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the_jolly_mon
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Name: Brandon
Country: United States
State: Colorado
Metro: Denver
Birthday: 4/20/1988
Gender: Male
Interests: Hobbies? i have many hobbies..... they include things like music, my ukulele, good food, good books, good friends, and good times. i bowl, play VARSITY SHHS HOCKEY GOALIE, write for the school newspaper and procrastinate like no other!
Expertise: expertise? hah! well, ok, so im no expert in anything, but i am pretty adept in a few things....
Occupation: Unemployed/Between Jobs
Industry: Other
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  apocalypso05
MSN: finz_2_da_left@hotmail.com
AIM:  starstruck5000
Yahoo:  guavajellie2006
Member Since:
5/8/2003
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| A friend and I were talking about how much another of our friends had changed in a short period of time. Then she asked me, "Have I changed?" Damn my reading Star Wars, I searched for a deeper, philosophical answer to a simple question..... but it hit me how true it was. I said, "Haven't we all?"
In less than a year, I've found myself in a position of being one of the most prominent photographers at my college newspaper, having discovered it in me to make good grades. I've both upheld the "light side" and succumbed to the "dark side." I've gone from a clueless, ignorant photo n00b to the person my old newspaper teacher asked me to guest speak for classes and networking with Rocky Mountain News and Greeley Tribune professionals. I've gone from being content, happy, and surrounded by best friends, to the broken, lonely.... but not necessarily unhappy.... person I am now. I've gone from being fit, in shape, and active to the slow, stagnant person I am now.
Do I like what I've become, how I've changed? No.
Do I dislike what I've become? No.
I am what I am. Only I can change that, nobody can do it for me.
I have to embrace the bad, as well as the good.
Embrace the pain, and the pleasure.
Allow change to come into my life.... and likewise, to leave.
You can't stop the river's flow.
Even the strongest dams will break.
Nothing is permanent.
Even stars will die.
But damn this philosophy.... it raises so many more questions than answers, and feels more like an excuse or facade than a legitimate way of life. It feels like a philosophy of strength, but at the cost of my compassion and empathy.... something I cannot afford to lose. It raises paradoxes and dilemmas that I don't have the answers to, only more questions.
Why are questions the only answers?
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| so i have this depressing kinda entry previous to this one.... its private now, but i can still see it every time i log on. but its a new year. its time to move on. so im stealing a survey from taylor as a way to fill a little space and reflect on a year thats had the highest of highs and lowest of lows. so, here we go:
1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before? --- A good many things, such as move out of my house (for college), i actually worked and got paid for shooting photographs, i attended both a funeral and a wedding in the same year where the married couple also knew the deceased.... hmmm.... i drank alcohol for the first time, went to a halloween party for the first time, saw a live stand-up comedian, went to a wrestling match (to photograph), met professional newspaper photographers, won a journalistic award, spent over $500 on one item..... etc etc etc
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
--- New Years Resolutions I find to be made out of a misplaced sense of obligation, rather than an honest will to change and therefore don't make them for the sake of having one, only if I truly intend to keep them. I havent made and dont plan on making any anytime soon.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? --- As far as I know no
4. Did anyone close to you die? --- Nope.
5. What countries did you visit? --- hahahaha, thats funny.
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? --- hmmm... maybe a sense of security? i doubt im going to find that in a transition from freshman to sophomore year, but its worth hoing for. I'd also like to intern with a newspaper for the summer maybe, that'd be something interesting... basically: experience.
7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? --- January 3. Ian's funeral was profound for me in ways I can not even begin to express. Although I wasnt the best of friends with him, having only known him since August, the impact he made on everybody who knew him, as well as those who didnt, made me realize that life is not worth wasting time feeling pity for yourself. The limited time we have here is better spent making the lives of those around you better. I finally discovered the meaning of life, and even in his absence wally is a positive force in this world.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? --- Graduation.
9. What was your biggest failure? --- heh, we'll see about discussing this one at a later time
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? --- Other than periodical knee pain while still playing hockey and working at the rink, nope.
11. What was the best thing you bought? --- by far my Canon 70-200mm f/4.0L lens (the camera itself my parents bought, lol)
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? --- everybodys, at some point.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? --- everybodys, at some point. The only constant was myself.
