Christmas time!! What is it good for?

 ♫♪ ♫Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer!! Fun for all that children call, their favorite time of the year~♫♪ ♫

Happy Holidays readers!!! Hope you are all having a wonderful time, whether you are alone, with friends or family, I hope your days have been merry! But that always brings up the question, what does this season mean to me, to you, to us? Well, I'm glad I asked, because that's why I intend to talk about on this generic Christmas post! :)

Why we celebrate 

Now first question is usually "why we celebrate Christmas?" Well whether you celebrate it for religious reasons, AKA Christ's birthday (or supposed birthday), for pagan reasons AKA you still do what the Romans did and have a Saturnalia week, where you generally speaking, have a purge night/week like in the movie "The Purge", though unlike in ancient times, I don't believe human sacrifices are as heavily marketed or culturally accepted these days; or perhaps it's just a fun tradition you do because of commercialism and presents. Whatever the reason one thing is usually a common variable, and that is being surrounded by the one/ones you love, that's right even if you are a loner, because you yourself could be the one you love most, (no judgment here... unless you do the human sacrificing still, then some may give you a little judgment) the point is, this is a time where we truly allow ourselves to appreciate those who we care for and are thankful for, even more so than Thanksgiving.

Now certainly many of us love the season for the low low prices in all the cool new gadgets and clothes, and the presents we will get, so much so that we overshadow what the best gifts actually are. Now I can hear you all groaning ¨Ugh things are about to get preachy here, honey, hold off on the sacrifice and let's hear him out....¨ but hey, somebody has got to say it. ;) That said, the best gift you can give and get on Christmas is the time you get and give with those you love, whether they be family, friends, or the less fortunate through volunteer TIME (see the key word being time). Now, as old and annoying as it may sound, giving time is the most fulfilling gift you can give, and as they say it's better to give than to receive, so despite all the cool gifts that we may get, which we also equally enjoy, and I have no doubt those who gave them to us enjoy it more seeing the joy on our faces, regardless, the time spent, lessons learned, and memories forged... that my dear friends, that is truly the best gift of all. Also you get to work on some fun low budget decorations when you concentrate more on the experience than the money spent.

(The things one can do with loose ornaments, a balloon, ribbons, twine, and a good attitude.)

In the end we all have our own personal situations and traditions in regards to this famed holiday season, some, like my mom, don't even celebrate it all, and you know what, that is perfectly fine, however if you do partake in a special tradition, I'd love to hear why you do, as I find it amazing how different everyone does a relatively similar thing such as celebrating a holiday all because of a tradition or belief. (I mean just look at how KFC used marketing to make eating fried chicken a Christmas tradition in Japan; Why? Because of their Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii! campaign back in 74, which originated due to a family opting for fried chicken s a substitute for a Christmas turkey... pshh I see you Sanders lol)

How we celebrate

So now that we have analyzed why so many of us celebrate this time, the next obvious question is "how do we celebrate Christmas?" Now if you are part of the afore mentioned groups we discussed then Christmas mass or meetings (depending on your religious sect) and a family gathering of some sort is generally what is done/expect, just like for those who still try and push for Saturnalia (please don't hurt me) then human sacrifice is going to fall into the "how" category quite nicely. As for many others however, also including the 2 previous groups, do you all follow the almost ritualistic tropes of Christmas? That is to say, put up all the decorations, murder nature in order to display it proudly after adorning it in ornaments and lights? Do you hang stockings for even more gifts you greedy bast-- *ahem* Uhh, what about chestnuts, do you roast them upon an open fire? What about snowmen (if there is snow on Christmas where you live)? And if so do you plague your neighbors by mindlessly polluting the air with that Frozen song (Do you want to build a snowman)? Do you sing carols or watch old timey Christmas films??? Do you beat the crap out of each other in order to settle conflicts and start the year off fresh like they do in Peru? (it's called Takanakuy, look it up)

Well however you celebrate it, I'd love to hear about it, personally we celebrate it here on the 24th, opening our gifts at mid.night, unless you fell asleep ya pansy, in that case you can open your gifts on the 25th after the sun comes up, loser... I also enjoy volunteering and giving to the less fortunate, sacrificing a gift that would normally be for me and giving it to someone who usually never gets anything at all is an amazing experience and one that I would honestly recommend anyone to do. I also watch campy horror films and Yungtown Christmas videos on Youtube (Seriously, if you appreciate video games, satire, and awesome raps I whole-heartedly recommend his stuff). Aside from that my Christmas is standard fair, littered with an abundance of food, secret santas, good times, and awkward karaoke. That said, I'd love to hear how you all celebrate the holidays, do you do anything unusual?

