I’m not a very confident person, but I can say I’m pretty humble. I started to realize that the people around me always show off something they feel so proud of. There is nothing wrong to show others your success, but how they show their success will affect me looking at this person’s personality. I always don’t like the person who always thinks they are so cool or they just think how good they are at some area. I always feel so disgusted. For example, one of my friends from Taiwan he keep doing some gang signs because he watched some people doing it on TikTok. He just keeps doing it even he doesn’t know what that means. He just thinks he is so cool doing that, and keep doing the same thing over and over again. I mean I also do gang signs as a joke with my friends sometimes but I don’t know how he can do that every day. Speaking of being humble, I’m good at swimming and I also do it for my previous school team. At the swim races in Taiwan, I also broke the record, and be the fastest swimmer in the race. However, I never tell others how good I am at swimming or do some actions to get the attention of others just to get respect or admiration. I still respect those people who are overconfident, but I just don’t like it that’s all. What do you think?
Mondays are stressful. I wake up in my comfortable room in my house in LA. I throw all my stuff into a bag, inevitably forgetting something important. This week it was my Xbox. I then jam my various bags of shit into my truck and go straight to school. This week, when I got to school I was blessed to learn I have 3 tests on Friday, and that the 3 English essays I was supposed to be working on were also due Friday. It was also the first day of golf practice. I have blogged on end about the irony in the fact that golf, my leisure activity, doesn’t give me anything but stress.
I made it through the school day and found myself at golf practice, with a deeeeeeeeeep pit of anxiety forming in my gut. I couldn’t focus on playing and left halfway through practice. I had a talk with my friend schmogan (real navraj22 fans will get it) before I left practice about how he has used meditation to feel more in control of his life. When I got home, I was greeted with more stress. I had to entertain my grandparent’s questions they ask every day, “when do you hear from colleges,” “are you warm back there,” “did you have enough to eat.” It’s so annoying. That’s a story for another blog.
Anyways, that night, I did my homework, (none of those things due Friday though), and practiced meditation for the first time. I am using Calm, an app, with a 30-day introductory course. I am on day 4 and it’s going so well. I have been able to manage my stress so much better, and have felt like I am more in control. I got all my English stuff done early in the week and my Friday has been great. I just bombed 2/3 of those tests, but I’m not worried.
It’s no secret that I love opossums. I would do anything to have one as a pet. If I could wake up and be holding an opossum’s little toes, I would never have any problems for the rest of my life. I seriously am obsessed with those little guys. Every day I dream about coming home to an opossum and kissing its little forehead and petting its soft fur. I fantasize about finding an opossum on the side of the road and getting to hold it on my lap while I drive it to the vet. I just want to love on an opossum.
If I had an opossum, I would spoil it so much. I would give it little hats and feed it all the food it wanted. Any opossum that lived with me would live the best life ever. I would give my opossums cuddles every day and take them on walks so they stay healthy. Seriously, just give me a chance to have one of those little guys. I would take amazing care of them. I think I deserve a pet opossum.
In my years, I’ve watched a lot of anime. From finishing 12 episode shows left right and center, to watching 718 episodes of One Piece (I’ll finish it one day), I would say I am well versed in the world of anime. So, I figure why not give recommendations. This list has some pretty mainstream options so if you’re new to anime, this index is for you.
Hunter x Hunter
PC: IMDB
Hunter x Hunter follows a talented young boy named Gon, and his friends through the Hunter exam. The Hunter exam tests applicants from around the world to become Hunters. Hunters are given access to information, locations, treasures, and auctions that normal people don’t even know about. The group explores this magical world, discovering people and powers that are hardly imaginable. This show has amazed me every time I’ve watched it. It’s slick and well put together animation makes the show look consistently clean, with not many scenes being too rushed (unlike some other animes *cough* Black Clover *cough*), the complex and detailed storyline also leaves the viewer in awe as the viewer feels such an affinity towards the characters. Hunter x Hunter is definitely on my list of top anime, and it will not be moving any time soon.
9.8/10
Cowboy Bebop
PC: ew.com
Cowboy Bebop is a legendary anime. This neo-noir/science fiction world is invigorating. Its fantastic, flowy, and dramatic animation style is something modern-day animes struggle to compete with, the protagonist is a hopeless nihilist, and the soundtrack… don’t get me started. This show follows a talented, yet disastrous bounty hunter group. The lead character, Spike, is a smooth talker and an even better fighter. Spike’s past is shrouded in mystery, which is slowly revealed. Spike is also accompanied by a few characters, Jet, his mechanic, and a few others introduced later into the show. I would recommend Cowboy Bebop to anybody that has already seen a few animes, rather than it being the first anime, but I would definitely put it on the Must Watch list.
