The Scattering

Oh yeah, them late night conversations.

The past two and half years had been some of the best in my entire university experience. Much of it had to do with the great people I was able to befriend and live with during that time. Like every great party, there has to be a conclusion, and the time has come for the Pinecone group (or Smash Saints) to disband. We are all at different stages in life. Some want change. Some want more financial stability. Some are graduated, etc.

The men I've come to know and love have taught me much about myself and those around me. Not to knock on my roommates before this dashing group, but these are truly some of the best friends I've made since living on my own. I want to share some great things about each and every one of them by order of appearance in my life.

Ammon Sarver: the man who started all. He was my first roommate when I first returned from my mission in 2010. He was the main driving force behind forming the group in 2012. The big brother figure in my life who has, time and again, dragged me out of my own mental maelstrom of self-doubt, loathe, and out of control wrath when under pressure. He made me realise that I'm not a bad person...just an idiot trying to figure things out.

Ammon is now married and striking out in the world with Julie. He is easily one of the best friends I've ever had.

Klint Metcalf: much like Ammon, this man has seen more sides of me than most people have in this life. My interactions with him included the man as a pre-missionary, on a mission, and post-mission. Throughout our communications, I learned that challenges can be overcome whether we notice that triumph or not. Moreover, our imperfections don't make us any less lovable.

Klint is now married as well (to Rachel). He's working on his nursing degree and hopefully advance in medicine in the future.

Our one of many frustrating Smash Bro games.

Dalin Russell: the co-driver behind the gathering of the group. He is the most laid-back person I know. True, I was constantly puzzled by many things he did, but he is a man of patience. I've never heard him say anything negative about anyone or anything. That's one of the most impressive feat I've yet to learn. I still lose it when enough buttons are pressed (which aren't that many).

Like most of my roommates, married (to Kris) and gone to the next adventure. In case no one knew, he is an engineer.

Jonathan Schuler: my "actual" half brother. A quirky and hilarious character with great intellect. Jon was a great listener. I can't remember how often I wind up having extended conversations with him about various topics until we finally hit the sack for the night. If it weren't for him, I don't think I would have come across many of the great classics in the world of arts and entertainment. Above all, nothing is impossible. Even though he's long gone, I still miss his guitar-playing and gadget building-days.

Jon is now in the Marines. He's pursuing the dream of working in aerospace related subjects he felt a physics degree at BYU couldn't provide.

Speaking of man of many talents...

John Connor: the man of many talents. A video game and anime aficionado. He may look like your stereotypical white guy who locks himself in his room and socially closed off (well, he can be like that), but he's like us, we couldn't be stuffed in one single stereotype. Aside from his obvious interests, he knows three languages as well as expertise in crafting, handiwork, and martial arts. Bet you didn't see that coming! John has always been the logical one in the group. It was not difficult to include him in a discussion or a "dilemma" you are having and he plainly talks you through what appeared to be a tricky situation. The lesson I learned from him is that I can have many talents if I choose to develop them. The real limiting factors are time and dedication.

John chose to delay graduation by one year so he could receive his masters in information systems at BYU. This guy will most definitely make more money than any of us for years to come.

Nick Ritter: was the "baby" of the group; simply because of his age. Nick has a passion for film and has chosen the path to become a director. We've watched him getting accepted into the BYU film program and even participated in a few of his productions through various contributions. Among his other notable achievements, his most brilliant decision was the Honey Badger. Now, that's a story for another time. This guy, with his many quirks, probably had the most patience out of all of us. I could scarcely believe anyone would take the crap I dish out from time to time and still manages to not hold grudges. And thus we see, we choose to take offense and we choose to love or forgive those who have done us wrong. It's a hard attribute to come by.

Nick got married to Amanda and is still finishing up his film degree. His future works can be known if you talk to him. I wouldn't be surprised if one of them involved sloths, a long-time running gag in our experience.

Tyler Potts (T.K.): the spontaneous decision-maker. Many people have asked why we call him T.K. You'll have to ask him about it, it's a fun story. As far as I could remember, T.K. came out of nowhere and he became one of us. Full of hopes and ideas, there were times we had to ground him to make sure he doesn't go way off the path of reasoning. We've witnessed good times and bad times, but he never gave up and kept on making the best of every situation. We have always had good conversations about various subjects and T.K. and I tend to speak candidly. On top of that, this man helped me through several key points in life such as getting my driver's license, etc. I learned that now is the time to explore possibilities before we are too set in our ways and brotherhood can exist between friends.

T.K. is studying neuroscience and hopes to go into the consulting side of the medical industry.

Another one of TK's stunts

Tyler Reese: my homie from back East. Tyler was one of the many "Tylers" that you could find in the IX. He found his way into the group thanks to Nick. He is a humble man. Being from the East Coast, it is easy for me to feel an affinity towards him. He is perhaps the easiest person to get along with due to his relaxed nature. He is, by no means, lazy because he works very hard to put himself through school, etc. The biggest lesson I think all of us could learn from him is that it's okay to question your faith and the methods we use to accomplish things. It is a necessary process to solidify who we are and what we do.

Tyler is deciding a path to go down in terms of his education. It's easy to have a major, but it's quite another to jump on a career.

Alex Teela: the car fanatic. This man is the living-proof of how you could change your life by the work of your two bare hands, with a little divine intervention, of course. Sure, our personalities clashed, but one would be foolish to think you'd never meet someone that fits that hat. He is also a hard worker who's got many options before him. Personally, I think he will succeed in whatever he pursues. The moral of Alex's life? The only thing that can keep you down in life is yourself. Once you have a different mindset and outlook, everything is awesome all of the sudden because the world is not out to get you (usually).

Good question, what is Alex's next step? That's for him to know and all of us to find out!

Yeah, I totally did not ask for permission with this photo.

In the end, The Smash Saints (Aug. 2012 - Dec. 2014).

