Making Changes

The most effective way to make any change is to identify the exact opposite, and take a course of action that best reflects the inverse of the original behavior, action, personality trait, etc. A smile stifles anger, confidence removes all doubt, skepticism shatters the strongest of traditions. Silence infects the most stubborn of chatterboxes, and perseverance hurdles the greatest of obstacles. But this principle is not just psychological, it encompasses all areas of life, although (for now) I won't go into depth regarding that. Probably the most famous endeavors making use of this principle are the nonviolent protest- Rather than foolishly adding to the fuel of war, pacifists simply operating in such a manner that even the most patriot of citizens lost the will to support war. I consider this to be one of the most creative of all diplomatic efforts thus recorded in history.

But few people are full aware of the associated implications- By applying this knowledge to daily life whenever possible, we can improve many areas much faster- and some areas cannot be changed by any other means than this. If we are lacking in any area at all, the most effective means is to take on roles that produce opposite behavior. Many times it must be done forcibly, but in the long run, (assuming your reasons for the changed are well-founded) it's always worth it. To apply this to my own life: Physically and sexually, I tend not to take the initiative, maintaining a relatively passive approach. This is not true of the other areas, but just these two. Especially for a guy, this has some disadvantages- so to effectively change it, I should take the initiative at every opportunity, no matter how awkward.

In the same way, the best way to become more social, is to force yourself into a highly social environment, to overcome any fear the best way is to confront it head on, to become more organized and improve planning skills, live a life overflowing with appointments. My favorite quality of humans, is to adapt. sure, animals have it to- but only in humans can the beauty be clearly seen. Because of adaptation, the most trying of circumstances can be dealt with just as easily as a person would normally. To me, this ability merits a great deal of praise.

The Unofficial Guide to Anime Fandom

Use this as a reference by which to determine others' (or your own) dedication to anime:

(note I'm sure you will realize that the AMV Hell part is biased, but I seriously doubt there is a serious anime fan out there that hasn't seen the AMV Hell movies (at least AMV Hell 3- 4 just came out, so we should cut them some slack.)

Entry-Level Anime Fan:

1. knowledge of subs, dubs, and the difference between them.
2. has seen both AMV Hell 3 and 4
3. recognizes at least a few of the animes in AMV Hell 3/4, and has an accurate memory of the associated scenes.
4. Familiar with basic japanese phrases
5. Have watched animes encoded as mkv/ogm.

Dedicated Anime Fan:

1. Instantly recognize most of the animes in AMV Hell 3/4, and an accurate memory of the associated characters and scenes for many of these.
2. Well-versed regarding Hare Hare Yukai "Sunny Sunny Happy"
3. Able to fully appreciate many of the references in AMV Hell 3/4
4. Can speak enough japanese to hold a decent (albeit very basic) conversation in japanese.
5. Is a regular of the following sites: http://a.scarywater.net http://gendou.com http://animesuki.com http://animemusicvideos.org http://animeworld.com
6. has been forced to empty or upgrade hard drive at least twice.

Obsessed Anime Fan:

1. Instantly recognizes most of the animes in AMV Hell 3/4, and an accurate memory of the exact episodes, scenes, and an intimate understanding of the associated characters
2. Has memorized several dozen anime songs word-for-word, beat-for-beat
3. Can perfectly do both singing and choreography for Hare Hare Yukai
4. An intimate understanding of several fansubbing groups.
5. Can speak japanese fluently
6. Active involvement in the translation and production of fansubs.
7. Well-versed in japanese culture.
8. Producer of some well-made amv's

note that for all 3 categories (and particularly the last) being able to identify with everything is not necessary to fulfill the stereotype. furthermore, if you are japanese, being able to speak it fluently, etc. is not applicable to you.