Christclusion

So in conclusion, I hope you all had are having an amazing holiday season, and doing things you love. Whether it be dressing up as Santas reindeer whilst playing laser tag, (a game Rudolf can actually play), stressing out over last minute presents because your family doesn't appreciate quality time over quality gifts, or if you are getting drunk in order to drown your sorrows, rejuvenate your joys, or simply to appease your lord and master Dionysus; 

May not have turned water into wine, but his hair literally is wine

Lol whatever it may be, please be safe and make it memorable, and hey, try to end the day on a clean slate, don't end the holidays with someone mad at you (unless it's the dude you are sacrificing for Saturnaia, not sure if you can truly become buds after that) 

Nonsensical ramblings aside, I leave you to enjoy the rest of your evening with a huge virtual hug from me I wish you the happiest of holidays!! (Also remember, screw the song "Christmas Shoes")

Much Love,
Wachi

What challenges do we face creatively?

Aughh, readers, just "Aughh"!! You know what I'm saying? No? Of course you don't I can never ugh... I'm so frustrated..!! *Screeches into the heavens* Have you ever wanted to MS Paint on a Monday and you just can't? That creative frustration that we all face from time to time, not just with paint, but anything creative that you enjoy. You know the one, don't you?

OMG, I even spelled frustration wrong I'm so frustrated!! :P

There's always those fears and frustrations, such as fear of never getting noticed or recognized for your work, or perhaps (one i personally fear on the regular) not being good enough at what you love to do. Maybe you found a creative passion later in life and you feel you are simply too old to be good at it, or perhaps you are just getting started and you feel you are too young to get any attention. Another frustration of mine is due to the internet as a whole, sometimes I will have a thought or idea, and will work on it, only to find 20 other people have done something online displaying the same, killing off one's originality, and frustration of being unoriginal is one of the worst feelings.Or when you don't feel like you are actually progressing in your art (or craft of any sort), where you are even to the point where you are too ashamed to practice because of how awful you see your own art, and that in itself is another frustration that just ruins ones creativity...

As these are a few of the many self-criticisms and frustrations I layer onto my own creative self-conscious on a daily basis I thought many others may do the same as well, and that is when I conveniently stumbled onto this video, a TED talk in fact, and it was a breath of fresh air as far as creative motivators go, so I thought I'd share with all of you, my creative readers who find themselves frustrated and/or out of ideas, whether it be just a hobby or your career.

I'll put a couple of links to the same;

https://vimeo.com/130898948

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG-ZXiYtLy8

With this I leave you all today, hope this talk spoke to your creative selves as much as it did mine! I can't wait to see what all our future creations will become in the coming year!!

Happy Holidays!

Much Love,

Wachi

MS Paint Mondays 25

Afternoon readers!! Hope you are all having a great holiday week, even if you are stuck in the office like myself. Anyhow, the work load is light, the sun is bright, and the rhyming is polite, with all that going for us why not ♪let it paint, let it paint, let it (MS) Paint (Monday)!!?♫

--Thoughts of the day--

* At last, despite needing to finish reports and hang out in the office, my customers are all but completely gone, so there is complete peace of mind right now. 

* Therefore it's nice to use this time to right any wrongs or discomforts between those who you work with, without the stresses of the usual workday, you can truly be open with each other in a non work environment.

* Never end a year on bad terms with anyone. (Well never end a day angry with someone; but if you can't forgive that easy, well at least end the year with joy.)

So with that I present the "Fantamen" a collection of characterization of me and my colleagues as X-men characters, and since there are 4 of us, I made it like the fantastic four, so fantamen is actually fantastic + men, not Fanta the coca cola product, in case you all were confused :P. The point of it all is remember to celebrate accomplishments as a team, no one X-men can accomplish everything on his or her own, the team should be recognized as a whole, always.

As always, I hope this exercise helps you ease that weekly case of the Mondays and inspires you to start creating new things, and really help expand the creative construct that is your brain! I encourage you to share/send me your own MS Paint Monday creations, if I get enough I plan to do an MS Paint showcase at the end of every week so we can enjoy each other's styles and imaginations.

