Saturday, January 28, 2012
Big Time Message For Russia
According to my calculations, I have a big following from the great nation of Russia ^_^ To thank the Russian people, business associates, and friends in Russia and all over the world, the following is a special message for Russian everywhere:
Спасибо России за поддержку этого блога. Я не буду от вас скрывать, когда я начала терять вес в пятом курсе университета, была симпатичная девушка, родом из России и участие университетов в то время. Я был в тренажерном зале делать мои упражнения, когда она проходила мимо меня. Я полагаю, вы не смотрите такое впечатление на мою историю, но это нормально, потому что, видите ли, она никогда не проходил мимо меня прежде. Ха-ха! Я ЛЮБЛЮ РОССИЮ! ^_^
Thursday, January 26, 2012
MUSIC CHALLENGE UPDATE!
Just a short update today:
Towards the end of piano practice, I learned the secret to one of my favourite songs by Diane Birch: The song is called "Fools" from her debut album "Bible Belt" (?) ^_^ After playing the melody a few times and getting a jest of the harmonies, I stopped playing and started crying. I never thought, and certainly Momzo never thought I would come this far in the piano challenge. Not only could I play (sort of) piano, but I would also really get back into songwriting and covering popular tunes. Yes, I do have original tunes, Jessica, but I feel encouraged and inspired to do so much more than write a song or learn an instrument.
I'm not Beethoven by any means, and there are hundreds of eight year old kids in my town with more talent and ability in their pinky fingers than I do in my entire body. The challenge now becomes what to do with this energy, the resolve to improve, and maybe sustain it as a long-term thing, almost like writing? ^_^
As for the guitar, a few of the strings on my guitar "bit the dust" recently -_- My Gibson guitar came through for me during the rough times, and when I had a song on the tip of my tongue which needed extra help to get out. The Guitar challenge is on hiatus until I purchase new strings and get my guitar repaired (Sorry, Bryan).
To close, here is a video of "Fools" by Diane Birch live from Paris, France ^_^ Brought to you by YouTube o_O I don't own rights to the film, I embedded it onto the page, that's all!
She even wears hats better than I do o_O She's amazing! ^_^
Towards the end of piano practice, I learned the secret to one of my favourite songs by Diane Birch: The song is called "Fools" from her debut album "Bible Belt" (?) ^_^ After playing the melody a few times and getting a jest of the harmonies, I stopped playing and started crying. I never thought, and certainly Momzo never thought I would come this far in the piano challenge. Not only could I play (sort of) piano, but I would also really get back into songwriting and covering popular tunes. Yes, I do have original tunes, Jessica, but I feel encouraged and inspired to do so much more than write a song or learn an instrument.
I'm not Beethoven by any means, and there are hundreds of eight year old kids in my town with more talent and ability in their pinky fingers than I do in my entire body. The challenge now becomes what to do with this energy, the resolve to improve, and maybe sustain it as a long-term thing, almost like writing? ^_^
As for the guitar, a few of the strings on my guitar "bit the dust" recently -_- My Gibson guitar came through for me during the rough times, and when I had a song on the tip of my tongue which needed extra help to get out. The Guitar challenge is on hiatus until I purchase new strings and get my guitar repaired (Sorry, Bryan).
To close, here is a video of "Fools" by Diane Birch live from Paris, France ^_^ Brought to you by YouTube o_O I don't own rights to the film, I embedded it onto the page, that's all!
She even wears hats better than I do o_O She's amazing! ^_^
Friday, January 20, 2012
Joining the Ranks: Phil Listens To We The Kings
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| To Charles Trippy: I know, right? :) |
According to iTunes, they are an alternative rock band, but I disagree on the grounds that WTK are less alternative compared to the alt rock I listen to. What do I mean? The sound in each of their song is consistent and not full of the hard breaks found in alternative rock; instead of hearing two songs chopped into one song in a binary format, We The Kings stick with one theme and chord progression for most if not all of the song. It is a welcome surprise, plus it is nice to listen to one song and not wait for that break indicative in a lot of alternative rock o_O I'll go out on a limb and say they are a rock band; maybe they are alternative because most are not familiar with them yet?