Behind the Jokes

A typical ward, most likely in Utah

We all have heard of people who make jokes and engage in light-hearted talks during the sacrament and other church meetings. There's nothing inherently wrong with bringing out the smiles in otherwise stern processions. There are, however, painfully overused lines that make one wonder. Are the speakers desperately trying to entertain the audience in order to not appear straight-edged, or there's some underlying truth about how they feel about the situation?

First of all, I apologize for my lack of posting in the past month due to my busy schedule at the hospital. This topic actually came up weeks ago during Elder's Quorum from one of my roommates, Ty Reese. His point of view brought some noteworthy points, at least for me to notice. I'm sure many of you have heard things similar to the following examples during church:

"I was minding my own business when the bishop called and gave me the talk assignment...[time filling stuff that basically says how much he/she doesn't want to do this]."

"I'm here because of my wife...[fill in some ridiculous reason]."

"I didn't want to get up here, [reason x, y, and z here]."

Generally, following these statements, there are always some chuckles, etc. What is the significance of these in terms of our mindset other than my usual cynical observations about people? I don't mean to offend (actually, I don't care) the readers, but I think you may find some interesting insight to this potentially disturbing trend among our peers.

Yes, understandably, we all know the speakers are utilizing humor to assist their points. Can it all be jokes and giggles when they tell you they didn't want to do stand up in front of the congregation? Most people have a healthy fear of public speaking. Frankly, the culture in the Church often places a stigma on individuals who turn down an assignment unless they have a "legitimate" reason. Or is that the perception of what would happen to someone who feels he/she is not adequate for the job?

Okay, that wasn't a great coherent thought because the Lord chose us before we reciprocated (John 15:16).

What about the man that says the reason he was there was because of his wife? Is that a joke or some underlying truth about it? If that's the reason, shouldn't we be worried about the brother's testimony or perhaps the motives behind the spiritual facade?

I don't know if I can justify this at all. I've heard it all too often in some family wards.

The testimony rush is generally less mind-boggling compared to some of the statements we hear elsewhere during our three-hour meeting block. Many people are generally spiritually-motivated. Sometimes people want to sell themselves (I mean, come on, I'm currently attending a YSA ward). There are times I'm not sure why the person is up there, especially when I can't understand the gist of his/her testimony thanks to the outburst of emotional sobs that chokes up any audible words coming out of the mouth.

Is that judgmental? Well, you better read Preach My Gospel because there's a great quote by Howard W. Hunter in regards to this on page 99.

Of course, as usual, I write down things I've found amusing or intriguing. A serious lesson we can learn from this is that the above-mentioned cases do happen. The relative frequency of their occurrence is beyond the scope of this blog post. One thing we do need to keep in mind, though, is that we need to make righteous judgments before labeling everyone in negative light (Matthew 7:1-3).

Fast Forward In Life

I've been overwhelmed by work and my internship the past five weeks or so and will continue to be for another five until some free time becomes available for roughly four weeks when I'm on simpler rotations.

It is amazing how life can suck you in so much to the point you have to put your hobbies on hold. Nevertheless, life is all about balancing the temporal and spiritual.

Today was the last day at my transfusions rotation at the LDS Hospital up in Salt Lake City. I enjoyed the rotation very much despite of the relatively long commute. Basically, my life consisted of wake up, commute, intern, commute home, and get ready for the next day.

Similarly, the same thing will probably happen starting next week when I carry on with clinical chemistry until mid-October. The only difference is, I'll be up extremely early (probably more tired), but hopefully be home before 4:30pm. The downside is, I'd have to be in bed by 9 or 9:30 if I don't want to exhaust myself.

Life probably wouldn't have been as challenging if I didn't have to work. Well, I do work 20 hours a week at my current job in order to pay for my expenses. After all, I don't know if I will get a full-time position here in Utah because it's contingent on a few things. In addition, I've decided to pick up shifts at the IMC for microbiology. I am simply a glutton for punishment. However, when you want to save for a rainy day quickly, you've gotta do what you gotta do.

So, what does this has to do with spirituality? Needless to say, temple attendance has been dismal. I hope to change it a bit by participating in the Ogden Temple dedication in two weeks. It's not actual attendance, but it is a much needed experience to buffer my drained spirit. Look at this post! It's not even about anything thought-provoking, but a simple log of what's been happening...

The good news is, I'm not in such a bad shape. I'm just not where I want to be ideally. There is one thing I could do amidst the chaos that is the rest of the year: the desire to have spiritual experiences while being preoccupied by tidal waves of work. It worked well for me during my last year of undergrad studies, but I've since slipped off that routine due to added responsibilities since.

I know it seems trivial, but Gandalf had said, "Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love."

Even Jesus taught that we have to love God and our neighbors (Mark 12:31); things which start with ourselves. He didn't command us to fight off the evil in the world and be the champion of justice everywhere, but He exhorted us to change from within.

The truth of the matter is, when everyone is taking care of their own business right, we wouldn't have as many problems as we do today in our society. It won't be perfect, but we certainly won't be as troubled as we are now.

Until I have more free time to perform more deeds, I hope thoughts will suffice this day.

Speaking Your Mind

You are bound to bump into strangers, especially when your roommate hosts a party. Everything is fine and dandy until friends of friends show up. I'm not a nice guy, so I decided to go forth with a little experiment to see how people respond to my pretense of not knowing why they showed up at the door. I will retell the tale in two short scenarios.

Scenario 1: once upon a time, my roommate John decided to host a LAN party for some of his coworkers. Naturally, no one at the Pinecone disagreed.

The event went smoothly. Due to crowding in the basement, I went upstairs in our sitting room to pass some time after some brief involvement.

