Pictures of a Thought

New PoaT Content Update

I will be doing a lot of rethinking with PoaT. I’ll update very soon.

So today me and a few guys decided to take a couple cars(a WRX and an R32) loaded with some friends up to H20 International Volkswagen meet in Ocean City, Maryland. Was kind of last minute, but I went last year and it was loads of fun. besides, I love spontaneity.

It’s always fun doing any kind of road trip with friends. The drive up was very enjoyable(enjoyable meaning that we got to see a bear, have fun with other ‘dubbers’, and get tormented by a jacked up truck of which the occupants thought of us as gay import car enthusiasts, but hey the drive is a whole other story) and it was better than sitting around at home, especially on Sunday, I can’t stand Sundays.

Getting close to where the meet was, gorgeous cars started coming out of the woodwork. At every intersection there would be any number of amazingly sexy cars(For those who are not car fanatics, bare with me, there is non car related value to this story). I can honestly say I had a huge smile on my face, non stop, that is until it started pouring.

Rain is rain. It doesn’t really bother me too much, I actually like it every once in a while. So that huge smile of mine did not completely go away, it just got a little bit smaller. And because it was raining, the cameras were put up(luckily right before we got hit), resulting in almost no photos, sorry.

Overall, the day was very enjoyable and it was nice to do something fairly random. Getting out and doing something with your day feels great! I know I loved it, Sundays are usually a boring drag. Sometimes you just have to get out and do something random and spontaneous. I’m usually pretty good with this philosophy and this event helped trigger my want, or lets say need, to just get out and do something.

What I am trying to say is that I will be partaking in as many random adventures as I can in the near future. Like I always say, life is too short to just sit around and waste away. So expect some interesting stories to come up soon. Let’s see if we can learn some kind of valuable life lesson or something, and If not, at least a good story. Now I’ll leave you with just a few horrible pics that I snapped with my Iphone. Enjoy.

28.Sep.08 Adventures & Exploration Comments (0)

Get Smarter

“The only way to get smarter, is to play a smarter opponent.”

Flat out awesome. I love it, there is so much truth to this quote that it is truly mind blowing. Think about anything in life, no matter what it is, playing against a stronger opponent will ultimately make you stronger. It doesn’t even have to be an opponent, playing with a better musician will ultimately increase your music playing abilities.

It’s much easier to learn from those who already know, rather than learning a lesson yourself the long and hard way(Not that there is a right or wrong way).

Of course, there are many other ways of gaining knowledge. You can learn through many different methods. Just look at all the different types of teaching and learning styles in school.

listening is one way. Really listening though, not just hearing. Listen to what people have to say, especially if they know what they’re talking about, whether it is in person, from TV, or radio.

Reading, something I think everyone can do more of nowadays. Reading is a very simple, easy, and even, dare I say, a fun thing to do. The wonderful thing about it, you choose what you want to read and learn about. Reading even improves grammar and understanding of “big” words.

There are hands on approaches, observational, experimental, and so many other ways to learn. The point I am trying to make is why not take advantage of all or at least the ones that work best with you. Make it a point to actually learn something sometime where you’d normally just pass right by.

The thing to do after you’ve learned from the best is to take it to a new level. Become the best. It’s a never-ending process. Simple wisdom that goes a long way, you just got to love it.

22.Sep.08 Uncategorized Comments (0)

Test Drive Your Dream

While passing any old random car dealership yesterday I spotted, in the very front of the lot, my dream car. A beautiful blue, stock, ‘05 STI was sitting in all its glory right there(Although mine would be a black ‘07, but you get the point). Begging.

Screw it. Let’s check it out.

Drove in, parked. Stared for a bit. Asked to test drive. Drove. Amazing!
I had never driven one of these beasts and I must say it was an amazing experience. I never thought I would drive one until I eventually bought my own. Now I know for a lot of people this isn’t a big deal, but for me it is. Compare my dream car to one of your biggest dreams and imagine experiencing that dream, that’s what that test drive was like for me. Although it was only temporary!

What I’m trying to get at is this. We all have our dreams. Any of the many dreams you have stored up in that little head of yours, are more likely than not, reachable(given enough effort). If you are presented with any opportunity to “test drive” that dream, go for it. Go out on a limb, try something new, and go for your dream. It’s definitely possible and the worst that could happen is don’t get to try it. Big deal, your back where you started.

So many people, I have noticed, give up! They say things like “It just won’t happen” or “What’s the point?”. Stop thinking these things! You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t try. People too easily give up on their dreams. I think you should pursue your dreams more than anything. Just thinking about one of my dreams, having an STI, being true makes me crazy. To have been able to test drive that sucker, was a very nice taste of the real thing. So go out and get your taste(or the whole thing).