What put an extra smile on my face is that during one song I listened to, lead singer Travis Clark quoted the BIBLE! :D I'm not sure if he took it out of context or not; I'll have to find the song again. I played all the tunes at once on the way to work and neglected to check (#FAIL), so I forgot -_-
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| Who is the stinking attractive redhead standing next to Travis Clark (right)? ^_^ LOL |
MUSIC CHALLENGE UPDATE (85% COMPLETE)
No, I didn't forget! I stepped up my game for the past two or three weeks, and even purchased a new keyboard, the YAMAHA PSR-333. It's not a stage piano, but it's a nice home model I can plug into my computer via USB ^_^ My next goal, besides saving enough money to move into an apartment, is buying a YAMAHA CP-5 to take my piano playing to the next level. As for songwriting, I rehearsed some covers and wrote a few songs in need of lyrics, but I can't wait to start recording ^_^
Friday, January 13, 2012
That's it...HALF DAY!
I'm stuck at work because of the raging snowstorm outside the office o_O While my boss is away, I'm holding down the fort, and I didn't burn down the office this time, isn't that wonderful? Aren't I amazing ^_^ (don't answer that o_O)?
I saw "The Brady 6" documentary on the NFL Network yesterday; every time I see Tom Brady's combine footage I chuckle, because he doesn't look like a quarterback, much like Joe Montana or Johnny Unitas. During the 2000 NFL Draft, NFL teams chose 198 players ahead of the Patriots selecting Tom Brady, and of those players six were quarterbacks. It seems an annual rite of passage for us to be sucked in by what a quarterback should look like: The rocket arm, the athletic ability, and the collegiate championship reputation. The constant theme of the documentary is that you cannot measure heart, patience, imagination, drive, passion, resiliency, desire, and courage: Things Tom Brady has in abundance.
I'm sure I'm about to start off a wild BRADY VERSUS MANNING debate on this blog that will last well into the next decade, so if you want to add your two cents without being vulgar, feel free to comment below.
Something else I noticed towards the end...Tom Brady was crying. Oh no! It wasn't long before I lost it, too! One eye start gushing, and then the other; next thing you know, it's like I'm watching an NFL Films Dick Vermeil special all over again D: Cut to commercial, cut to commercial!
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| Can you imagine Tom Brady in a Niners or Browns' jersey? It almost happened. |
I'm sure I'm about to start off a wild BRADY VERSUS MANNING debate on this blog that will last well into the next decade, so if you want to add your two cents without being vulgar, feel free to comment below.
Something else I noticed towards the end...Tom Brady was crying. Oh no! It wasn't long before I lost it, too! One eye start gushing, and then the other; next thing you know, it's like I'm watching an NFL Films Dick Vermeil special all over again D: Cut to commercial, cut to commercial!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Dear Mr. Tebow
There is no question the odds are against you, as many reminded you the past four weeks, if not last week, in this most pressure packed of games to date. Nevertheless, with every test in the past you passed with every shade of flying colours, on and off the field, and they led you to this moment. No, I'm not talking about football, but rather I'm talking about where you are right now. At this moment, the world looks to you in anticipation, for direction for something so fantastic and so incredible it defies comprehension. At this moment, the world also looks to you with blood in their eye, for your humiliation, and to only reject your plan and everything you stand for.
Know this: In this moment, which is now and in the next, turn your eyes upon Jesus. Never mind the end result, the victories, the defeats, the triumphs, the dejections, "Tebow Time", the art of Tebowing, or even the final score; know that in the eyes of The One, who counts the most, when you turn to Him "He will never leave you nor forsake you" says the Lord. He is already so proud of you for beating the odds, which were that you would turn to Him in your hour of need and depend on Him for strength and guidance, and now He is calling on you more than ever in this moment in your life. After all, your life is a life based on beating those odds; do not turn away from the Lord who never and could never turn His back to you (1 Chronicles 28:19-21)
When there are no more moments, and the final whistle blows.