Two hours later, I heard a knock at the door. I yelled come in since I am lazy. When there was no response, I opened the door and there were two guys standing there. The conversation went something like this:

Guys: "Is this 508/510 N?"
Me: "Yeah."
Guys: "Oh, we are looking for Trevor."
Me: "We don't have a Trevor living here..."
Guys: "Isn't this 508/510 N?"
Me: "Yeah? You sure you ain't looking for John Connor?"
Guys: "HAHAHA! He's fighting in the resistance."
Me: "Are you guys looking for trouble?"
Guys: "Oh no, we are just looking for Trevor."
Me: "Are you here for the LAN Halo thing? Because I don't know why the hell you are here otherwise."

They then acknowledged that they were there for John's LAN party. Now, if I were to be a courteous and nice guy, I should have simply ask them if they were calling for the LAN party. However, I am no such person when annoyed and I wanted to see the types of people that my roommate hang out with at work.

What I've learned from this scenario is that they are idiots. Do people lack the common sense to state either why they are calling a household or identify the host of the event of which they are attending? Better yet, what sort of guest invites other guests without picking them up in person or provide them with information that may be necessary in order for them to attend the event?

Hilariously, this is not the only scenario with such conversation.

Scenario 2: John hosts a Mario Kart 8 game night because he recently acquired the Wii U. I'm not a huge fan of Mario Kart, so naturally, I limited my participation. As usual, I sat in the upstairs sitting room to work on my own things.

Again, there was a knock on the door. I shouted out to the person to come in, but there was no response. The person knocked again and I decided to greet the door. I opened the door to find a person standing there, back towards me, with his headphones on his head. Obviously, he couldn't have heard me.

And then, this ensued:

Me: "Can I help you?"
Guy: "Yeah. This 508/510?"
Me: "That's right."
Guy: "I'm looking for Aisha."
Me: "Who's Aisha?"
Guy: "You know, my girlfriend Aisha."
Me: "What the hell is wrong with you kid? Who the **** is Aisha? Are you sure you are not here for the Mario Kart thing?"

The guy froze for a moment and asked if they were downstairs. I told him to go down through the kitchen. I almosted wanted to punch his sorry face. I retold the tales to John and he just shook his head. I acknowledged my rudeness, but at the same time, pointed out the ridiculous nature of his friends' friends. He agreed with me and plans on giving clearer instructions to his guests in the future.

We are not fond of idiots, especially not the kind that assume everyone knows what they are thinking or doing. People can't read minds. Do yourself a favor and learn how to communicate. I don't miss those people and I hope I'll never see them again. In fact, they are 100% more attractive when I don't see them.

What's the moral of this story? Speaking your mind can save time and frustration. I can even go on to say it could potentially save lives. Don't withhold information when it's needed.

What Do YOU Really Care?

Perhaps you should search your feelings more.

Is it always one way or the other? Is there not a compromise? Is it necessary to sugar coat things to make us seem "less" atrocious? Or, perhaps hiding our true motives behind some altruistic ideals? I don't care about your movement or goals. I want to know what you are really after.

I don't care what your views are on certain topics. I do care when people try, with excruciating effort, to paint a perfect black and white picture in every social, economical, etc. issue. Let's face it, there's a very limited number of items that falls directly under right or wrong. For the most part, nearly every issue we encounter grinds down to a matter of different shades of gray.

What else is new? There will always be justifications based on hyperbolized hypothesis of potential outcomes. Better yet, tossing buzz words that 95% (I'm gonna call this my confidence interval) of the audience have no idea what they actually mean.

Whether you sympathize with Jamie Oliver, Suzy Orman, Dr. Oz, etc. or some larger entity like a church, homosexuals, etc, does not concern me. What I'm curious about is the underlying ulterior motive each and every person/entity has beneath the mask of good intentions.

In layman's terms, "HELL with your altruistic tendencies! I want to know what you are really after when you actually accomplish your goals."

Perhaps it is the American culture, as reflected by our government, that has bred the hypocrisy most of the world always talk about when they think about the USA.

• Why call it the War on Terror when the government is trying to tame the demon it created to spite the USSR?
• Why calling it defending liberty when it's all about maintaining US supremacy (which I have no problem of)?
• Why call out other countries about environmental/social issues when we have similar problems and/or our allies are worse offenders of these so-called violations?

These are just some examples of what I call "shades of gray". Yeah, they have a point, but how does one not see the blatant half truths and double standards approach to the issues?

What bothers me often is the polarized attitude of "opposing" sides. It's always one way or another and never what's proper for a functional society. Let me enlighten you on a simple fact: only the Gospel is perfect. No changes needed there. As for the temporal world we live in, due to the long-entrenched worldliness, the reasonable solution to every issue is not a matter of choice a) or b), but something along the lines of the square root of a^2*b^2/X.

Take people's complaints about government vs. businesses or perhaps employers vs. employees, for example. Only idiots will say things like governments should stay out of business or governments should have tighter grip on the system. Little did people realize that without regulation, you'll be straight back to the 1900s when working conditions are absolute hellholes. Regulations are the reason why you don't die from simple procedures at the hospital. The problem for today is whether or not we are pushing in too far in one direction that we need to revert back to a restore point on the sliding scale when things were working properly.

That's for general issues. For more technical and scientific rundowns, they become more complicated. You see, some people will believe anything that starts with ammonia or mercury has to be automatically dangerous. Well, thanks to your unwillingness to do some research, this is why US has to import its scientists and engineers.

But what do I care? I TRY not to! I realized a long time ago that if I keep reading the ridiculous responses posted on the Internet, especially when they are not even funny, I will only become angry. Here's another fact: the people that post absolute garbage also happen to be in the minority compared to the billion user base of the Internet. It's always been a societal trend that a few cries the loudest and turn a personal grudge into an armageddon involving everyone.

What are people after by pushing their agenda? Is it fame? Is it fortune? Is it just a desire to watch the world burn? Who knows? You may think I'm pessimistic and only see people as glass half-full, but that's not how I roll. I question the very existence of the glass and the claim that it even contains anything. Like I said before, there are those who propose change to benefit mankind, those for revenge/gains, and those who bandwagon.

