Mount. Uxxohi

'He tied off his boat and started to climb the cliffs. He knew that no one lived to tell what was behind the cloud, but he still climbed.' The air was thick with a smell of earth. It smelled fresh, clean and unlike industrialized polluted cities. The sun was high in the sky, it was noon or so it said on the mans watch. The side of the cliff the man held onto was solid, there was no possible way to slip on it. The man carefully took his time climbing onto the ledge. He grasped rock after rock, stone after stone. He pulled himself and his pack onto the top of the first cliff. He looked upwards towards the mountaintop.

"Mount. Uxxohi, that's a long way to go." He commented to nobody in particular, "But I will not stop and I will find you brother." He was a man looking for answers, a man on a quest for a certain truth. The man was none other than Kelton Wendell, a 31-year-old unmarried American citizen. He lived in the Northern side of the United States in the state of North Dakota. Kelton had friendly, inviting green eyes. he had wavy sandy blond hair. His skin was tanned and reddened due to the immense sunburn he had received on the way to Mount. Uxxohi.

Mountain Uxxohi, otherwise known as the 'death beyond clouds', was a small remote island just off the coast of Hawaii. It was believed to be curse because nobody ever returned from beyond the ring of clouds to tell the tale. No aircraft or human ever saw the mountaintop. Some claimed it was cursed, others claimed it was the resting place of the gods. According to local legends, Supposedly the Greek god of death and his sisters resided beyond the clouds but that was just a myth.

Kelton's older brother, Simon Wendell, had been a great believer of myths and fantasy's. He searched the glove for clues to the answers of the greatest mystery's. Simon had similar features to Kelton but his head was angular and he was 35-years-old. Although he was older, Simon acted like a child. Kelton acted mature for his age since they were children. A few months ago, Simon decided to solve the myth of Uxxohi Mountain. The months had gone by like Ice Cream melting on a hot summer day but Simon had yet to return. Kelton didn't let himself think the worse, he packed up his gear and headed to Mount. Uxxohi to save his precious older brother.

Kelton spent the day climbing over cliffs to the main part of the mountain. By the time he reached the base of Uxxohi, he was exhausted and nightfall was coming. Kelton surveyed the area for a good campground. The area around him was mainly tall trees he couldn't identify on a slope. He decided to tie his sleeping bag to a tree and sleep up there to be safe. Kelton took out his knife, sleeping bag and some rope. He climbed a tall tree and hooked his sleeping bag on a sturdy branch and slipped his legs inside the cozy waterproof bag. He reached into his bag again and pulled out a canteen of water and a small metal container  He opened the container and ate some dinner that he had packed, dried nuts and other dried fruits. He took a sip of water and put the container and canteen away in his bag. The sound of unidentifiable growls were heard from above.
"What is that?" Kelton yawned. The noise stopped and the blond shrugged it off. 'Must have been nothing,' he thought. Kelton observed as the day evening turned to night, he closed his eyes and went into a restful sleep.

The next day, Kelton awoke to the sun burning on his eyelids. he slowly opened his eyes and winced.
"Stupid sun," he growled. He wiggled out of his sleeping bag, untied it and stuffed it in his bag, along with the rope. He slowly climbed down from the large tree and set foot on the tilted ground. He stretched a bit and yawned while rubbing his eyes. He reached into his pack and took out a granola bar. He begin to climb up the steep hill while periodically munching on the trail-mix granola bar. As he headed deeper into the woods, the trees became more thick and taller. The sun barely shone through the thick canopy of trees.

"Man, it's pretty dark in here." Kelton sighed as he advanced.

FEW HOURS LATER

Kelton had been walking for a couple of hours, the sun was high in the sky. As blond walked he had noticed no for of life rather than the trees, grass and land. As he ascended the steep mountain side he noticed the trees were becoming few and above him were thick white clouds. It seemed as though as he could touch them if he reached. The man shrugged his shoulders and walked on towards the top.
"Brother, I know I'll find you. Once I reach the top, I will search the mountain even if it takes forever." Kelton thought.

The trees became bare as though the leaves were burned from their roots and the land was no longer a steep climb, now the land was flat as a newly paved road.
Caw! Caw! 
Kelton flinched and scanned the region. he noticed a flock of black crows staring at him from the trees.