When the fans of every colour return to their happy homes.
When critics say "I told you so", and "The do's became the don't's".
In the end, it's Jesus Christ whose words will mean the most:
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant".
God bless,
Phil Wood
P.S. Go Steelers?
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
It's Official: You Just Aren't Good Enough
(Feel free to substitute certain words for your particular gender, ladies o_O)
It finally happened, didn't it? At last, you arrived at the same conclusion some girl you liked in high school arrived at, only that was fifteen years ago and after long periods of denial, anger, fear of being alone, and pseudo-bargaining you finally accepted that no girl thinks you are good enough for them. The figurative, or maybe even literal "last girl on earth" said she would rather eat dirt, chew glass, or wash their eyes out with benzene than go out with you, no matter how nice you look, are, smell, smile and/or speak (did I say smell? Hey, you had a shower! Way to go, you smell great)!
Wow, it seemed like you really had your heart set on this girl: I mean, she is really nice, and she thinks of you only as her friend because you are someone she can trust and respects because you are opinionated and confident, though never afraid to ask for help or admit you made a mistake like upsetting the table, when you sneezed during that Monopoly game on Games Night at a mutual friend's house and caused all the hotels to fall over, but you were not what she was expecting (At least you showered). In other words: She was looking for someone to reach that bar way up there in the sky; alright, by sky I mean stratosphere, and by stratosphere I mean deep space. In the end, nothing matters because you are didn't get married, you never announced to your church, workplace, marketplace, family, or friends that you were engaged, you never got down on one knee and popped the question, you never went on a date, you never went to PROM because the girl you asked had to wash her hair, no girl ever wrote you a serious letter of interest, and no girl ever WANTED to look at you THAT way (the way girls do in the movies that you watch alone at the movie theater, on YouTube, or that illegal video of the new film coming out in a couple of weeks o_O). Game over, you lose, EPIC FAIL, D'OH, Flair Flop, iJustine go BOOM!
Fifteen years is a long time to come to that realization, a REALLY long time (you showered though, that's important)! I mean you liked a GROSS amount of girls; not all at once, I mean...well, I don't know...you know what I mean! You thought about, daydreamed about kissing, and dreamed voluntarily or involuntarily about marrying each of these girls. Tell you what: I'll stop talking so you can think back about all the girls you were crazy about, from your first crush that you teased only because you really liked her to the latest young lady that went for someone who is way better than you. I will even provide some suitable music you can play in the background; all you need to do is line up the still photos of each girl in your mind and go through them one by one like a retrospective or a memorial piece. Whenever you are ready, click here and a new tab will appear on your browser. This blog will be here when you are ready to continue ^_^ So Wayne Gretzky is in it, big deal (Are you telling me he didn't shower?)!