Remember, there's one type of person we all know Jesus despised in the New Testament: hypocrites. Don't be one of them.

What do I really care? I care about gaining wisdom through truths and knowledge, the power to utterly crush hostile opponents that hinder my goals, and the courage to stay true to myself without ever becoming a hypocrite. Sounds like the Triforce, doesn't it?

Summer Lineup

We finally got rid of all the junk!

Ever wondered what goes on in the ugliest house on the street? Neither have I. I'm going to tell you a little bit about our mad house for my own amusement. Because...Pinecone!

There are two reasons why I'm writing about my roommates:

1. It's long overdue. I generally blog about it whenever we have a occupant change.
2. I'm sick of writing about my thoughts on controversial issues we see on social media each day.

In short, I am tired of the extremist views shared on the comment sections. Then again, the loudest voices tend to be in the minority; at least, I hope it is so. Otherwise, we have a grim future dominated by people who not only know nothing about resolving a issue, but creating more conflict while playing the "force fix/update" button on society.

Without further delay, I shall bring on the house lineup. As usual, I'll order the tenants here by age.

Circa February 2014

It is unfortunate that I'm oldest in this house. Luckily, age is just a number. I recently finished up all my coursework at BYU, put myself in self-imposed unemployment to prepare for the MCAT, and will now start an internship at the Intermountain Medical Center up in Murray in July. More surprises coming in the next year or two!

My near future goals are obtaining more "power", work for a year to save money, and eventually more schooling.

I don't even know... when did this happen?

Between John and Tyler, they are the next in line. 

John is currently employed by the Church as a paid intern. He is putting all information systems knowledge to good use. He is also one of the last original six including me.

Good games, good times, and good workouts are all but part of John's busy life.

Tyler is new to our house, but he is no stranger to us! This man has been an integral part of our madness since the days of IX at Miller.

A diamond in the rough when it comes to future careers. He's got many options, and now we will see which path he will take. By the way, this man is from Jersey and I'm always partial to East Coasters.

Nick & Amanda

Our resident filmmaker is taking the next big step in the course of life. Nick and Amanda are scheduled to be married in late July.

It'd appear that we are marrying off all the Missouri boys! When you see Nick, be sure to pass on your congratulations! That is...if you can find him.

He's as fresh as they come!

Normally, we have a tight grip on who gets to join us, but this one slipped through the cracks thanks to all the unexpected changes coming from Jonathan and Klint.

In case you missed them, Jonathan is in the Marines and Klint is scheduled to be married in October this year. In addition, T.K. will rejoin us when Nick moves out.

Jared is a good man. Fresh off of his mission in Russia; still got the recent RM aura all over him.

Jared is from Arizona, studying computer science at BYU. His hobbies include eating healthy and working out. He's a bit shy, but more than willing to make friends. Sadly, he is only with us until the end of the summer. Get to know him while you can!

Seems awfully relaxed for someone that works 50+ hours a week

Last of all, we have Alex: the TRUE car guy.

Life can be difficult for a car guy, especially when we are all mostly amateurs compared to his vast knowledge and interest about cars.

Alex is currently working full time (and then some) and plans to study mechanical engineering at BYU.

Much like John, good games and good times are also part of his busy life. Not to mention, he's got a summer project car that he is working on while time passes. If you have an insatiable interest in cars, he's the man to tickle your fancies!

That will be all for now! Be sure to look for another post in the fall!

Victims, Victims, Everywhere

Pretty sure that's K.O. right there.

Time couldn't have been worse, especially during the hots of the #YesAllWomen trend on the Internet thanks to Elliot Rodger and his warped sense of reality. Alas, I'm not here to discuss specifically about either events, but to relate to you my personal stories of how the problems of our society (or world to be precise) wind up affecting normal relationships and place unnecessary hostilities between innocent parties. *DISCLAIMER: I do not know everything that happened to the individuals that will be mentioned here in this post, but it's safe to say they don't know everything that happened to me either. **WARNING: post is obviously overgeneralized.

It has been a few years since the events occurred, so I feel comfortable discussing them. I returned to BYU the summer of 2010 after my mission. I decided to dwell in Wyview as I had during freshman year. I was glad to get back into the swing of things. Of course, that included socializing, social media, etc. One day, my roommate thought it would be funny to update my Facebook status to something along the lines of "I have the biggest crush on the girl across the street". Normally, I find it funny. The funniness only lasted before my neighbor informed me that one of the girls actually thought it was referring to her and started saying things such as "I hope it's not me" and some other possibly not-so-kind things I won't write here. I didn't do anything about it because I figured no harm done.

Truth be told, I didn't know her very well. I vaguely recall doing a slow dance with her at one of the BYU dances and she happened to be in my ward that summer. Just a silly misunderstanding. That is, until someone overestimated her own worth and pretended that she was being eyed on by someone she barely knows; instead of the other way around. What did I do? Nothing. Simply never talk to her, even today.

April of 2011 was another time when I felt I was unjustly judged because of the imagination (or lack of logic) of some women's heads. Those who knew me were aware of my busy schedule. I hop between work and school with plenty of pit stops in the HBLL (the main library at BYU). At the time, I recently got out of a relationship and was more than happy to talk to anyone I recognize in order to not think about her (on a side note, we did make up eventually, so that's good :) ).

There was one woman, who I home taught freshman year, that I started to bump into frequently and became acquainted with her younger sister. The problem started when I received a Facebook message, around finals week, from her younger sister stating that the older sister is creeped out because they believe I'm stalking her and made it clear that she's interested in another man. She "politely" asked me to stop seeing her sister.

What is wrong with this picture?

