I swore id never update this site again since no one reads it, but I had to post this:

does that sound like me?

It has been a very long time since i last updated, but today is the first day where its been worth it.

First off, I saw Star Wars Episode III on thursday night, and let me just say it was awesome. I know a lot of my friends have only been giving it the "mmm" with the shaking hand thing, but come on, it was so cool. I'm actually sad that they aren't going to make any more. I hope that Lucas either changes his mind, or sells the rights so my kids will be able to enjoy a new trilogy.

Then, Friday night was the PC party which was a blast. Ashley Greer was a gracious host; thank you, Ashley, for letting us use your beautiful home. And i was glad there were other guys there who played a spring sport, so my shirt tan didn't look completely retarded when i went swimming.

And finally, today. Seriously, it is the highlight of my weekend, and my weekend isn't even over yet. First, i got my phone upgraded to one that can go on the internet. What is the first thing i do? Go find a better ring tone. I GOT LUKE SKYWALKER'S THEME!!! Shut up, I know i am easily amused. But come on, a Star Wars ring tone? How awesome is that! Then I ordered my top hat, gloves, and cane for Poway's Prom. I am going to look like a 19th century gentleman. Can you tell I am excited? Then I went to pick andra up for a relaxing (not to mention cool since it was blazing hot in Poway) day at the beach. And on her doorstep was the last of eight notes model after the notes from Phantom of the Opera along with a rose with a black ribbon and a phantom mask. Her way of asking me to Poway's Prom. That was perhaps the best way she possibly could have done it.

So yeah, this weekend has been awesome thus far, but my best day was today by far, worthy enough to even update my xanga which no one reads anyways, but whatever. At least it is here for posterity's sake. If you actually do read this, leave some comments and make my day even better.

At the risk of sounding like a complete geek, I was wondering how many people believed that Atlantis once existed. What about the Library of Alexandria? Have you ever wondered about the mysteries of the ancient world?

Places like the two listed above may have existed millennia ago. By their destruction, we have lost whole portions of our past history. What if they had knowledge even beyond our own? The Library of Alexandria is said to have contained 700,000 books on a variety of subjects including math, history, science and the like. Those books may have even contained information about Atlantis or the Etruscans (the race of people the Romans overthrew and learned much of their architectural and cultural knowledge from). They may have even contained more advanced knowledge of the natural universe then we have now. Who knows?

And what about Atlantis? It was said to be an advanced civilization beyond anything in the ancient world. If the timelines are correct, it should have existed for 8,000 years before its destruction. In that amount of time, without a drawback like the Middle Ages (Dark Ages), it may have even surpassed us in technology. After all, they apparently had a metal called orichalcum that we have yet to discover. What if?

Here comes another rant, and I didnt plan on writing it, but it just kinda came up. So anyways, here it goes.

Why is money so important? Naturally it is a requirement to live in our current society, but why must so much emphasis be put on it? Lately, a couple of people have been trying to convince me to change majors so I stand a greater chance of making more money. I can withstand a lot of discomfort and will perform what is required of me, but I cannot see myelf working at a job for the next fifty years that I hate. If it was my last resort to support my family,so be it. But when it comes to working as an Aerospace Engineer versus maybe a lawyer or surgeon, I choose the engineer. I don't care if as an engineer I make a quarter of what I would as a lawyer or doctor; the satisfaction and sense of achievement at designing a piece of technology no one has ever considered is worth millions. Besides, it is not in my nature to be overly liberal in my spending habits. Granted I will not hesitate to spend money for a good cause, like charity or taking my girlfriend out. However, when it comes to spending my money frivolously, I will be the first to call myself a miser. Money is not meant to be thrown away. If I can eat food from home, I do so; if i can find a discount or some other way to lower the expense I pay, I will. I don't wear brand names, and I don't buy unnecessary items like CDs, video games, or the like. My money is meant to be spent well, and when I do spend it, I am not cheap.

I guess the whole idea behind this post was the fact that people are too busy picking their careers based on the salary to appreciate or take pride in the work they do. It can even apply to teenagers. We try so hard to get into schools like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton because we know that the degree will cause heads to turn faster than a degree from a state school. I must be careful in this regard, because I too applied to Ivy League schools, maybe not for that reason, but I also didn't completely disregard it. Its just that people have begun to associate fun with money; power with money; pestige and respect with money. However, I want everyone to understand this: money cannot bring any of these things. Instead it is up to the individual to find these things within him or herself. The beauty of the human spirit is that it can find good in almost everything. Anything can be amusing. We can get a sense of power, maybe not from our own actions, but from our surroundings, like the feeling of strength that comes from taking a deep breath on a bright sunny day with majestic clouds in the sky and the hills shining a lively green. Prestige and respect can be earned in a much more noble way- by being a gentleman or lady, whichever the case may be. The people who truly respect you and consider you a hero or someone to be admired and emulated are the people who will recognize the character traits and base their opinions on those.