14. Where did most of your money go? --- College expenses, food, camera equipment
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? --- Graduation, college, my new lens, xmas, new years
16. What song will always remind you of 2006? ---as old as it is, "Angel" by Shaggy
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? --- This time last year? Happier by far, my friend died mere days ago this time last year.
b) thinner or fatter? --- not too much of a difference, it could go either way.... prolly fatter tho, im not as active as i was then (working at an ice rink, playing ddr, playing hockey)
c) richer or poorer? --- Poorer for sure, i was overdrawn on my checking account not too long ago.... and i had a job at this point in time last year, im jobless until school starts again right now
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? --- I wish I had gone out of my comfort zone more often. 2006 was already a year marked by my willingness to step away from what makes me comfortable, but sometimes I wonder if it was enough....
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? --- Hesitating.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? --- in 2007? most likely at my uncles house, as usual.... opening presents, eating lots of food, playing catch phrase or taboo or something like that....
21. Did you fall in love in 2006? --- with photography.
22. How many one-night stands? --- none
23. What was your favorite TV program? --- the Avs game... and family guy, etc
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? --- Nope. Hate is an empty emotion and a waste of energy
25. What was the best book you read? --- Probably the entire Star Wars: New Jedi Order series.... I enjoy reading Star Wars because its a pleasant escape from reality while also giving me perspective on moral issues.... in short, it makes me think. It makes me ask questions, and it makes me stop and ask myself about consequences, about justificiations, about evil and good. Its my moral and philosophical compass, something to make reference points out of. That and lightsabers are just friggin awesome
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? --- iNoA'oLe, probably. I already knew of UB40, i just started listening to them more this year
27. What did you want and get? --- A sweet camera and sweet lens.
28. What did you want and not get? --- A sweet girl and sweeter lenses
29. What was your favorite film of this year? --- Probably "Blood Diamonds" or "Pursuit of Happyness"..... again, things that make me think
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? --- I turned 18, and to be honest i dont remember what i did. Aside from buy a lotto ticket, just for the hell of it.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? --- A number of things, the biggest of which..... ahh forget it, its a new year and thus time for a new beginning.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? --- close eyes, apply clothing, repeat as necessary
33. What kept you sane? --- photography. music. star wars. hockey. some of my friends.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? --- none really, ive never been much of a celebrity fan
35. What political issue stirred you the most? --- i dont think any single item stirred me the most.... but that does not mean there werent injustices that didnt stir me
36. Who did you miss? --- not too many people. Ive always been a more solitary person at the core, but that doesnt mean i dont enjoy peoples company
37. Who was the best new person you met? --- Christina R., Taylor, Jalpa, Sarah... pretty much most new ppl i met at college and thru other various means. I love people ^^v
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. --- "Live life, love life"
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. --- "Where I will go the wind only knows, good times around the bend.
I get in my car I’m going too far, never coming back again.
Tired and worn I woke up this morning, and found that I was confused.
Spun right around and found that I had lost the things that I couldn't lose." -Waimanalo Blues
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| its been forever since ive touched xanga.... the irony of my being "the jolly mon" isnt lost on me now, hahaha. but its bugged alot lately, why have i abandoned xanga? i thought i wasnt the only one straying away from the blog scene and moving soley into the world of facebook and myspace, and that xanga was obsolete and forgotten by most people. i see now that i was wrong so then now im left to wonder..... has my abandoning of xanga, my former means of showing people who i am and what im about, been a bit of a symbolic casting off of a former identity.... a first step to moving on from one stage of life to another? i dont know.... i wish i knew. i dont like who i was before. but then again, do i like who i am now? hahaha, how lame that im bothered by this more than the fact my english and statistics homework isnt doing itself..... aaaaanyways..... most everyone who will read this already knows my facebook and myspace, so i wont bother posting links to them here.... but i guess i can let ppl in on what else ive been up to lately: Deviantart, SportsShooter <---- websites i post my photography.... the former is a place i post anything and everything, good or not.... the latter is a professional Sports photography website im part of, so its a bit more formally set up.... nice to look at too, if you wanna see some cool sports photos from the pros (as opposed to ametuer wannabes, like me) | | |
| lol, im updating cuz it was requested of me..... but i dont really have much to say, sadly.... schools out, finally graduated.... my job sucks... in going to UNC this fall.... there reaslly isnt much to say! hahaha. well, ive sorta moved on to MySpace, so come visit me there! www.myspace.com/guavajellie2oo6 | | |
| hahahahahaahahhahahaahhahaa
yesssss! finally!
i have my camera! im ready for anything now! bwahahaha | | |
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