Much Love, Wachi

MS Paint Mondays 24

Good morning readers!! I hope you all got a more restful weekend than I did, and despite feeling sleep deprived I bring you this weeks MS Paint Monday!! YEAAAaaahhhhh...!

--Thoughts of the day--

* So this is the final week before my customers start heading out on their Christmas vacations, and I am simply tired and my mind is like half on and half off...

*The good thing about this state of mind is you are ok telling things to "screw it" and let's be honest every one needs a good screw it day week to clear their mind, and by remaining in this state of mind you can also mindlessly create whatever you want with no input from anyone else, and that is liberating.

Therefore today's paint titled "Death Trio", (I actually fell asleep mid sentence while writing this readers, so my bad for another MS Paint Tuesday this time around)  is made up of completely random characters I made up on the fly, because I didn't feel like making a theme on a day like today haha. Sometimes readers the best way to grow is by letting your mind wander and create new things, instead of getting inspiration from life. Give it a try! :D

As always, I hope this exercise helps you ease that weekly case of the Mondays and inspires you to start creating new things, and really help expand the creative construct that is your brain! I encourage you to share/send me your own MS Paint Monday creations, if I get enough I plan to do an MS Paint showcase at the end of every week so we can enjoy each other's styles and imaginations.

Much Love, Wachi

Wachi's Nonsense: TMNT II Trailer: Can we love being a turtle again?

Hello readers, and welcome to Wachi's Nonsense!! It's been a while since I have done one of these, but I am back and with a topic close to my heart. Now, if you read my 50 facts about myself, you may already know I adore the Ninja Turtles, and Michael Bay's produced TMNT figuratively grabbed my childhood in that theater and raped it, I had never come out of a theater in such disgust and indignation before, but that movie... that freaking movie... *AHEM* sorry, this isn't a rant about that experience, maybe someday, but not today. No readers, today I want to talk about the trailer that dropped for the sequel of said personal train wreck, I'm talking "TMNT Out of the Shadows" (and no, not the game), if you haven't seen the trailer yet, come on out of your shells and watch it before we get into my thoughts;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeaugHGd1Kw

Ok now that you've seen it, watch it again, and really watch it, notice anything? I did, it looks pretty gouh.. Goouejsm...*clears throat* Gowowwd... oh man it's tough to say it, let alone type it... it looks not horrible. :P

In all seriousness let's break it down, I love TMNT, and this trailer actually got me excited, first off, I feel like the turtles toned it down some with the accessories and hulking bodies, which is fantastic, I mean they are still huge, but not as much as the first (I think). Secondly, they are vibrant shades of green now, and seem to have better, more turtle-esque looking faces, instead of looking like vomit green gorons from the Legend of Zelda as they did for the first film, all of which I like! (Except for Donnie, it seems like they added suspenders on him, not sure why tech wizard ninja, has to be Urkel from "Family Matters" for the audience to understand he is the "smart one" but whatever)

Another awesome thing I noticed, sex appeal, I mean Megan Fox's April, was in this for maybe 3 scenes, and only spoke in one, and she didn't appear at all until after the first half of the trailer!! This rectifies one of my biggest complaints with the first film, which was basically,  April O'Neil feat. The Ninja Turtles, seriously, the plot would not move forward until April moved it forward, ugh... But not this time baby! Naw, this time the Turtles took center stage, I actually feel like they are the focal point of the film, which you'd think would make sense in a film titled "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", but the first one simply didn't show me that. Also Casey Jones is Arrow, that's pretty cool, I feel he brings great life into the character in the small segments we watched him in, my only nitpick is... the hair, I'll miss the long hair Casey we have all come to know and love, but again that's just me being picky. But just imagine....

Anywaysss.... I noticed they recast Shredder and Karai, which seems like a wise choice, what I don't like, and is a complaint I have heard echoed from my friends, is that even though I am happy that Shredder is no longer Mini Megatron, I don't like the fact that he never wears his mask in the trailer, I hope he stills has it, as it is a very iconic part of him, along with the villain is his clan, the foot clan, and they are actually ninjas again, NINJAS!!! If you may recall from the first film they were gun-totting terrorists, which in my opinion was un-creative and dull, so bringing them back to their ninja roots is fantastic in my book♥

Moving along with the casting, how about that Tyler Perry as the nutty pro... I mean Baxter Stockman, haha I can honestly say I did NOT see that coming, and despite not thinking he was the best choice, I got to admit I enjoy how much fun he is having with the role, really mixing the dark with the comical that the TMNT franchise is known for, I love the energy, despite not really loving the casting choice.