I implore you to look beyond the world around you; there is more than school and money and extravagance. There is love; there is peace; there is appreciation of self; there is joy. However, no amount of money in the world can buy you these things, at least not the kind that a true and perceptive spirit will find worthy of pursuit. The next time someone tries to influence your thoughts or decision using a monetary argument, ask yourself, What would I think if money were no object? If your thoughts would be different, its not worth it. After all, money is not an object to be pursued for acquistion's sake; it should be an added bonus for a job well done, and well loved.

I hope this post made sense. I know the first two paragraphs probably weren't my best writing, but I hope it at least got you thinking. And once again, I am sorry if it sounds like I am trying to force my views upon you. Its just I could not be happier right now, and these are the lessons I have learned that have helped me feel this way. I would love to hear your thoughts, so please post comments.

Here’s another long discussion I hope everyone enjoys (or at least reads to make the amount of time im going to spend on it worthwhile). It is prompted by a book that I recently saw in Barnes and Noble called A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues. I know I already talked about which virtue I consider the most important, but this book caused me to start thinking about something else, and here it is.

In English we have been reading sonnets by Shakespeare and love poems by this guy named John Donne. Now, as much as I find poetry unfathomable, I can at least somewhat understand Shakespeare’s writings. Donne, on the other hand, seems like a complete crackpot. However, after my teacher explained the meaning of the selection of poems we read, what little respect I had for the guy evaporated. You see, his poems were supposed to be about love, but only one of the eight we read came even remotely close. All the others were chauvinistic renditions of the consequences of lust in the absence of self-control. And now my question: When did the definition of love in society fall so low? Or is it just a concept so abstract that our meager minds fail to comprehend it?

Love is one of the 18 virtues described in the book cited above. However, it is also one of God’s virtues (called in the Bible, the Fruit of the Spirit). In Galatians 5:22-23, God specifically outlines the virtues He finds most important as those that the Holy Spirit instills in true believers: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law." I know a few of those sound repetitive, but some of those concepts have different connotations than you would think. However, I am not going to discuss them here for sake of time and space. I will however, focus on the fruit of love.

Today’s society no longer knows the true meaning of love. It is too loosely applied throughout everyday life. Part of it, I think, is the high school "I love you" that many teenagers have come to say under a number of false pretenses. For instance, a guy may say it because he wants the girl to feel a greater attachment towards him, which opens up a myriad of benefits, to put it delicately. Now, I am not saying that all guys behave that way (I for one do not, and am disgusted by those who do), but there are a great many. It does not help that pop culture says it is acceptable. Current popular songs and artists have no qualms about singing about drugs, sex, and violence, and the manipulation of women. For a generation in which the media has achieved an unprecedented influence, the resulting public attitudes stand a very good chance of being shaped to match those of the artists. Perhaps this is why the societal meaning of love has degenerated so far. However, for those of us who still attempt to uphold its rightful meaning, we are made fun of or criticized for our restraint when in reality it is those without restraint who deserve the criticism.

For those of you who are not real sure what love is, I will attempt to define it for you. I do not pretend to know for myself its true nature, but this is the definition of the feeling born from the purest affection one can feel for another human being. In the Bible, love is defined thus: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7) For those of you less religiously minded, here is a simpler definition: love is the feeling of putting the welfare of someone else above your own. It is an emotion of self-sacrifice bent on providing happiness for another. If you really want to know the difference between lust and love, here is the easiest way to tell: Are you genuinely concerned about the other person’s feelings? Do you want to see them happy no matter what, even if that means you must inconvenience yourself? Or are you just in it for the physical benefits of the relationship?

Love is the greatest feeling a person can feel; it is what makes us human. Always remember: the heart is not meant to be played with, and love is more than just an intense yearning for the other person’s body. I doubt we will see pop culture return to that definition of love, but that does not prevent us from holding that definition to be true. I hope you enjoyed my post, although it was extremely long, and I apologize if I sounded to high and mighty or like a know-it-all. Leave comments and tell me your thoughts please.

Amor cum oculi non vidit autem cum cor.

(Love looks not with the eyes, but with the heart).