1. I was a regular at the HBLL. The fact that I didn't bump into them until April suggests they are bandwagon library goers who only utilize the facility during major examinations such as finals.
2. I was also recently out of a relationship and was in no mood to start again.
3. The fact that they don't see me after that message is because the semester was over NOT because they were right about being stalked, etc. My spring/summer schedules are vastly different from normal semesters. I left town with Ammon on a road trip afterwards.

There are more examples of these scenarios even after 2011. What's my point? Yes, women have anxieties when it comes to abuses and violences because they experience them more often than men. To the point where fear can become unrighteous judgment to those around them, stunting them not only spiritually, socially, but emotionally. What can we do to change that besides teaching people correct principles and hope they govern themselves? NOTHING. The fact everyone has choices in how to proceed in dealing with others makes it difficult to overhaul anything,.

Dangers are out there. This is why the Savior counseled us to be as wise as serpents but harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). 

Random 30-second Google searches:
[A quick search shows about 20% of women (about 31 million if using 314 million as US population and simply use 50% as cutoff) have experienced rape, and their various forms, in the USA. It will also indicate about 4.5% (about 7 million) of men committed rapes in the USA, which is roughly the same number for men who were raped by women. Then, there's the uncommon men raping men at about 1.5% (about 4 million). When I mesh all these numbers together, I get a ratio of 3:1 when it comes to women to men raped in our country. Truth is, the actual numbers are probably higher. The good news is the majority of the crimes are committed by a minority of people. The bad news is, it is still too high.]

I don't enjoy being labeled or assumed to be someone with ill-intentions. Perhaps this isn't just a #YesAllWomen problem, but everyone's issue. I think one of the reasons why most women have higher anxiety, besides actual violence, is because of upbringing. The media reports these atrocities. Parents warn their daughters about the potential dangers. A girl has had that in the back of her mind since the day she became a teenager. As for a boy, that isn't the case. Has any guy received the same lecture about avoid being raped, etc. from their parents or heard many stories in the media about the said scenarios on men? Probably not. It isn't as common as the usual female victimized by a male, but yet, still in the millions.

With such disturbing trends, is it a wonder that we can't have normal interactions with each other? Like racism, I personally believe we would make more progress if we take an united approach versus a segregated one. If US politics hasn't taught us anything, I hope everyone realizes that when issues become "us vs. them" situations, they go nowhere.

There are those who seek progress to improve lives. There are those who seek progress to exact revenge (or push away responsibilities). Then, there are those who seek progress to bandwagon without ever actually knowing anything. Choose your side.

Your Nonexistent Self Identity

Are members of the opposite sex fawning over you like hot cake? Many may wish this is the story their love life. However, what is the more important beyond the attention-grabbing facade? For young adults (in my opinion), it is not only a time for romance and careers, but also a sojourn to chisel out the self image of who they are deep inside. WARNING: Broad generalizations ahead. Read at your own discomfort. :v

Welcome to Provo! The best, and perhaps the worst, place on Earth depending on what you are looking for in this town. Yes, I'm talking about dating. While many of us are not as fortunate (or maybe we really are) as some of the young'uns who go on merrily with their married ways before they are no longer teenagers, it is worth noting that "later" bloomers (such as myself) have been blessed with extra time to further develop our individuality.

A friend of mine started her "men fast" a few weeks back. Now what is it? Simply put, she is abstaining from dating for an extended period of time until she feels ready (or some heaven-sent angel sweeps her off her feet) to enter the game again. Reason being: she's been on dates weekly since fall of 2013. She hasn't had the time to enjoy herself and the things she love (that include things to be discovered) due to all the suitors competing for her attention. I understand some people would kill for that universal adoration, but read on.

This segways into an intriguing question. How firm do young LDS adults stand upon the testimonies coming from the bottom of their hearts versus sticking around thanks to the spiritual herd immunity provided by those around them?

Let's make a hypothetical situation. Suppose a young woman gets married at 18 and have kids asap. Her and her husband raise them to adulthood. She starts to feel her value as a person has dissipated because she considered being a mother the only worthwhile endeavor in her life. Sounds like someone you know? Perhaps your own mother?

For those of you who feel this post is unjustified, please realize I did write a post about motherhood and the sanctity thereof a while back. Plus, read the disclaimer again.

A healthy person continues to be an influence in her children's lives and see this "uplifted" burden of sacrifice as another opportunity to fine-tune her personal life/spiritual growth. Unfortunately, some eventually develop deep depression and feel worthless. I could argue that one of the reasons could be the lack of personal finesse in the younger years thanks to hasty commitment. Think of it this way, a college senior without a post-graduation plan (not even a rough draft) at the day of commencement.

Let me put it this way, what are you after we take away your friends, your family, etc.? They may have great influence on you, but they are not you. Family is important to God's plan, but doesn't amount much when you do not have personal growth. It is with several years of experience, starting with my mission, that I started to have a grasp to who I am and what my eternal personality is like. There's nothing wrong with leaning on others. There is something wrong with being perpetually dependent and not progressing.

I must admit, I'm not the best of writers. Therefore, the concept may not come across clear as it should be. I think I'm beginning to feel what Moroni was talking about when he mentions the weakness of his writing. To start, I think it'd be best if we all revisit the misadventures of Job in the Old Testament.

Until next time, this is just another expression of Art.

[Insert Incredulous Sales Pitch Here]

Tick Tock!

Hold on to your butts! There has been a change in the creative department. I'm trying out a new approach to my blogging style (or the lack thereof) and bring to you the new edition of the former Ectomenti. Not only will I dive deeper about the changes, but will also briefly reintroduce myself in THE FUTURE, and revisit some of the recurring questions surrounding my nonexistent mystique as well.

It's time for CHANGE! Especially, when I've essentially finished with schooling for the time being. However, that does not excuse me from being ever involved in the world of academia. Creative writing has always been a thing for me since end of middle school (8th grade to be precise). Unfortunately, the stress and demands of life continually bombarded me with responsibilities, which inhibited my desires to write regularly.

