, things you can't afford but one day you think you will. People end up working shitty jobs where they sit in a cubicle all day typing numbers in to computers. I don't think I could ever live that way. Some people enjoy losing themselves in mazes of cubicles working a job they hate. We've been brainwashed to follow this system so we can pay our taxes, debts, raise a family, retire early. Its like we've became enslaved to the media.

My parents expect me to have a job to become like a dentist or something along those lines. I'd hate to be dentist even though it'd be a great paying job. I'd never want to pursue a career I don't like. Even though I'd love to have money to buy  things I don't need. Which makes me realize I do like to buy things I don't need. But I'd never take that to the extent where I would have to work jobs late night shifts to buy some fancy new car. I don't really exaclty know what I want to be when I grow up. I just know it won't be something I hate.

 

(CE) Death toll rises in Somalia

In Somalia's capital Mogadishu 15 out 10,000 children are dying from the famine and drought. The UN are there to help the starving people but it looks like they're helping out much. Tons of people seem to still be starving and are living in plastic shelters trying to get food. The whole area looks like a scene from District 9! It's horrible to see people trying to survive and feed their families in these type of conditions. Floods are also a problem in the area where thousands of people are sheltering. People are caught in the flood in the middle of floods and some children have drowned. Many food charities are trying to help this crisis but they can't get around to all the people fast enough.

It's awful to see people in situations like this where as in the United States food is plentiful. I don't see why we can't help countries in need rather than going to countries and starting wars. We go around helping countries like North Korea when they had their famine so I think we should help out Somalia. If no one decides to help the people camping out in Somalia's capital then this situation will probably only get worse. I wonder what's has Somalia's government been doing about this situation. They really should start tending to the people as much as they can. We're foturnate enough to always feed ourselves where countries like Somalia could use some help. Everyone could lose a few pounds in the states anyway. I find it ridiculous how we're having an obesity epidemic while other countries don't have food to have one meal a day. It goes to show how selfish we come off as to other countries.

(RE) The End

 "The season is coming to an end". And as much as I would love to get to sleep in every morning, and have an extra three hours to do my homework, I still hate giving up high school polo for the rest of the year...

I read this from Ben's blog. Yes, sadly the water polo season is coming to an end. You could basically say my life is ending. Polo consumed most of my days and kept me busy. After the seasons over all I have is school. I've complained all the time about how tired I always was because of polo but I'm going to hate waiting for next years season to start. I agree with Ben on loving to have an extra three hours to do homework and just have time to myself. But I think I'm going to miss being busy. Having no time to myself and always busy kept me tired, which allowed me to sleep at night. I guess it's time for more sleepless nights. Swim season is coming up in Spring but in my opinion swimming is just awful. Doing twenty laps of the same stroke is just unbearably boring. And since swim season is going to be in the spring the sun will probably be out more which'll make me darker than I already am. I kind of hate it when people tell me how I am, its not like I've never realized it.

At least Club season is starting to keep me occupied three days a week. I hope to improve in water polo over the club season since I still have a lot to work on. I try to push myself to get better and I've seen improvement. Going to morning practices have helped me got a lot stronger even though I hate waking up at 5 in the morning. Even after all the aches, pains, falling asleep in classes because of high school polo I'm going to miss this years season.

(BC) One life

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

—Steve Jobs, in a 2005 speech

I believe this is very motivational advice by Steve Jobs.  He lived his life to the fullest and became one of the world's greatest philanthropists. I think this is a great piece of advice to live by if you want to get far in life. If you can live life without having the feelings of regret and consequence they could become huge obstacles into getting where you want. He's basically saying live life every day in that moment and don't be afraid to take risks. Each day you would want to do something new and exciting without having those second thought's of maybe I shouldn't or why not tomorrow. Everyone's biggest obstacles is themselves and their doubts. If you could live life without doubting yourself you wouldn't have any trouble in doing what you really want to do.

If I were to wake up and follow advice my life would change immensely. The way I'm living now probably needs to change. I'd be a lot happier, doing the things I like instead of just saying no to anything out of my comfort zone. If I continue to wait for things to happen for me I'll just end up wasting half of my life. Having the mindset that you might day at any moment of the day could change any way a person would live. Just look at how successful Steve Job's became. I probably would've done all the things that I regret never doing. I'd be a much happier person than I am now. Everyday I shouldn't be thinking about the things I didn't do and I should be thinking about all the things I did. If only I could see what's really important and go for it. It reminds me of a line from the book Fight Club I happen to be reading which is 

"This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time. ~Chuck Palahniuk"

I wish I could just live a day without any regret it could end good, or end up bad. And that's exactly why I feel like I can't live everyday with taking risks without thinking about the consequences. I always over think about the debt I might have to pay. There isn't a day I don't worry and its usually tons of little things. I doubt myself too much but I'd like to think I've gotten better. It's usually just personal decisions I have trouble making. And since I can't overcome doubt I've have regretted many things I should have done which might've changed my life for the better. I want to have the feeling I won't have anything to lose. I need to stop doubting myself. No more regrets. I only have one life to live so fuck it.

(FREE) We have nothing

Think about the animals used in product testing. Think about the monkeys shot into space. "Without their death, their pain, without their sacrifice", Tyler says, "we would have nothing."-Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

It's kind of sad how true this quote is. If you really think about it we would have nothing without animals and the environment. People would not have gotten anywhere without sacrificing the lives of unwilling test subjects.
The breakthrough of cure's for diseases, and preventing from happening would have not happened if we didn't have animals. Yet what do we give animals in return? We give them less land, less of a natural habitat, we kill them, we eat them, and use them for our own needs. You can't disagree that we have benefited a lot off of the sacrifice of animals. We've become so self minded that we don't even realize that tons of animals are now going extinct because of us.

Take for example, humans used monkeys, rats, mice, all types of animals in space and many of them were put into great danger. Animals have no say into what they want to do, I'm sure the were all forced to be sent out into space. We use animals for product testing even when we know it's wrong. Animals are unwilling used for testing for cosmetics, soap, shampoo and a bunch of another everyday products we use. People are so self centered for the safety of humans but they aren't thinking about the life's of the animals we're killing and torturing. I'm sure there won't be an end to the use of animals for testing. I just think lots of people don't realize how selfish we've become. Without the suffering of animals, we would have nothing.