This is the perfect time to circle the wagons and analyze what you have. Rejection from the last girl on Earth means you have all this energy to do other, more meaningful and productive things instead of spend the rest of your natural life with the girl of your dreams and become a loving husband and father to 2.3 children! I'm pretty sure there is something you like or something you enjoy doing? List a few things if need be, but they must be things you enjoy doing AND other people confirm you enjoy doing like...playing Ultimate (Hi Jeff), working at the homeless shelter (Hi Geoff), playing a myriad of musical instruments (Hi Bethany), slapping the bass (Hi Rony...and Spencer), writing words and making sentences (Hi ABC, Melody, and...Laurie), teaching kids at school (Hi Andrew and Jessica...oh yeah, and Andrea), talking to mass amounts of people about a certain subject you feel passionately about (Hi Pastor Pye and Pastor Craig), or extinguishing this electrical fire in my room (Hi Ross...wait, what?) o_O
It should be a short list, but if it is long that's fine, too ^_^ You know, as we look at that list I can't help but notice you have lots of value, I mean for someone who is "not good enough". It is ironic for someone like you to stop thinking about the opposite sex and recall those moments when you used those gifts to brighten someone's day or put smiles on the faces of total strangers who were in attendance. Maybe you did it as part of a school assignment, and while you didn't get the mark you thought you deserved, you completed a task you didn't think could be done, and had enough time left over to do other things you enjoy like playing Star Wars Episode 1 Racer on the Nintendo 64, or learning how to be a semi-competent piano player after twenty years away from the dreaded machine (Wait a second, that's me). It's possible through those 'gifts' you thought about earlier you made friends that you didn't have before? It is also possible because of your friends you have those 'gifts' you didn't know you had? You may have family, in some meaningful capacity, who have your back as well, right? Whether in blood or in spirit, they support you and love you even when it takes you two years to break the infamous 35-second barrier at Mon Gazza Speedway with Mars Guo, the greatest Star Wars pod racer of all-time (wait, that's me, too o_O 34.83 seconds at Mon Gazza + 5-time Star Wars Racer Tournament champion, but who's counting? ^_^). Their love for you is unconditional, and you feel the same about each of them. On top of all those things, you had a shower!
Wait a second, I have the answer: You are more than good enough, because you count in the eyes of so many people! Just because they are not around all the time, or you aren't with a particular girl doesn't mean you are the least among the peoples of the Earth; it just means they are giving you a break to restore some of your coolness and energy! You are an amazing, wonderful, and valuable person with so much to give. However, time is short, and you don't have as much time as you did fifteen years ago; you must inspire others around you to take those things you believe they are good at and enjoy doing, so they can be cool and energetic people as well. Then, they pay it forward, and those friends pay it forward, and so on and so forth. Yes, it would be nice to eventually get looked at by some girl in the process of doing something enjoyable, but you will have so much fun doing that enjoyable thing that finally being liked by a girl after fifteen years of going about things the wrong way that experience will be the cherry on top of the Man's Bowl of your favourite ice cream, with the knowledge you showered before diving into that ice cream and eating it without fear of it going straight to your thighs after you finish! ^_^
Oh thank you so much for you kind words and support! For the first time in fifteen years I feel...! I mean, I'm so glad I could help you feel so much better about your situation. Let me know in the comments how everything worked out, alright? ^_^
It finally happened, didn't it? At last, you arrived at the same conclusion some girl you liked in high school arrived at, only that was fifteen years ago and after long periods of denial, anger, fear of being alone, and pseudo-bargaining you finally accepted that no girl thinks you are good enough for them. The figurative, or maybe even literal "last girl on earth" said she would rather eat dirt, chew glass, or wash their eyes out with benzene than go out with you, no matter how nice you look, are, smell, smile and/or speak (did I say smell? Hey, you had a shower! Way to go, you smell great)!
Wow, it seemed like you really had your heart set on this girl: I mean, she is really nice, and she thinks of you only as her friend because you are someone she can trust and respects because you are opinionated and confident, though never afraid to ask for help or admit you made a mistake like upsetting the table, when you sneezed during that Monopoly game on Games Night at a mutual friend's house and caused all the hotels to fall over, but you were not what she was expecting (At least you showered). In other words: She was looking for someone to reach that bar way up there in the sky; alright, by sky I mean stratosphere, and by stratosphere I mean deep space. In the end, nothing matters because you are didn't get married, you never announced to your church, workplace, marketplace, family, or friends that you were engaged, you never got down on one knee and popped the question, you never went on a date, you never went to PROM because the girl you asked had to wash her hair, no girl ever wrote you a serious letter of interest, and no girl ever WANTED to look at you THAT way (the way girls do in the movies that you watch alone at the movie theater, on YouTube, or that illegal video of the new film coming out in a couple of weeks o_O). Game over, you lose, EPIC FAIL, D'OH, Flair Flop, iJustine go BOOM!