Just to let everyone know, I'm about halfway between "Dedicated Anime Fan" and "Obsessed Anime Fan."

my best skill

This is part of an email I wrote- I'm too lazy to edit it so (for now) it will stay in the original format

I have identified a skill that I could probably put to good use (most of my skills aren't all that valuable career-wise)

well, more accurately, I was able to organize several talents into a single word- and in doing so provided a clear pathway by which to apply the talents, many of which of which otherwise would effectively be wasted for the most part.

and that word is "skimming" (I have been trying to figure this one out for a while). Because I am good at skimming, I can perform most operating system functions in just a few seconds, I can find any topic, subject, and (sometimes) word in a book near-instantly, and I am able just as relatively quickly when browsing the web, because I am good at skimming I can determine whether or not I will like a song I have never heard near-instantly (if using a computer- to use the seek function) and (although I have never actually tried this, for fairly obvious reasons) probably the same applies to a movie. on that topic by means of skimming I can determine whether or not a video file is the one I wanted ( i.e. if I'm in the middle of a series, but don't know the episode- I can (within seconds) find which one out of the lot I left off from) the same applies to manga- I can (within seconds) find, out of the thousands of .jpg images- which one I left off from, even with only a rough idea of where. although this is possible with music, there wouldn't be a point, plus anyone could find where they left off in something as short as a song, so that example would be meaningless.

For the same reason, I am really good at figuring things out simply by exploring the options- I can usually solve such problems easy because I'm good at skimming.

such skills must have real-life applications, so I need to find which ones would suit me best. lol ego session done

Ranting about Christianity

This is just something I have to get of the way- so please don't assume from this post that I live my life solely to mercilessly criticize Christianity...

There is an all powerful, all knowing, all seeing God out there that has always existed, and he loves everything he has created with a love so deep, strong, and unconditional, that we could never hope to understand it. And yet, if because of my honest nature (that he created me with) I will go to hell, because I believe This God to be a lie. I cannot lie to myself, and thus cannot believe in the God of the Bible...and yet the God that has all the above qualities- feels compelled to send me to hell. Even if I ignore the inconsistencies (i.e. The Bible clearly states that he is not willing that any should perish....and if that is the case, an all powerful, all knowing God should no problem preventing it- Heck, since he knew (if applicable) we were going to hell before we were born, he shouldn't have created us in the first place.)- even if I ignore all that, I could not believe an all powerful, all knowing God who's compelled to send us to hell (if applicable) could do such a thing unless he really hated us (considering what type of place hell is commonly depicted to be [although that is debatable])- A God who sends us to such a place for any reason- and yet have love for us beyond understanding would be logically unthinkable.

That is why I refuse to accept the Bible as truth...to do so would give God an infinitely revolting image...and it would also redefine love in a truly depressing way. If the God of the Bible really exists, I'd say I might be better off in Hell, since the feature attraction there is complete eternal separation from God...that might be far more appealing, considering the only other option is eternal servitude of such a dreadfully hateful God.

Although it's true that I renounced Christianity due to the myriad of inconsistencies in the Bible, the above are my primary reasons.

Pre-LTR Agreements

If I were to get in an Long-Term Relationship (FYI- I don't do short-term), my partner would have to agree to the following agreements. These measures will ensure the success of the relationship.

if applicable, exceptions are made for life-and-death situations, or other circumstances that involve comparably great losses.

1. We must be completely honest and open at all times. This means that if either of us even think that maybe we should tell the other something, we should tell them. If we really love each other, the information wouldn't matter. In addition, finding out the other knew something, and didn't tell, can lead to distrust, as well as many other negative things. In many cases, the willingness to disclose such sensitive information would lead to stronger mutual bond that is proportional to how sensitive the information is, because your willingness to disclose reflects upon both your character and your dedication to the relationship.

2. We must always trust each other.

3. Jealousy is strongly discouraged.

4. We must be financially independent of each other.

5. Love must be prioritized over sex.

6. When making decisions, emphasis is put on seeing things from the perspective of the other.

7. If the LTR involves marriage, we must live with each other for while before marriage, to ensure that we are comfortable living with each other. In many cases people are not prepared to live with each other after marriage, so this solves that problem.

