My New Anthem

Sometimes, I take someones work or words, I know it isn't always original, yet I recreate, make changes. While I do create my own work, I felt this was particularly enjoyable:

Float like a butterfly,
Sting like a bee.
There ain't no way,
I could be Muhammad Ali.
Just even then,
There wouldn't be a tie.
I could still take you down,
Anywhere from here to Dubai.

The original Ali quote is known by many, recited often, and the basis behind classic rhyming smack talk. Yet, I feel like mine takes it to a different level, maybe to confident yet different.

Skipper? What, Me?

I sometimes wonder, why am I sitting here?. This question is usually asked while I am sitting in my AP English class. After finishing the AP exam, the one which the whole school year was spent preparing for, I just no longer care to put much effort into the class. My desire to be out of school for the summer, doing what I want to do, just makes me restless.
It was never my attention to act the way I tend to act. Apparently my inability to filter what I say, causes me to over act. I may cause some trouble but I intend no harm. When I act up in class, its an over culmination of my apprehension, my want for summer.
All I ask for is some creative freedom, the ability to express myself, yet it seems oppression reigns supreme.

What is a Street Car?

With the final editing prowess and slow uploading time he typically takes to get work done, I bring you the final project made available from my friend and project partner, Corin.
Considering how we do not have the editing software or high tech equipment that many professionals do have, we did pretty well for ourselves, even with the time constraint. Our ability to have fun with the project while, actually including viable information, we brought forth, our successful project on the subject of the finances of the 1920s. Trust me with a camera, and you can trust me with success?

Bearing the Burden

How do we get where we get? That is a question that intrigues me quite a bit, the true cause of a situation. Anything that happens results because of more than one party, and you can't truly know what happened since you do not know what goes on inside the head of the other party. Your own actions can only part of the reason, as another persons actions influence the consequences, good or bad.
I hold no qualms about what has occurred, but I just want to understand it. I can run through an event in my head to an indefinite amount, yet no matter the time spent thinking, I only know half the story. Even words spoken give up a small part. Emotional effects into it quite a bit as well, your own interpretation influences how you look back upon the occurrence.
The playback feature can take me only so far, muscle memory only tells one story, its all a mystery, yet that mystery plays into the power of an event. The fact that you know your part and no one else does, it your own though process. A unique entity that defines us, yet makes us separate.

Take 2

After writing the essay, the one I posted yesterday, we were asked to use a site called animodo, to accompany the essay.

The song was supposed to represent the laid back style of the teen center while capture the excitement I felt for ping pong. With the text, I like the foggy background effect, gave it a somewhat surreal effect, which doubles pretty well with the bits and pieces of text from the essay. Something about the layered copys of the table that I like as well. The end whats great as the words "I Believe" pop up. If you believe, make it so.

Failing Fury

Today I took up the paddle for the first time in a long nine months and it looks like the winter was not good to my skills. For me to accomplish my goal, I'll have to work hard and play hard. While I may have set a high bar for myself, I think it'll be worth it. The day will come when I'll accomplish the lucky seven victories against my brother in ping-pong.
Although this piece was written early on in the year, it does encompass my beginnings in the sport and how lost many of hours going back and forth:

Thinking back to it all, the teen center was not what mattered. In fact, I would have survived without it, albeit, with a different lifestyle, but different nonetheless. What was important about it was what it had and what its amenities provided.

The teen center was open daily and was available, as the name implies, to all teens. The place was not that big, in fact at times it would feel claustrophobic as maybe twenty or so teens would occasionally sit down to play video games with the barrage of chairs taking up much more than a little space. The space issue never became a problem as the center tended only to a high school of 150 students.

Whenever I was there, I would be able to find something to do. Amidst the Xboxes, Play Stations, computers, and TVs, there was something that stood in the middle of it all.

The ping-pong table that stood in the center of the room was nothing special at all but it was not something new. In fact, it was just there, placed there as another part of the center. I do not believe when they first bought it that it would be used more than any of the other games, especially the game consoles.

What mesmerized me was not the table but was the players. They were not anywhere near professional caliber but there was something about them that caught my eye. I noticed they were playing seriously but were much more reserved than usual.

The room around the table was pretty much tailored as to give it plenty of room for its spectators and nothing to get in the way of the game. This may not sound hard but with the low roof and clunky design of the building, it was a difficult task.

When I first was at the age where I could spend time at the center, I spent most of it watching. I did not care much to play video games, watch TV, or use the computer. All I wanted to do was to spend hours on end watching the ball bounce back and forth. For hours it did with an endless supply of competitors, the table spent barely a moment untouched and only received rest when the center closed.

After all that time I spent observing and learning the rules, I eventually picked up the paddle. Who my first opponent was or even how badly I did was not important but I felt something different. It was an escape. I have always enjoyed sports but there was never anything as simple as being able to pick up a paddle after a long day of school.

No wonder that table was the most popular thing in the center. It came to be that I was willing to spend time waiting, time I did not have, just to experience the relaxing sound of that ball bouncing back and forwards. Win or lose, I just felt great afterwards with a better outlook on life. I would feel on top of the world and that nothing would be able to take down. That table was a place to relax and allow me to relieve the stresses of daily life.

I believe that all we need to live life is something simple, something as simple as ping-pong.

What I enjoyed most about writing this "This I Believe" essay was the fact I got the freedom to write what I wanted to, speak how I wanted to speak, present to the world that this sport is a large part of me.

We Have The World In Our Hands

As time goes by, memories are made. When memories are made, history is created. What Team Unknown as done is made a whole universe onto itself. But with this universe comes mistakes. Although we have filmed about an hour overall, and only fifteen minutes went into our video, we have bloopers and extra stock film. We've compiled the best blooper, commentary of Austin in the truck with the camera, and the audio you would not normally hear in the music video.

I feal solemn about our projects timely end and one day, I do hope to go back to working with the fine and creative Corin, Austin, Aaron.

Excelsior

Going back to the interesting abilities that my friends and I have, and our capablities to turn boring inane activies into creative and useful experiences, we conituned our Great Gatsby Project with a music video. Despite the highly improbably possible to intertwine the video to the book, we just decided to run with it.
Hopefully, with an increase in cast size by a couple of people this summer, we might be able to expand our creative horizon and continue to make music videos and other somewhat improved films.

Sadly the audio is unavailable because of various legal methods, so leave me a comment, so I can get you the audio for it through an email message. So far I've enjoyed working on this project, and whether or not this is the final reel for the music video, I guess I could say I've done one item on my list:

Although I haven't made much speedy progress on my list, I'd like to thank my cast mates, Corin, Austin, and Aaron, for helping out on this project, it seems like we set out to do what we wanted to do and did it. If you have the inspiration, it seems like you should use it.