Lat but not least, my inner child recuperated almost immediately from the violent abuse it had suffered from the first film the moment, Bebop and Rocksteady took the stage, holy sh*t readers!!! I have been waiting for these guys to hit the big screen since "TMNT II: Secret of the Ooze", the character designs are so true to their original source material, I am so happy!! Not only that but their human counterparts are phenomenally cast in my opinion, Uncle Ruckus make a great human Bebop!!

I seriously adore the fact that they even have the same 80's like gangster fashion, it's *kisses fingers* perfection from a visual standpoint!

Now with all this promise being shown in the trailer and the Krang's invasion also teased (though very reminiscent to the Chitauri invasion in the first Avengers film, what with the giant worm hole over New York) there is only 2 more things I need for this movie to be a hit and redeem itself in my eyes, and that is one, explore the reincarnation sub-plot in order to make Splinter Hamato Yoshi, PLEASE, this was a huge issue I had with the first film, TMNT is a story about family, yes, but a burning rivalry as well, between Hamato Yoshi (Splinter) and Oroku Saki (Shredder) so despite being visually stimulating, their bout in the first film, it was more of a generic, "Get out of my home/leave my kids alone" type of fight, more than a intense, passion-filled battle of fierce ideals and lost camaraderie, where revenge and history should have swirled into the atmosphere, it was just a "check out my cool ninja moves bro" moment of anger. If this idea were to be played with, it would also explain how the Ninjutsu came so naturally to him when he found the book in the sewers, as that idea is already idiotic in itself...

Last but not least, I am pulling for a Vanilla Ice cameo for a final Ninja Rap Remix battle, this is more of a dorky request than a necessity, but I would love it. The corniness in an intense dance battle before the final showdown would be greatly appreciated, especially if done differently enough to be more of an homage than a complete copy of that cheesy scene.

GO NINJA GO NINJA GO!

In the end, my heart is divided, this iteration of TMNT began as an unwanted project, yet it still arrived, and like a bad relationship, it abused me, it hurt me, it beat me down further than I thought it ever would, it told me it loved me only to rip my heart out at every opportunity it could... YET it's back now, it's changed, it's not the dark harmful ex lover, but a more playful badass, dare I say even likeable, one that has its priorities straight, or so it seems... so much so that I would consider taking it back despite the abuse they made me go through the first time, I may be ready to love again, but am I simply being delusional? Can such abusive things, TRULY change for the better? Hell, it's even being released a day before my birthday, is it trying to ask for my forgiveness at the best possible time, or am I walking into the biggest mistake of my life? 

I need a psychologist LOL...

Geeze what is my life?

Overall, I want to hate this movie, I really do, but from where I stand, I honestly can't, only time will tell if I am ready to love being a turtle again (Though I am LOVING the IDW comics atm). How about you readers, are you a fan of the turtles? If so what are your thoughts on the trailer, even the reboot of the series as a whole? Are you pumped, scared, indifferent? Feel free to let me know any changes or ideas that you'd love to see in the new film.

Thanks for sticking around til the end readers, hope you all are having a wonderful pre-holiday time!

Much Love,

Wachi

Never be afraid to be bananas

MS Paint Mondays 23

Hello there my beautiful readers! Tis Monday once more and you know what that means; time to let your week shine forth with a new doodle!! With holiday vacations on the horizon (well for most, I have to work) people are filled with cheer, or drunken eggnog induced stress, either way both those feelings can be transferred into a piece of art ♥ 

MS PAINT TIME!!!

--Thoughts of the day--

* As we near the final lap of this year, 2015, we are left to reflect on what it is we have done, and have not done, and what we are proud of accomplishing.

* One can sometimes feel like they didn't accomplish much, due to being stuck in a routine-based life style, but even then, the little accomplishments you have made may have had a large impact on someone else's life, you never know when you have become an unintentional blessing for another so think about that.

* That said the year isn't over and there's still time to do what you gotta do, whatever that may be, so let's pick up the pace instead of slowing it down, and let's end the year with a bigger bang than the New Year's fireworks.

Speaking of which, unlike Walter, who may be slowing down as shown in his failed quality assessment, my ex-colleague and myself got another hundred, and to keep up with the lame X-men theme going we have "X men Wach and Tay 100% X2"; yes, that is a lame title... Moving on... This goes to show that even the slightest of extra accomplishments at a year's end can be sweeter than a cup of cocoa.