"There are crows on this island... but no other form of life."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that~" a melodic childlike voice called out followed by giggles.
Kelton searched frantically for the owner of the voice but he found nothing but the crows that had become silent and the trees that were oddly swaying.
"Come to us Kelton, come to us my child~" The voice sung in a hypnotic tune.
"Yes," Mumbled Kelton as he turned around and began walking towards the crows. The crows morphed into what seemed like anorexic pale adults. They snickered and jumped down surrounding Kelton. The hands had four fingers each and they had long claw like fingernails. The flesh of these beast served as a form a part of the clothing, flesh and loose cloth were intertwined to form a robe.The morphed crows had distorted faces with demon-like features. They seemed to have represented a dead cat who had been trampled by a pack of deer. Their eyes were thin and very close together. Their noses were scrunched as if someone had punched them in the face. Their lips were wide like the joker and stretched  When the monsters opened their mouths sharp shark-like teeth could be seen.

"Come closer~" The morphed crows cooed. "Closer~"
 Kelton walked towards the demon-like creatures. His feet shuffled slowly as though his legs were asleep. The blond fell forward as his foot got caught in a nearby branch.

"Oof," He grunted and scratched his head. He looked up at the morphed crows staring at him. "AH!" He shouted jumping back, "STAY AWAY! MONSTERS!" Kelton screamed at the top of his lungs as he tried to stand up but his pack was weighing him down. He struggled to take off his backpack and get to his feet.
The demon-like people cackled at the show the blond was given them.

"Look at him struggle!" One shouted
"It will be just as fun to torture him." another one noted.
They all humored each other as Kelton got to his feet and took out a switchblade knife. His face was dead with trepidation.

"W-who are you?" The man shouted swaying slightly as he swung the blade.
"Who we are? You don't know who we are?!" One of the morphed crows answered.
Kelton shook his head furiously, "Tell me who you monsters are!"

"HAHAHA Nobody ever knows our name! Guess what I will give you an opportunity to guess our name. Why don't you try?"
"Just tell me who the hell you are! I don't have time for games! Tell me what happened to Simon!'

"We'll make it easier on you, our name starts with an 'K', it's very easy."
"I don't care, just tell me where Simon is!"
"Simon? Did we eat any Simon's?"
"SIMON, SIMON WENDELL, MY BROTHER!"
"A Wendell?" The demon-like creatures questioned, "Your kind is always so... tasty~"
"What does that have to do with anything?!" Kelton questioned.
"Our name is Keres, we are the demon spirits of violent death." The monsters introduced.
"Demons?" Kelton took a step back, he turned ready to run but stopped. He was surrounded, no way to escape.
"Where you planning on escaping~" A Keres cooed.
"Why don't we show him how much we love him~" Another one suggested.
"YES!" They all cheered in approval. They turned their eyes and leered at Kelton. The all launched towards Kelton, mouth and eyes opened wide and claws at the ready. The growls sounded similar to the growls Kelton had heard earlier.
Kelton screamed in horror and swung the switchblade wildly at his attackers. One of the Keres screamed in pleasure as the blade lodge itself in between its eyes. Kelton screamed as the other Keres bit and tore at his clothes.  He heard a deafening crack and turned to his left arm. It was gone.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He howled in agony. Another Keres tore off his right leg as two scratched at his spinal core trying to remove it. A few of the remaining Keres fought over Kelton's spare arms and legs, threads of blood seeped from Kelton's arms in decorative red strings. Kelton stayed motionless. 'I'm somewhere else,' he thought. 
The demons began tearing the flesh from Kelton's skin. His blood seeped into the ground and his life was slipping away.
A bright light appeared before Kelton's eyes, a face emerged. A face he recognized even if he were blind: his brothers face.
"Kelton." His brother whispered, "Join me and we'll be safe here. Join me brother."
"Yes brother I will," Kelton whispered as he took his final breath.

Some Keres groaned, "Aw, he's dead~"

"Look it's brother~!" another demon pointed out, "Brother!!"

"Keres, stop torturing the poor souls that wash upon this island." The demons brother pointed out.

"But Thanathos, only you get to eat the souls! You never share with us!" They complained.
Thanathos is the demon personification of gentle deaths.
"Because you always torture them, those poor souls deserve to die peacefully." Thanathos preached, "That man, Kelton Wendell, I ended his life peacefully. He was able to fulfill his deepest desire and die in peace. He is in the world of peace, his dear afterlife."

RIP
Kelton Wendell
Simon Wendell
Who were killed by demons and then went on to the afterlife.

DISCLAIMER: Kelton and Simon Wendell are fictional characters and have not existed except in the imagination of a high school kid. Thanathos and Keres are based loosely on Greek Mythology.



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Characters:
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Man- Kelton Wendell (has a brother complex)
Man's Brother- Simon Wendell
Demons- Keres and Thanathos
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Extra notes:
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Mountain Name: Uxxohi
Located: Off the coast of Hawaii
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In Greek mythology, Keres are the female spirits of violent or cruel deaths.
In Greek mythology, Thanathos
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SOURCES:
http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Keres.html
http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Thanatos.html

Butterfly Skull

At first it was an empty area, the scenery was nothing. There was nothing rather than an endless white. There was nothing but an eerie dead silence. A clean, white slate. Flap! Flap! Flap! Suddenly, the sound of wings flapping surrounded throughout the area. The back of a butterfly came into view. It's wings a beautiful black, they were shaped as wings meant for pixies of some sort rather than butterflies.