9.5/10
Samurai Champloo
PC: TextandColor.com
For lack of a better word… This anime is goated. The story isn’t the greatest one I have ever seen, but boy is this anime special. The animation left me starstruck and the characters pose a strong yin yang duality. The characters Mugen and Jin are samurai during the Edo Period, however, this twist of the Edo Period has elements of hip hop culture entwined. This anime is really something to behold, with excellent character chemistry and fantastically coordinated fight scenes, I would recommend not overlooking this show.
Recently, we sat down to do a Hill Talk Podcast where we partook in the One Chip Challenge. We didn’t do the real challenge of eating the whole chip because our teacher is liable for our health and safety, but I must say, that shit still hurt. I can’t even describe the chip as spicy, it was just painful. As soon as I bit into the chip, I tasted a disgusting flavor of heat and pepper. The chip was thick, crispy, and dry as hell. Thus making it very hard to chew. It resembled eating sandpaper in my mind. My first reaction to the heat was to hiccup. My diaphragm began to convulse with the power of 1,000 stampeding wildebeests. I could’ve sworn I was gonna throw up. This all happened in a blink of an eye, and as time progressed, so did the pain. The chip lit up my spice receptors like a Christmas tree, it would be safe to say that the only thoughts on my mind were the exponentially increasing pain, and the chocolate milk I was thirsting to chug. Breathing became a difficult task, and speaking became an unintelligible blabber. This one chip fucked me up. If it wasn’t for the lemon juice chemically neutralizing the capsaicin, I’d be a goner. Even with this bitter miracle of fruit juice, the chip still put me on my ass. I could’ve sworn I contacted IBS, I mean, how could a healthy intestinal circuit feel like it’s moving shattered glass all because of one chip. I will rue the day that I participated in the Paqui One Chip Challenge.
I’ve been really tired recently. With the stress of applying to colleges and school, I really need a break. There are a lot of tests and I did pretty bad at them while I needed to finish my college application. There is just too much stuff I need to do, and I really don’t have time for myself to review for all the tests. One of the most annoying things recently is that I need to retake the test for English Language Proficiency. I’ve taken this test more than ten times, and I just couldn’t get to the minimum score. I’m really tired of this. At the same time, every senior already gets into some good college except me. I haven’t got any acceptance and I’m so worried about whether I am able to get accepted by any college. Every day started to feel the same and I’m tired of it. Wake up, breakfast, school, and sleep. It’s just so boring that I couldn’t do anything more than that. I just don’t know how people wake up and get so excited for their day or have so much fun in school. I just don’t know-how. I only eat less, even skip lunch or dinner, and get tired every other day. How can people look so normal, and be happy every day?
A year or two, I had a puzzle games hyperfixation. Instead of going on TikTok or watching YouTube, I would listen to music and play puzzle games for hours. They’re actually super fun. Here’s my favorite ones.
Connect
The connecting games are definitely my favorite ones. When I got a new puzzle game, I would be done with every single tier of difficulty (each having around 100 levels to play) within an hour or two. They’re super fun and I don’t know why. There’s just something so satisfying about figuring out the way that they all go together after thinking about it and trying different combinations.
App: Puzzledom
Car Parking
The car parking puzzles are addicting. There’s a game I have that’s just car parking puzzles and as far as I can tell, it has an infinite amount of levels. (I’m on level 1,466, so I’m pretty sure there’s not an end to the levels.) The escape games can be included in this category since it’s exactly the same game, but I prefer the ones where you’re moving around cars instead of just blocks.
App: Let Me Out
Tangram
I first played with tangrams in, like, second grade. Tangrams seriously felt like a fever dream until I found a game that had a tangram category and I realized that I hadn’t made up the concept and gaslit myself into thinking it was real. Anyways, they’re fun.
App: Puzzeldom
Blocks/Hexa Puzzle
These are kind of the same as the tangrams, but a little different. I like them. That’s all.
App: Puzzledom
Word Shatter
For some reason, I really like word puzzles. The word shatter kind is my favorite since it’s like a word search but less frustrating. An honorable mention is the word soup kind of game where you make words from a certain collection of letters.
App: Numpuz
I play most of these on apps that have a collection of different puzzle games. My favorite apps like that are Puzzledom and Numpuz (not sponsored by them, but I wish). I play my car game on an app called Let Me Out, which is just the car puzzle. Go check the apps out, but be warned- they’re addictive.