Fifteen years is a long time to come to that realization, a REALLY long time (you showered though, that's important)! I mean you liked a GROSS amount of girls; not all at once, I mean...well, I don't know...you know what I mean! You thought about, daydreamed about kissing, and dreamed voluntarily or involuntarily about marrying each of these girls. Tell you what: I'll stop talking so you can think back about all the girls you were crazy about, from your first crush that you teased only because you really liked her to the latest young lady that went for someone who is way better than you. I will even provide some suitable music you can play in the background; all you need to do is line up the still photos of each girl in your mind and go through them one by one like a retrospective or a memorial piece. Whenever you are ready, click here and a new tab will appear on your browser. This blog will be here when you are ready to continue ^_^ So Wayne Gretzky is in it, big deal (Are you telling me he didn't shower?)!
This is the perfect time to circle the wagons and analyze what you have. Rejection from the last girl on Earth means you have all this energy to do other, more meaningful and productive things instead of spend the rest of your natural life with the girl of your dreams and become a loving husband and father to 2.3 children! I'm pretty sure there is something you like or something you enjoy doing? List a few things if need be, but they must be things you enjoy doing AND other people confirm you enjoy doing like...playing Ultimate (Hi Jeff), working at the homeless shelter (Hi Geoff), playing a myriad of musical instruments (Hi Bethany), slapping the bass (Hi Rony...and Spencer), writing words and making sentences (Hi ABC, Melody, and...Laurie), teaching kids at school (Hi Andrew and Jessica...oh yeah, and Andrea), talking to mass amounts of people about a certain subject you feel passionately about (Hi Pastor Pye and Pastor Craig), or extinguishing this electrical fire in my room (Hi Ross...wait, what?) o_OIt should be a short list, but if it is long that's fine, too ^_^ You know, as we look at that list I can't help but notice you have lots of value, I mean for someone who is "not good enough". It is ironic for someone like you to stop thinking about the opposite sex and recall those moments when you used those gifts to brighten someone's day or put smiles on the faces of total strangers who were in attendance. Maybe you did it as part of a school assignment, and while you didn't get the mark you thought you deserved, you completed a task you didn't think could be done, and had enough time left over to do other things you enjoy like playing Star Wars Episode 1 Racer on the Nintendo 64, or learning how to be a semi-competent piano player after twenty years away from the dreaded machine (Wait a second, that's me). It's possible through those 'gifts' you thought about earlier you made friends that you didn't have before? It is also possible because of your friends you have those 'gifts' you didn't know you had? You may have family, in some meaningful capacity, who have your back as well, right? Whether in blood or in spirit, they support you and love you even when it takes you two years to break the infamous 35-second barrier at Mon Gazza Speedway with Mars Guo, the greatest Star Wars pod racer of all-time (wait, that's me, too o_O 34.83 seconds at Mon Gazza + 5-time Star Wars Racer Tournament champion, but who's counting? ^_^). Their love for you is unconditional, and you feel the same about each of them. On top of all those things, you had a shower!
Wait a second, I have the answer: You are more than good enough, because you count in the eyes of so many people! Just because they are not around all the time, or you aren't with a particular girl doesn't mean you are the least among the peoples of the Earth; it just means they are giving you a break to restore some of your coolness and energy! You are an amazing, wonderful, and valuable person with so much to give. However, time is short, and you don't have as much time as you did fifteen years ago; you must inspire others around you to take those things you believe they are good at and enjoy doing, so they can be cool and energetic people as well. Then, they pay it forward, and those friends pay it forward, and so on and so forth. Yes, it would be nice to eventually get looked at by some girl in the process of doing something enjoyable, but you will have so much fun doing that enjoyable thing that finally being liked by a girl after fifteen years of going about things the wrong way that experience will be the cherry on top of the Man's Bowl of your favourite ice cream, with the knowledge you showered before diving into that ice cream and eating it without fear of it going straight to your thighs after you finish! ^_^
Oh thank you so much for you kind words and support! For the first time in fifteen years I feel...! I mean, I'm so glad I could help you feel so much better about your situation. Let me know in the comments how everything worked out, alright? ^_^
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