As always, I hope this exercise helps you ease that weekly case of the Mondays and inspires you to start creating new things, and really help expand the creative construct that is your brain! I encourage you to share/send me your own MS Paint Monday creations, if I get enough I plan to do an MS Paint showcase at the end of every week so we can enjoy each other's styles and imaginations.

Much Love, Wachi

MS Paint Mondays 22

(So I forgot to actually publish this, so despite it being written on Monday, it'll be released on a Tuedsday... oppsie poopsie...)

Hello Everyone, it's a new week, and I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Here's a brief new MS Paint Monday to get the creative juices flowing whilst we all slug back into the routines of life.

--Thoughts of the day--

* So despite living in Costa Rica, I do celebrate Thanksgiving, and have done so for the past 3 years, turning criticism from family and friends due to my being "Gringo", into anticipation for the deliciousness that has become tradition!!

* This year however I had to cancel it due to a bunch of commitments happening on that day (as it is not a legitimate holiday down here) and wouldn't you know it, after cancelling everything, my commitments were also cancelled, stuffing my Turkey in sadness and disappointment.... classic Costa Rica, doing every change last minute...

* Despite this however, I began planning and ordering pre-made catering meals to re-schedule for Saturday December 5th, and wouldn't you know it, that's the now mandatory secret Santa dinner and work activity, so time to cancel again.... lol... 

This week's paint was inspired not only by the back to back failures in my own life, but also the quality assessment failures of an ex-colleague, Walter, who has affectionately been given the name Walterine, like Wolverine, I'm not sure why... but therefore I have named this paint the same, "Walterine", showing that even though you fail, like Wolverine's healing factor, you to can continue to get back up... Yeah, that's a good one :P 

(Also forgetting to upload this on Monday is another one for my list of recent fails, so that goes perfectly with this theme lol)

As always, I hope this exercise helps you ease that weekly case of the Mondays and inspires you to start creating new things, and really help expand the creative construct that is your brain! I encourage you to share/send me your own MS Paint Monday creations, if I get enough I plan to do an MS Paint showcase at the end of every week so we can enjoy each other's styles and imaginations.

Much Love, Wachi

MS Paint Mondays 21

Tis a new week, and we are moving towards Thanksgiving break and vacations, and so we should all be thankful about life, those around us, and of course the ability to free ourselves from stress by MS Painting on a Monday... Because that's something we all enjoy doing.

--Thoughts of the day--

* So last week we discussed family and friends, but this week got me thinking about my schooling specifically High school, and when I'd have time off this week, those days are over though lol *cries* 

* To be honest though I was depressed throughout the vast majority of high school due to my situation at home, I can't deny that I had a handful of wonderful and memorable teachers who helped me along the one. The most memorable being  Mr. Ramadan (Rami) Atya, my chemistry teacher.

* Fun Fact: Chemistry is my absolute worst subject in school, and I honestly believed I only passed because Mr. Atya thought I was funny and a good sport for laughing at all his jokes. But when you look like a balding Egyptian version of super Mario, have your own doodles represent chemistry terms, and make lame jokes in a hilarious accent, i am going to find you funny. This man's natural behavior was gold from day 1, and I want to honor that man today with an MS Paint.

So, my readers, I give you "Chemistry with Atya" which is a brief doodle with all of his meme worthy quotes and tropes, though only those who took his class will understand, I feel it's good to be thankful for those who helped us, even if only indirectly with Egyptian nonsense, and reflect on how they made us who we are today. Thanks Rami :D!!!

As always, I hope this exercise helps you ease that weekly case of the Mondays and inspires you to start creating new things, and really help expand the creative construct that is your brain! I encourage you to share/send me your own MS Paint Monday creations, if I get enough I plan to do an MS Paint showcase at the end of every week so we can enjoy each other's styles and imaginations.

Much Love, Wachi

MS Paint Mondays 20

MS Paint Monday is back again, and it's here to stay, don't you wish every day could be an MS Paint day? Well it can be for you, why not, keep that creativity kicking!! I hope you are all doing extremely well my readers!! *HUGS*

--Thoughts of the day--

* Family, I was born into quite an odd family, it is both close knit and distant, both entertaining, yet annoying, both warm, yet off putting... I love my family, though just as most, I sometimes wish to be away from some of them.