I had watched some clips of Harry Potter before, but I just never got interested in it. It’s kind of boring watching them passing that weird shape of the ball, I don’t know, I was just not enjoying it at all. However, this Christmas break changed me, I have found my favorite movie now. It all started with my older brother, he watched the first 4 Harry Potter films with his friends already. Then, my little brother and I decided to give it a try so we could watch it with him during the break. After finishing the first two films of Harry Potter, we are so addicted to it.
Meanwhile, we went to Universal Studios and bought the Harry Potter robes. I know it’s kinda stupid and childish, but I enjoy wearing the robes while watching the rest of the series. We were just so obsessed with Harry Potter. Nevertheless, we always got so hype when Dobby came out because he is the strongest in the Wizarding World. The film hit me so hard when Albus Dumbledore and Dobby died, especially Dobby. Dobby is the king of these movies. Before he died, Dobby said: “Such a beautiful place, Dobby is happy to be with his friends.” I can still remember what he said even now. It’s a pity that the ending was not so surprising. However, the story and the plotting in those movies were just perfect. I never felt the movie is too long and never felt boring.
I’m from the U.S., so it shouldn’t be surprising that I have a vendetta against England. There’s literally no way to explain how it started other than that I’m from the U.S.. I’ve just uncontrollably despised England since I was born. Anyways, here we go.
They drive on the left side of the road
Driving on the left side of the road is just fundamentally wrong. It doesn’t make sense. The majority of people in the world are right-handed, so theoretically, people should drive on the right side of the road. Also, pretty much every country other than the ones that used to be controlled by England drive on the right side of the road. By the law of “majority rules,” England is incorrect.
Hear me out on this one. Yes, the metric system makes a lot more sense for generic measurements, HOWEVER– using kilometers per hour is stupid. I know that pretty much all of Europe uses kilometers per hour and Celsius, but this article is about England specifically so I’m gonna pick on them. Using Celsius and kilometers per hour is dumb because they have no standard of what’s too much or too little. Hang in there, I’ll explain. 0 degrees Fahrenheit is way too cold, and 100 degrees Fahrenheit is way too hot. And 0 miles per hour is too slow while 100 miles per hour is too fast. Celsius not only doesn’t apply to the human body, but it has no reasonable standard of being too hot or cold. Like 0 degrees Celsius isn’t incredibly cold, but a human would die at 100 degrees Celsius. Celsius was a measurement system created for water, not humans. And I think it’s convenient that there’s the same metric of what’s too big or too little between Fahrenheit and miles per hour. This reasoning might sound stupid, but I’m sticking by it.
This one is really dumb. I’m not even gonna try to defend myself. I just think their accents are unattractive. Australian accents? Wonderful. Scottish accents? Great. German accents? Really pretty. English accents? Gross. The only good thing about their accents is that they’re really easy to mock.
Like, in this economy? Something’s gotta be wrong with them if they think having a monarchy and a democracy at the same time is a smart idea. I mean, I don’t know much about how a monarchy works, but I know that it didn’t work out well for France, so I’m gonna assume it’s a bad idea overall. Plus, the royal family mostly works as a publicity stunt. They should just get rid of it.
Boris Johnson sucks so much. To be fair, I’m pretty sure that a good amount of people in England agree with me, but I’m still gonna hold it against them. I don’t like him.
Since I’ve already hated on them so much, I guess I’ll put in something I like about England.
Russell Howard is from England
Russell Howard is a comedian with his own show from England. He’s really funny. I love him. He’s probably the only good thing that came out of England.
I hope you enjoyed reading my passionate ranting about hating England. I don’t get super patriotic very often, but I definitely whip out the stars and stripes when England comes up in conversation. I will never stop arguing for why I don’t like England.
Death is one of the many anomalies of this world, and with this lack of knowledge comes an innate fear of dying. People have feared death for ages, so to combat this trepidation people created images of afterlives to live on so their consciousness never truly disappears. This is my idea of why heaven and hell were created. Personally, I find more comfort in believing that there is nothing past death. You and whatever your consciousness is just disappears. From this assumption, I can live a generally stress and anxiety-free life, because in my opinion nothing actually carries meaning, worth, or consequence. I’m just here kickin it. I have a firm belief that if everyone thought a similar way, and cared more about living their actual life rather than worrying about their life after they die, then the world would be a happier place. People need to live in the moment, not in the afterlife.
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