09.Sep.08 Self Improvement Comments (2)

Exploring The Drains Under The Marketplace

After hearing from a good friend about these huge man size drains that went all around under the Marketplace in our town, we couldn’t stay away. We immediately sought out directions to where the entrance could be found and were soon on our way.

We found what looked to be the right area, as we could see the exit of a large drainage pipe. The pipe exited from the side of a hill. The area was almost like a small valley that was a good 50 meters lower than the marketplace level.

We were excited, we parked and were immediatley on our way down the hill. As we approached the bottom we stopped and loooked for a second at the drain. There was no grate or bars of any kind blocking the entrance and it was a good enough size to where, hunched over, you could definitely explore these drains.

We’ve been wanting to find a good set of large sized drains to explore. Although these weren’t tall enough for the ease of being able to stand up-right in them, they would make a good start.

As I made the first step toward the drain, suddenly my foot plunged deep into what turned out to be a lot of mud. I through my other foot forward to make up for my loss of balance. Unsurprisingly that foot also sank, although not as deep, into the mud.

So here I am standing almost knee deep in mud and I can not move. It was surprisingly hard but I got out with the help of my accompanied friend and we laughed it over. The thick mud was clinging to my legs and one of my hands. I had to pull a flip flop that was sucked off my foot out of the mud.

That, believe it or not, is a flip flop. You know, we probably should have prepared a little better. Going into a drainage pipe with flip flops would’ve probably been a bad idea anyway. Lesson learned.

06.Sep.08 Adventures & Exploration Comments (0)

Plan For The Worst

I’ve had my ‘new’ car for a couple weeks now and I’ve always wondered what I would do if I ever got locked out. I thought that having a lock box underneath hidden somewhere with the spare would be a pretty good idea, that way the spare would always be with the car but also would be safe.

Well, today while I was leaving my college classroom, I noticed that my keys were not hanging from my belt like they usually were. They weren’t in any of my pockets and I definitely didn’t leave them anywhere. It hit me pretty quick, I probably left them in the car. Sure enough, they were.

In a situation like this, all you can do is laugh. It’s inconvenient, yes, but you really have to look at the good in things. This situation has given me a chance to write a post on the site and brought something useful to my attention, which is planning for things like this. If I had followed through with my spare key idea I wouldn’t be in this situation.

Apply that to all aspects in life and you’ll prevent yourself from getting into a lot of sticky situations.
-Keeping spare batteries around the house.
-Keep a spare tire in your car in case of a blowout(Just don’t forget a jack).
-Bring a phone charger if going somewhere for a few days.
-Bring a map when going somewhere new.
-Bring one of those nifty tide spot eraser pens(Sometimes food loves to miss your mouth).
-Bring a hatchet with you on a plane ride over the Canadian wild in case you crash and need to survive.

The other thing I realized is that I do have a good group of friends by my side. A very good friend of mine is driving all the way up here to give me my spare key. That, I think, is something you really don’t find too often nowadays, especially since he offered to do it first.

So what do I get out of locking my keys in my car? I get time to write a post. I get to realize a few other things in life I can plan ahead for. I get to meet up with a good friend and hang out. I get to realize actually how good of a friend he is and how much I need to appreciate things like that in life. And finally, I get to follow through with the spare key idea.

05.Sep.08 Self Improvement Comments (0)

Google’s New Competitor

Random Quick Post. It’s kind of self explanatory. Just something I’ve heard. Here’s the site:

www.cuil.com

Cuil is an old irish word for knowledge. I personally think it’s crap, and will never become anything even close to google. Who knows.

04.Sep.08 Uncategorized Comments (0)

Personal Goals Update

I think it’s important to have personal goals, and to give yourself goals routinely. I realized that I really needed to get moving on the goals I’ve set for myself recently. Writing things down really seems to help, but you still need to actually do them. I’ll just go over my most bothersome goal for now.

I have had a bit of a money problem for a while now. Debt. It’s not too much, but it’s enough so that it’s in the back of my mind, bothering me constantly. To get out quick I need to cut all my spending. Keyword: all. I’ve done it before so I know I can do it again.

The plan is this:
-Be out of debt within the month
-By the next month have $1000 saved
-Have a second job within this time

Simple, Easy.
After I am out of debt and have my own money, I plan on executing a way to be completely financially free. Meaning, I want to have a realistic amount of money flow coming in without me having to do much work, if any work at all. I want to have enough flow to pay my bills and have some to use however I want. How on earth can I make money without working? I’ve got a few ideas and we’ll see how it goes when that time comes. Should make some good stories.

So basically, that’s the plan. I just have to do it. Let me know if you guys have any ideas or personal experiences with this kind of situation.

03.Sep.08 Personal Updates Comments (0)