For those of you who have read my humble blog from the beginning, it started out as an online journal. It went from daily records to weekly updates. The trend then shifted to more topic-based musings in response to current events and/or thoughts that preoccupied my mind. The trouble was, the format was inconsistent and stale.

From now on, the first paragraph will summarize the plot of the post and will be bolded. Readers should be able to read through it within a minute. This will relieve you the pain of reading through paragraphs of fluff before understanding what I'm getting at. You may, then, decide whether or not it's worth your time to continue perusing through the rest of my post.

You may be too young if you don't recognize them.

I've changed the name of the blog to 30 Seconds to Art. For those of you who know me, you see what I did there? Part of the inspirations is because of the band pictured to the right. If you don't know them, it's a great time to get acquainted with some of the bands of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Sounds relatively simple, yes? Another goal of mine is to write moderate-sized, detailed, but concise posts. I hope I can improve my writing skills and rekindle some of hobbies that academia robbed from me. In addition, I want to be become creative enough to come up with attention-catching titles and taglines for entries in the future.

All that change while keeping my current disposition? We shall see. Until next time, adieu!

End of a Chapter

There were probably more family members than students

Well, as hard as it is for me to believe, I am basically finished with university. Technically, I don't graduate until December after my internship, but I was allowed to participate in commencement and convocation this year in April.

I didn't take any graduation selfies because I am usually not a selfie person. I've taken some photos here and there and hopefully, they'll make it to whatever social media outlet I choose later this year. My family did not attend this event because, well, it's simply inconvenient. I think I might have been upset if bachelor's degree were my formal education endgoal. However, this isn't the case as I have plans for further schooling.

What's next? The first priority is to take a break. And by take a break I mean I've taken a break and ready to start again. The focus now is to cram for the MCAT set for June 14th. Seems quick no? I'm sure the training I've had as a MLS student at BYU has given me enough study prowess to jam an obscene amount of information in a short time; courtesy of multiple weekly tests.

I also plan on taking a trip out of the country after the exam for two weeks. It may be the last time I'll visit extended family for a while. Then, I start my internship up in Murray in July, after the holiday. After that, who knows? Depending on where I receive a full-time position, I may consider either staying in Provo or moving up to Salt Lake City. The idea of moving out of state is not impossible as well. In short, I don't have a clear picture of where I stand, but I will figure out something.

The nice part is, I will have more time to update this blog this spring. Can't say the same once summer hits, though. I do believe I have some good topics to write about in the near future.

Cheers!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Master, the tempest is raging!

When life starts to mount pressure on you, one thing is certain: stress. I don't do well under stress even though I have ways to reduce and control the symptoms. The fact BYU does not have spring break contributes to the overload. I personally believe that nothing I learn in my major is conceptually difficult, but the sheer volume of information becomes daunting when I'm already feeling tired. Fatigue eventually leads to annoyance, and annoyance generally manifests as a perpetual anger that seems to radiate from my being.

Because of that, I focus less on the other aspects of life. I feel some angst when I attempt to clear the everlasting pile of dishes, or the tub of rubbish I should have sent out last night. Granted, it would be unfair to claim my housemates do absolutely nothing.

One thing I haven't been paying as much attention is spirituality. The weekly wall of tasks has transformed me into a churchgoer versus a sojourner of discipleship. I have zero desire to dig deeper into the scriptures. Zero desire to spend more time than necessary with people in the ward. That includes activities. I always jokingly exclaim that I hate people, but can't be bothered is probably a more accurate depiction of my current situation.

When the tempest was raging, the Apostles reached out to Jesus for help (Matt. 8:24; Luke 8:24; Mark 4:38). The Lord, who spent most of His time ministering to the people, was sleeping. I imagine He could have been tired, like any of us after a long day. (Although, He was probably fearless too!) Without any hesitation, He calmed the winds and put the disciples at ease. Even in a scenario where it was inconvenient, it didn't stop the Savior from performing His duties and demonstrate His compassion for common men.

What is the lesson here? Just do it? Not exactly. I do believe I'm supposed to maintain a standard when situation doesn't allow me to improve where I already stand. Or, maybe even try a little harder than I am at the moment. There are some time consuming tasks I could do without, but I am simply too selfish to give up right now.

We shall see how things evolve. I, for one, am glad the semester will conclude in less than four weeks.

As I Go Nearer to the Edge...

Class of 2014!

...OF GRADUATION SUCKAS!!!! No, seriously, I'm basically finished with university this April. I do have an internship from July to December before I can actually receive my diploma, but all the coursework will be completed by the end of this semester. I will be walking in the commencement next month!

It's quite an accomplishment, for me, at least. I made a lot of adjustments and learned important life lessons here at BYU. My parents definitely helped me out a ton financially, but I wasn't living off the bank of mom & dad. Of my entire BYU career, I've enrolled in classes in almost every Spring and Summer Terms, except in 2013, while working around 20 hours a week during the semesters. Last summer was definitely a magical time when all my roommates and I did whatever we wanted and all we had to worry about was working 40 hours a week to save money.

I know I haven't written much recently due to the excess amount of coursework. In addition, I was sick for a little over a week, which put me in a vulnerable position. Rest assured, I have returned with more updates!

Throughout my college days, I've changed much as a person and many of my interests changed as a result. Even my outlook on life changed because of the surprises life threw at me. Many sources claim that college is when you truly discover yourself. Well, I'm not here to disprove or agree entirely to that claim, but I can list a few things I came to notice over the years.