* Now you may be thinking, it's because they embarrass you right? Not necessarily, they more irritate me with the little things they'll do... But instead of becoming enraged all the time, I choose to think this can be a hidden blessing, a lesson one learns subconsciously from ones family, and that is how to act... Now it's up to you and how strong you are with your identity whether you choose to adopt those traits, or grow to not be like them. They help you modify your character, sometimes indirectly.

* Then we grow up, and with our personality and character we create a secondary family, know as a group of friends, and sometimes this family or families if you have multiple groups of friends, can sometimes become the more powerful/nurturing/encouraging families, the ones who help us achieve goals that we may have originally been discouraged to push for by our families. 

* And sometimes, both families become one giant one, a friend/spiritual family and your biological family, and that is when you can open your eyes and see that you have much more supporters than you do haters. Where am I going with this thought, I don't know really haha, the point is always remember, no matter how you may feel, know that no one is ever truly alone, there's always someone in your life that is rooting for you, even if they don't make it known to you.

Now this paint is called "Tsuna, Failed Attempt!" in case you don't know who this is (which makes sense since this is a horrible attempt at drawing him lolol) but this is Tsuna Sawada from the Manga, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! a kid who is forced into leading a mafia by a baby hitman, it's a humorous story, with a deep message, that even if you don't necessarily believe in yourself, you can grow when you surround yourself with people who believe in you, who support you, whether family or friends; don't compare yourself to more successful or talented friends or family members, but realize that they can see greatness in you too, it's just up to you to embrace it, like Tsuna does in the story.

As always, I hope this exercise helps you ease that weekly case of the Mondays and inspires you to start creating new things, and really help expand the creative construct that is your brain! I encourage you to share/send me your own MS Paint Monday creations, if I get enough I plan to do an MS Paint showcase at the end of every week so we can enjoy each other's styles and imaginations.

Much Love, Wachi

Cloud in Suh-mash Brehs

Soooo random fanboy update;

Hello readers, I am going to break character for a sec to simply state that Nintendo Direct came back today and it freaking made my week, I love how Ninty always has the ability to make me want to buy things I already own, that's just the type of company that they are.

Now I just wanted to say Cloud's inclusion into Smash Bros 4 was outta left field seriously, personally I never played the original FF VII however I know how popular and requested he's been so this is dope, (Personally I would have preferred Black Mage (Vivi), Sora, or Geno as a Square rep, but this is dope regardless.)

Now seriously, should there have been any doubt (melee kids), Smash 4 is the most diverse and awe inspiring Smash in the series!! But let's be real, screw the 3DS and bring me back my Ice Climbers *frozen tear drop*

With more news to come next month (December) the hype train continues to speed along, just give me more Zelda Wii U. I do apologize for the chilled fanboy post, but I couldn't keep quiet, if you havent seen Cloud's reveal trailer check it out at the link below and tell me what you all think;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHJSERl760g

This also sparks the possibility that along with the new FF Explorers game as well as Dragon Quest 7 and 8 finally being released in the west for 3DS, if Nintendo and Square Enix are buddies again, and if so, could we get a second RPG golden age as we experienced during the Super Nintendo era?

Much Love,

Wachi

MS Paint Mondays 19

MS Paint Monday is back again for another week, what you can't wait for Monday? Y need to MS Paint erryday?? Whoa why don't you learn to be patient, I mean Monday is the only day that begins with "M" it wouldn't be as catchy on multiple days... (Unless Readers decide to send me their paints for Fan Fridays to be a thing) Any whom......

--Thoughts of the day--

* Have you ever felt impatience? I hate this feeling as I am normally a very patient person, however, I am also a very excitable person so for some things my patience may not be able to overcome my excitement bringing upon this feeling of "I want this NOW"!!

* Sometimes I stay awake to a certain time for something that doesn't end up happening, making me feel frustrated, or I order a package on a specific day, in order to time the perfect delivery only for it to be delayed, or when someone tells me that they can do something for me better than I could myself, but take forever to prove it making me wish I had just done it myself...

* Again, I detest this feeling, and therefore I also despise having to make others wait, I always try to be punctual even when it isn't necessary and I try to bring something extra should I not have a valid excuse to make someone wait, because if I hate that frustration, I can't imagine how it makes others feel.