The butterfly flew around the white space slowly then fast. At one point it stopped and stayed there for a while. The butterfly flapped its majestic dark wings slowly, one flap every few minutes or so.

I'm not really sure how time passed here but it seemed as though it was forever before the butterfly wrapped itself into a cocoon. The cocoon instantly began to move, it seemed to twitch before it opened at the top. Out came the black butterfly once more.

The black butterfly seemed to be more in the focus, still I could not see the butterflies front. Suddenly, as if the butterfly had heard my complaints/whines it turned around completely. What I expected to be the mundane butterfly was not at all. Instead it was a skull. The skull of a human, and it shone brightly. The white of the skull shone as though it was a bright night star. The skull stared as though it was staring into my soul. A deep booming laughter exploded from the human skull's closed mouth. It was a soft melodic laugh contradicting the disturbing appearance of the butterfly skull. It did not move except for its wings that occasionally flapped that keep the it up. Then I woke up.

I think that the dream I had could have multiple and diverse meanings. The one I found more obvious are that I need to be more outgoing, have a fresh outlook on life, that I'm keeping things hidden, I need to lighten up, need to get better understanding of myself, and I lack love/support. In other-words  my dream self wants me to be more social and expressive. The color white in my dream means that I need a fresh outlook on life. The butterfly in my dream represent that I need to be more outgoing. the color black represented that I need to get better understanding of myself and that I have a lack of love/support. The skull in my dream represent that I'm keeping things hidden. The laughter represented that I need to lighten up. I guess I need to be more social...

In the novel, "Into the Wild" by Jon krakauer, Chris McCandless didn't get too close to people and tried to keep his distance. He didn't want to get attached to anybody and later on have regrets in his life. In a sense this is what my dream bases me on. I know that I'm not the friendliest of all gals out there but I do it because I don't want to get attached to anybody and have regrets. In the end Chris McCandless had some regrets in his death, although he was truly happy, he realized how lonely he was. My dreams in a sense are telling me to be more social unlike Chris McCandless so I can lead a happier, joyful life. I just don't want to because sociability is not my greatest skill. I'm good with the friends I have.


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Pictures: from google and one at: http://yungtyrant.deviantart.com/art/skull-illustration-172807909

The Sound we Praise

Question: WHAT DO YOU SEE?

The photo is of Harold Whittles. In the caption of the picture it read 'Harold Whittles hears for the first time ever after a doctor places an earpiece in his left ear.' But I see so much more than that.

I see a boy who is shocked; the shock seems to have been a positive shook rather than a negative one.

It is a look of utter shock smeared across a young boy's face. 

It says 'I can't believe this' and 'Am I dreaming?' Never in his life did he think of such a miracle occurring, at least not to him. 

His eyes scream SURPRISE by the way they are widened almost representing saucers. The pupils are tiny and the shine represents the light. His eyes scream HOPE, which is what he always had. 

His eyebrows are arched in CONFUSION and SHOCK. He does not know what is happening, all he has is a strange feeling, something we all take for granted: Hearing.

His lips are gaped in shock. They resemble a fish that is out of water.  His lips are curved, plump and somewhat feminine. A bit of his tooth shows under his upper lip.

His Hair is ruffled and somewhat combed, it seems as though he ran a comb through a minor case of bedhead.

His head seems too big to fit on his shoulders but that is Okay because he is only a child.

He is wearing what seems to be a light or white shirt. He came dressed for the occasion.

The device coming out of his ear seems to be causing his the shock. It just stays inside his ear like a headphone does to us nowadays.

Only in his wildest dreams did he think of this ever happening. 

The shadows across his face signify a planned event. The shadows signify a flash, most likely of a camera flash or some other form of light. The shadows go from the right side of his face to the left. They create a somewhat perfect atmosphere to the boy's shock and confusion. 

Maybe it was a gift or the boy's greatest wish. The event was planned and the photo was taken, marking it as a day in this boy's history, a memorable time for him to ever remember. A day he would never forget.

Question: WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Harold Whittles is hearing for the first time. A device is plugged into his ear in the resemblance of a headphone. The device allows him to hear sound as we normal, mundane even- people do on a regular basis. He is doing something he has never done. He is doing something he has never experienced or even recognizes as we do on a regular basis. Harold Whittles is hearing sound.