8. Anything that is considered morally wrong (by my definition, see "Cultural Independence" post) should be avoided.

My Beliefs about reincarnation/evolution

I've put this off for a long time (writing this post); well, technically I already wrote it, but since I lost the writing after formatting my hard drive for about the 100th time (that's not an exaggeration)- I have to recompile my thoughts again. So here goes:

I believe that in the beginning, there were intelligent souls that, for one purpose or another, sought to improve upon their current using the best means possible. Whether or not they always existed, or were a byproduct of "The Big Bang"- speculation gives way to debate, and even speculating on their origin undoubtedly extends beyond our comprehension, leading to confusion. But fortunately I'm relatively unconcerned with the origin of their existence, just as I am relatively unconcerned with the origin of God, if speaking from the perspective that he indeed does exist.

As such, it was decided that life would be the best method by which to gain knowledge, experience, and further all of the areas that were lacking. Thus they created life for this very purpose, and it seems that they were successful. Of all known things in the universe, life is the only thing that demonstrates the true nature of adaptation so intensely. What better training can a person have when is comes to adaptation than life itself?

Some say that the existence of reincarnation is limited to humans, others say it extends to animals. Truth be told, it all depends on the opinions regarding which life is intelligent and which is not. Because we still have not even scratched the surface of this universe; no- not even of the earth- It may well be that all life, even plants and fungi, or viruses (which are not considered alive since they do not possess a nucleus)- may also be included in the reincarnation of souls. But for the time being, this information is irrelevant.

This being the case, it makes perfect sense that we would have no memory of our past lives. If we did, it would interfere with the souls progress in adapting. Just as in algebra to solve the equation, we must isolate the variable- Souls must isolate to adapt. We would become confused, resulting in waste. However, since there have been some reports yielding evidence of reincarnation, it is plausible that exceptions are made, for things such as (for example) a metaphysical imbalance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_Cases_Suggestive_of_Reincarnation

There is the dilemma of reconciling the idea of reincarnation with the ever-increasing population, But there are many, if not potentially infinite explanations for this (infinite because our knowledge of the universe is infinitely limited, considering the universe itself is theoretically infinite.) But I will list a few that I find most likely: First we must consider that, especially considering we have no memory of past lives, and thus are essentially separate from the soul from the time we are alive, a soul making use of several lifeforms at once seems like a good idea. In addition, with how vast the universe is, even souls only came into being one per million years per "light-year-sized" area, It would more than compensate for the ever increasing population. Another thing to consider, is that perhaps more "aliens" are dying elsewhere than are born here, and our high birth rate is to make up for it. But again, speculation on this matter is relatively futile.

Although this matter is also of little significance, I will clarify my beliefs on the point of recursion- so as to be consistent. In other words, regarding the question, "At what point does a reincarnation cycle repeat itself?" Although I do not have a definite opinion, I believe it to be the point of fertilization. From this point-of-view, a miscarriage can be seen as the result of a failed "soul-bonding" (lol, get it?- if not, see Fullmetal Alchemist)

Now the relation to evolution: adaptation is the base-form of evolution, so even without visible mutation, we all evolve with each new day. Our evolution is reflect in our personality, talents, skills, etc. Critics of evolution claim that if it exists, the effects would be more evident. But with the millions of years evolution requires, we are lucky to see it at all. But apparently critics continue to ignore what evidence does exist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernumerary_body_part

just 1 year ago, a woman in the UK successfully gave birth to triplets, and these babies came out of 2 vaginae. Now tell me, how is that not evolution? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6199363.stm

But that aside, I believe that evolution, especially in most extreme contexts, exists to mirror the corresponding evolution of the soul, and thus better accommodate it. On that note, my belief regarding the reconciliation of reincarnation with the current birth rate, I believe that as souls adapt, they evolve to higher forms of life- thus, since humans are the highest (known) form of life, I don't believe I with come back as an animal, plant, or any other primitive lifeform, because my soul has already evolved beyond that point.

List Of Favorite Words

I have compiled a preliminary list of my favorite words- and as such it will change from time to time. Use any of the below words to catch my attention:
update- to save space on the blog (so you don't have to scroll past these to get to the other content) I have replaced the words to a link to the words: Click here to see the list of favorite words