1. I'm more or less a cynic versus pessimist; although, I do have pessimistic tendencies. To be fair, I've been more optimistic than the '07 or '10 version.
2. I have been very fortunate with roommates. I never had any weird guys that creeped me out or tried to intimidate me in any way. (Then again, maybe it's because I have a temper myself.) In fact, I've learned much from the men I've became closed associated with over the years.
3. At the end of the day, the type of woman I like turns out to be someone I can have nice conversations with over the table. However, willing to participate in contact sports is an extreme plus.
4. There was once when I was passionate about someone and it ended badly. It brought out a whole new side of me.
5. I like the idea of being a bad ass grandpa one day; hence, I work out!
6. Not getting an A in class when some people manage to do so = I am not working hard enough or working smart enough.
7. I am really not that social. Perhaps it's an age thing? I find myself comfortable with a close circle of friends or colleagues and rarely stepping out of those bounds despite the fact that my Facebook will tell you otherwise.
8. I must be resilient because many people keep telling me how my schedule is definition of insanity. Well, great! I do have some ambition for the next decade.
9. I'm retro-gamer for the most part. Sure, I do look into new games, but nothing takes away from the classics I enjoy.

There are several things I wish I could have done before graduation, but I'll just have to pick them up later.

1. Study abroad: I don't think I'll ever be able to this again unless some strange opportunity comes along in future schooling.
2. Marriage: that's what BYU is about, right? Well, that's too bad. I'll have to look elsewhere.
3. Learn a new language: it's nice to be bilingual and have a good foundation of Spanish. I do wish I was assigned to a mission where I had to pick up a new language.
4. Joined more clubs: if I had more free time and didn't have to work as much, I would have loved the idea.
5. Intramural sports: see above.

I do have a few adventures lined up right after this semester. I'll have to let y'all in on it later!

The Month of February

Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry février

February has always been an interesting month for me. Not only is it the shortest month of the year, it is also when I'm relatively inactive in the realm of blogging. I've wondered if it's because I'm lacking things to write about or life is simply busy during this time.

Surprisingly, this February hasn't been as cold and frosty as last year. February is an important hallmark in my life. It is my birthday month as well as the month I chose to be baptized. That was back in 2007. Through life's ups and downs, I've learned many things in my journey. Of course, my life is only starting.

Additional information: this month is my birthday!

There are so many unknowns in my immediate future. I am both excited and somewhat daunted. At the same time, I'm not really bothered by the challenges ahead. I'm not sure if that's a sign of quiet confidence or naive outlook to the turbulence ahead.

Well, I'm half way through my final semester here at BYU. With a two-month break coming up before my internship, I have much soul-searching and self improvements to do before life hits me with a hammer. After that, we shall see. Maybe quarter-life crisis will hit me. Who knows?

The Wheels of Time

Turn and turn...

Today, we said farewell to Jonathan as he embarks on his adventures in basic training for the US Marines.

To some of you, this may come as a surprise, but it didn't come as an easy decision for him. It does explain, however, some of the behaviors witnessed for some periods of time recently.

Regardless, I'm happy for him. Jonathan would have graduated this April with a BS in physics, but this shift to the military will allow him to finally do something he's always wanted: aerospace engineering.

This got me thinking about the past year and half. Many things have happened to me; starting with moving in with the guys back in September 2012. Not to discredit my experiences with my former roommates, the move with the guys was a hallmark in my university career. For once, I was insanely content with life (despite of my occasional temper tantrums from lack of sleep).

This was especially true for this spring and summer when none of us had classes and we just did all sorts of stuff with the time we had on our hands outside of work. I am glad we all did that because that kind of opportunity will likely not happen again.

Since then, Dalin and Ammon have gotten married. TK left in search of himself. And now, Jonathan has departed to chase his dreams. I'm still with the guys! Klint and Alex are definitely nothing to scoff at, especially they are part of a circle of friends we all know. John and I had a conversation tonight. We, along with Nick, are the only three left from the original six at IX. Here at our house, we will always choose who replace a leaving member.

Funnily enough, I think I may be the last one out from the original group. It's just a hunch, but more than likely. Unless something keeps me from leaving Provo (or the general Utah Valley area), I am determine to venture out by the middle of 2016 latest.

That's enough of me moping around. I hope y'all had a great weekend!

HabitRPG Experience

Have you ever tried to set a goal only to find yourself abandoning it in progress? I'm sure many of you have done it and I'm one of them. Today, I will talk about a slightly funner way to keep track of your goals and daily routines. It is called HabitRPG, a way to "gamify" your life!

Without going too deep into its origin and history, HabitRPG started off as a Kickstarter project with the aim to make habit setting fun and social. For a retro gamer like me, a RPG game seemed like a great idea to get myself into shape. The way it works is you have to hold yourself accountable for completing daily tasks while your peers reinforce your resolve to get things done.

The main screen for your character

On your account's main screen, you are greeted by your character's avatar and the lists of things that require your attention. As of now, HabitRPG divide the tasks into your Habits, Dailies, and To-Dos. Like many RPG games, the basic elements are the same, except most of the drama revolves around whether or not you stick to your routines. I'm not going to explain the basics behind a RPG game, so I'm going to assume everyone knows what it is and summarize the general features of HabitRPG.

Health: or HP; in this game, you lose health whenever you leave one of the Dailies unchecked. When your HP reaches zero, your character "dies" and you lose a level plus a piece of equipment.
Experience: shows how much XP before you gain a level.
Mana: or MP; they are used for using certain class-specific skills which could aid you or your party (if you are in one) to gain bonuses or reduce penalties when performing tasks.

Habits: these are things you do regularly. They can be of good influence, or bad, depending on how you set them up. I put something I do weekly or more than several times a day in this category.
Dailies: these are things you need to do everyday (or multiple times a week depending on your settings). Failure to do so will result in your character taking damage.
To-Dos: you know how you mark your calendars? Yeah, it's similar in idea. There's generally no time limit for this category unless you desire so.
Rewards: whenever you complete a task, you gain not only experience, but also gold and silver. These are useful to buy equipment unique to your character class and healing potions to recover from damage. You may also set up rewards yourself that cost gold for your own good behavior. I have yet to set this up since I haven't put too much attention into what I treat myself with when I've been good. Sad, I know...