So this paint, unsurprisingly, depicts impatience at its worst, simply titled "Where the fack is my HDD!?" (HDD meaning hard-drive for those who may not know.) Anyhow, this was inspired by a colleague of my uncle who guaranteed he could get me a hard drive I wanted twice as fast as I could, as I could get it in 5-6 days I was thinking he meant a 3 day turn around, the thing is he had it sent to his parents, and he got in a fight with them so it actually took him over a month to get it to me, which infuriated me beyond what a human should become infuriated when it comes to a simple external drive, but it goes to show you, one shouldn't create false expectations, nor should one let petty personal issues affect agreements made, of course there are always special exceptions, but you understand my point. Lastly, don't let yourself create grandeur out of nothing at all, (this is not the same as living life with the expectation of something exciting each day just so we are clear) as this could cause you to become a grump towards someone else, with no real grounds for it, and nobody likes a grump.

As always, I hope this exercise helps you ease that weekly case of the Mondays and inspires you to start creating new things, and really help expand the creative construct that is your brain! I encourage you to share/send me your own MS Paint Monday creations, if I get enough I plan to do an MS Paint showcase at the end of every week so we can enjoy each other's styles and imaginations.

Much Love, Wachi

Summer Memories: Tennis Time

Your serve readers..! Huh? What do you mean what am I talking about? Well if you wont simply believe in random blogger vs reader virtual tennis matches I'll explain; you see readers in the lot where my office is located they have recently installed tennis courts and some colleagues and I are planning on rubbing rackets... wait that sounds wrong, the point is we are playing tennis, and at that moment I had a flashback... a flashback to a simpler time, a time known as the summer of '04. *begins flashback sequence*

The time was 2004, the season, well summer... didn't you pay attention before? Anyhow, it was a pretty lax summer, I had just started middle school, and didn't want to do anything this summer, but pizza and pool parties with video game marathons in between. Alas the vast majority of my friends were gone at camps, vacations, and other summer time activities so pool and pizza parties wouldn't be the common thing, nor would the occasional super soaker battle as there wouldn't be enough participants, that said, video games and drawing was what I was planning to do for the first 2 months before my own vacation trip began. Since my friend Jafar was in a similar situation, we decided to make this lazy summer into a team effort, that is until our mothers got mad at us for even thinking of using our summer to lounge around like potatoes, no, they somehow and at the last minute enrolled us into a tennis camp for a month an a half, and that is how this flashback relates to the above.

Anyhow, indifferent to the idea Jafar and I arrived at the Tennis camp of sorts where we met our future tennis-mates(?) and instructor, I don't recall our instructor's name but I remember there was this young "surfer dude" type guy and his senior coach, a strict Vietnamese gentleman. The classes started off normal, learning the basic swings, forehands, backhands, volleys, etc. Then they evolved into the occasional singles match and then spin off games like Tennis Baseball and Jail Break (I liked Jail break, it was fun and the whole class could play), as the first month ended, we were paired into doubles for the end of camp tournament.  Of course Jafar and I had great chemistry and were paired up, I remember 3 of the other teams in specific, these two girls (I hate to say this but I believe I only remember them because they were the only competent female players there/ but I know for a fact they weren't the only girls at the camp), this team of a pudgy kid and a whiny blonde kid named Jared, Jared stands out in my memory for never wanting to try anything new, or complaining about anything and everything that he didn't agree with, I also remember constantly pissing him off because Jafar and I would call him Stoop Kid. Stoop Kid, for those who don't know was a reference to the Hey Arnold cartoon on Nickelodeon, Stoop kid referred to a kid who would never leave his stoop, he was afraid to do or try anything that involved leaving his stoop, so we compared Jared's unwillingness to try new spin off games to that character, much to his disdain, but everyone else's enjoyment... Well everyone but senior Vietnamese coach, he didn't seem to like us much... 

Last but not least there was this round Indian boy named Sonny, and a young Asian child named Mini, they didn't talk much but were alright at the game and had good synergy on the court.

The summer continued and teams started getting knocked out of the tourney and despite neither of us being particularly gifted at the sport, Jafar and I made it to the summer tennis finals!! Our chance for the coveted whatever cup trophy was very real and we were ready to go, our last obstacle was the silent duo of Sonny and Mini, the two didn't seem too expressive but we didn't let their silence rattle our nerves, we were ready for the win. It was an intensely close match, we ended up getting into a deuce and we simply couldn't keep the advantage but neither could they, as the intensity rose, the hour became late, the game had to end in a tie, but regardless, Sonny and Mini ended up taking the trophy home...!! Vietnamese couch gave them the win, now it may have been because they played the sport with a less cynical approach than we did, or it could be racism, just because Jafar and I were both half Hispanic the Vietnamese couch let us fall (he could possibly be voting for Trump in this year's election as well lol). In the end, we felt cheated, we left that court, sour, bitter, and with an impromptu song in our hearts; The song was like a terribly done parody of the existing song "Christmas Shoes", as song that both Jafar and I cannot stand as it was over played and it forced sentimentality, which we were not about, we both hate those who self-pity, like Sonny and Mini... and it went something like this;

♫"It was almost finals time, and they both stood in line

Training for the last minute or two, Jafar and Luis not in the mood

Sonny was swinging anxiously 

Mini was doing fake power ranger kicks as all minis do

and in their hands, they held their rackets, and balls too

And they were sad and desperate, sweating from head to toe

and when it came time to play

the coach couldn´t belive what he heard them say;

 ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪

[Chorus: sung by Sonny and Mini]

Coach, we wanna win this trophy, for our mommas please!

It´s the final match, and we´re not all that good...

Could you hurry coach, cuz it´s almost game time...

Ya see, they´ve been losers for quite a while! (like us)

And this trophy would make em´smile!

And we want em´to look beautiful, when we win a tied game... Toniiiiiiiiiiiiight!

They tied their shoes for what seemed like years

Mini counted the balls and said, "There's not enough here!"

They got more from the bin

Turned to the coach and puppy-eyed him

Our mommas made tennis good at our house

His name's Mini like the mouse

Tell us coach what are we gonna do?

Somehow we gotta win this tennis game

They got in their places, the coach just had to help them out

for he´ll never forget the look on their faces, when they said

We´re so lame that if we win, momma´ll think we´re great!

♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪

[Chorus: sung by Sonny and Mini]

Coach, we wanna win this trophy, for our mommas please!

It´s the final match, and we´re not all that good...

Could you hurry coach, cuz it´s almost game time...

Ya see, they´ve been losers for quite a while! (like us)

And this trophy would make em´smile!

And we want em´to look beautiful, when we win a tied game... Toniiiiiiiiiiiiight!

The four played their match, the doubles were intense

15-luv and then 15-15, 2 fifteens

the boys felt so proud, what drama queens

in the end they were locked in deuce

Time was up it was a tie, J and L didn´t lose

But they´re song was so touching that they won....

Jafar and Luis were cheated, it was done......

[Bridge: sung by the Coach]

I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love

I helped them beat Jafar and Luis, from help above

I knew that God had sent those little foreign boys

To remind me just what Tennis is all about

 ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪ ♫♪

[Chorus: sung by Sonny and Mini]

Coach, we wanna win this trophy, for our mommas please!

It´s the final match, and we´re not all that good...

Could you hurry coach, cuz it´s almost game time...

Ya see, they´ve been losers for quite a while! (like us)

And this trophy would make em´smile!

And we want em´to look beautiful, when we win a tied game... Toniiiiiiiiiiiiight!

[repeat]"♪

If you aren't familiar with the song "Christmas Shoes" then good for you, but if you'd like to be, here is the link for the same. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i9G60wvH7Y


Now I know it wasn't perfectly sung, but give us a break we were in our early teens and it was after an unfair advantage, the point is we can't hear the song "Christmas Shoes" now without thinking of what could have been, what SHOULD have been >:P *AHEM* anyhow, remembering said harsh Tennis past, I swallowed my pride and actually stopped blogging at this moment to go out and play, I am now back and am admittedly super rusty after 11 years of hiatus, but I am now planning to do this at least once a week, and then, once I improve, I plan on finding Sonny and Mini and kicking their Christmas shoes to the curve once and for all. (If not in real life, maybe in that new Mario Tennis Game eh?)

All in all I am thankful for that time in that tennis camp, not only did it bring Jafar and I closer together as pals, but it is a semi fond memory I still hold to this day. That said, even if you suck at something, but enjoy doing it, then have fun with it, don't let the Sonnies and Minies in your lives keep you down!!

Therefore I urge you readers, go out there and make the best out of any invitation, it's never too late to get back into something you may have left behind.

Everyone needs help sometimes, the key is to persevere, even if it's 11 years later

With that, I'll leave you all on this fine day, I hope this random throwback was as entertaining for you to read, as it was for me to remember.

Much 15-Love,

Wachi

PS. Luis and Jafar still remained friends despite the Tennis summer of despair.