You could adjust the difficulties and categories of each task according to your desire. Difficulties will affect the reward and damage potential. Categories are more for accounting purposes and for more seasoned players to develop their habits/characters in certain fashions.

You can join parties or guilds

Of course, tackling bad habits by yourself is a huge challenge. The game has also implemented party and guild systems to help people be more accountable for their actions. Peer pressure, though viewed negatively in most cases, can actually be beneficial when the said peers are pressuring you to become a better person.

Party: a classic RPG idea. You can live or die with the members of your group. Things you can do with party members include quests, challenges, and a message board. Nothing gets your teammates more riled up than having everyone take damage during a quest because you couldn't get your Dailies done each day.
Guilds: another constant in many RPGs. These are groups of people with similar goals that they are working on or distinct demographics with similar lifestyles and circumstances. They often host challenges while serving as a forum to like-minded individuals for social and self-improvement reasons.

I'm not in a guild at the moment, but certainly a member of a party of friends.

Modify your character!

Aside from the main purpose of HabitRPG, it offers fun little gimmicks to make your gamified experience more bearable. You can change how your avatar look as well as your settings for character development, etc. You also have achievements, pets/mounts to collect, among other things. Some things require gems, which are special currencies bought with real money. For a $5.00 donation, you receive 20 gems. Guilds often offer gems as rewards for completing a challenge.

HabitRPG is still in beta at this time as it is constantly evolving. More updates and features will come in the future. The staff has encouraged users to contribute either monetarily or contents to help improve the experience. You will be compensated for your time and effort, but it is not mandatory.

It is easy to cheat in this game because it expects users to be honest and accountable for themselves. For me, I don't see the point in cheating in HabitRPG because you'd be wasting your time. In addition, you are not improving yourself, but creating an illusion of someone staying on top of things.

Currently, HabitRPG can be accessed via web and smartphones. Smartphone apps tend to lag behind in updates compared to the web version. Be aware! I use both the web and iPhone version of this game.

I like HabitRPG because it helps me a way to keep track of 95% of the things I need to be doing and eventually develop good habits out of them. I highly recommend it to folks who has some sort completionist, or even OCD, when it comes to games. If you can put that drive into something useful like this, you can most definitely become a better person in time.

What are you waiting for? Go explore at https://habitrpg.com

Pinecone Revamped

Alas! We salute these two!

After eight months of madness here at the Pinecone, we, once again, have to change the line up as our dear friend Ammon is now wedded to his missus. No worries, though, I'm sure it's not the last time you'll hear about these two in all their glories.

Since T.K.'s premature departure, we had to fill two spots here at our house. Naturally, we chose who we wanted to live here because we are past the point of playing roommate roulette.

As usual, I get to write a quick synopsis of the state of the Pinecone on my blog.

Me at Ammon & Julie's wedding!

Now that Ammon has moved on, I am the oldest person in the house. As usual, I try to set the standards and code of conduct. But most importantly, I have cooperative roommates with similar values.

I'm onto my last semester of medical laboratory science and will be done with all my coursework by this April! Then, I'll embark on an internship in Murray, Utah this upcoming summer until the end of the year.

I'll probably be around Provo, or at least the Utah Valley for another year or two as I have unfinished business around here.

Jon (and bro) during his family road trip in the East Coast

Jonathan, our resident physicist, has had exciting changes in his life. Be sure to ask him about it! He's got some big plans and an unexpected change in course in his studies.

Don't get me wrong, he's gonna use all that physics he's learned, but he's found a way to utilize it more in the long run.

In addition, talk to him about his recent experience/run-in with B-money here at Provo. It's a pretty funny story.

John as his usual creative self

I'm not sure how many excellent costumes for cosplay has he done since the last time I wrote about him, but you can't deny that John is not handy with these sorts of stuff. He did all that in the picture while under the intense pressure of the BYU Information Systems program.

This man landed himself a nice internship with the Church this summer and will soon be using his acquired skills in the real world when the time hits.

This is the one of the only persons I know who has the abilities to do almost everything he wants to get done in a given time while having a tough schedule. I think he's secretly a jedi. And no, he's not single.

And the winter cheer continues

One of the most monumental things that happened to Nick recently was being accepted into the BYU Film program. From now on, he can kiss a lot of time goodbye.

The good fellow from Missouri is adept at making films and Photoshop; something I witnessed myself as he put forth hours after hours refining his skills in these areas.

Needless to say, this is one good-looking dude who is not single. Like I mentioned before, he's got a time sink coming up as he strives to finish not only complete his degree in film, but also take on a business strategy minor from the Marriott School of Management.

He's just as I remembered

Klint may be a newcomer to the Pinecone, but he is no stranger to me. Both Ammon and I had lived with this man before he was a returned missionary.

Having served in Germany, he's at least bilingual and hopes to keep his language skills up. He is hoping to get into the nursing program here at BYU. Since his exposure to the European culture, especially after the study abroad to Austria, he's got some style, literally!

In many aspects, Klint is the combination of all of us. That's why we get along with him so well. As for the ladies, be sure to look this guy up. I promise you that you won't be disappointed!

He loves his cars

Looks like our house can never be without people from Missouri. Alex is from Liberty, Missouri and already knew likes of Ammon, Dalin, and Nick since they were boys.

He's studying mechanical engineering here at BYU and he's got some ambition as he plans on taking on another field of engineering simultaneously!

He is a car fanatic (have you seen the rims on his car?) and is absolutely enamoured by them. This man is definitely one of the eligible bachelors we have at this house.

The many seasons of life and the many faces of roommates I've encountered during my lifetime here at BYU. I'm looking forward for another ridiculous semester with my friends and roommates here at the Pinecone. I'm going to enjoy my time as I don't think I'll be enjoying my semester very much this time with the sheer amounts of work and tests creeping up. Don't find us! We'll find you.