He seems (and most likely is) extremely surprised, shocked even. Shock is an unanswered question that nobody can stop asking. The young boy is asking himself, 'What is happening? What is this strange feeling? What is it that vibration I hear? Am I hearing?' 

Although people who are born deaf don't understand what it is like to hear sound, they still know what it is. They can feel sound through the vibrations delivered to their ear. 

In this picture Harold Whittles is not only receiving vibrations but his brain is also interpreting it. 

He is hearing and is in shock because of it. There is a wide-eyed blank gaze in the eyes of the boy. 

He doesn't comprehend the event happening, all he can feel is the confusion and shock.

Question: WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?

It is very obvious what is going to happen. Harold Whittles is going to spend his days hearing. He is going to be grateful to the doctor who put an implant in his ear allowing him to hear. He would also be grateful to the choices his parents made causing him to hear for the first time ever. He might not entirely understand the concept of hearing, which is to perceive by the ear. Now that he has a listening device he is capable of hearing and interpreting sound. Although he will not understand what anybody is saying, he would do his best to comprehend. Harold might want to stick to using a pencil and paper or even sign language to communicate. Harold will have to take special lessons to understand languages and special classes to learn how to speak fluently and without gurgles. He could probably learn more than one language easily now that he has the ability to hear. Harold would then proceed to go to school with kids his age. He might be bullied because of the device attached to his head that allows him to hear.

On the negative side, he also might become suicidal due to the bullying and attempt to kill himself or remove the device allowing him to be in silence, his peace, once again. At night he would remove the listening device and be at peace with himself and his mind. Harold would be overwhelmed at first by the many strange and sometimes annoying sounds he may hear. He may become overwhelmed to the point of never wanting to hear. He would detest the person who implanted the listening device and want to rid of it forever. Those were some of the negative things that might happen in Harold's future.

On the positive side, Harold Whittles might lead a great, joyful life. He would learn a couple of languages and go to school. He would have great friends and maybe a girlfriend when he was older. He would have a great High school life but might be bullied a couple of times, then again that's what his friends are for. After high school, he would get a diploma to some college and get a degree of his choice. His disability wouldn't hinder him anymore and he would be forever grateful to the doctor who fixed his hearing. If his devise were ever to break he would be miserable but he would have friends at his side who understand him.

A Maids Savior

Tokyo, Japan

The streets were bustling with people. Tourist and locals alike all went on with their lives, cosplayers chattered as they walked  The tourist gazed around the streets in  amazement and took pictures with their tiny portable cameras. It was only 11 am on a Sunday and yet the streets were filled with potential customers. The sky was a bright blue, not a cloud in sight and the sun shone brightly upon the spring day in western Tokyo, Japan. On Sunday is where most people travel to Harajuku. My family owns a tiny maid cafe here in the western part of Tokyo, Harajuka. Our cafe is called 'Lovely'. It is along one of the side streets of Takeshita Dori (Takeshita Street) and it is just one of the many you'll ever in Harajuku.

I stood by the door awaiting a costumer, at least, to show up. I wore a white ruffled dress that reached the thighs, the sleeves went down to my wrist, and the collar rose at the base of my throat  I wore a black white-laced apron that split at my chest. A black laced bow was tied at my neck, black tights and little black flats decorated my feet. On my hair was a filly white bow, my hair dark raven was let down reaching up to my waist. My beige skin shone brightly with all the powder and glitter my mom dropped on me.

"I find this a waste of time." I groaned, "Nobody's coming, only our regulars are here. Not that's bad or anything!" The regulars just laughed, they were used to this.

"Oh stop whining Aoi!" scolded my sister, "It's only been half an hour." My sister, Yukina, was older than me. She started working for the maid cafe at the age of 15, which is my current age. We were separated by three years in age, she came out looking more like our mother and I came out looking like my father. My mother had beautiful dark brown hair, her eyes were a light shade of brown and her complexion was somewhat tan. My sister came out looking just like her except she was taller than my mother. My father was a semi-tall man, with short dark raven hair, although he was over 40 years old his face was still young. He stood over a half a foot above my mom, and only a few inches above my sister. I came out like my mother in terms of height, right now I'm a few inches below her.

Ding! Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong! The doorbell chimed and I quickly turned to face the customer. 

"Welcome Master~" I greeted in a sweet voice as I bowed my head. I looked the customer in the face only to see another of our weekly customer, Mr. Yamagushi.

"Good morning Mr. Yamagushi!" Yukina greeted, "Follow me to your seat, Master." The man followed her and they went into a common conversation of what he would like to eat and the daily special. I zoned out and stared attentively at the people outside. I used to be one of them, hanging out with my friends on Sundays, dressing up in crazy costumes and wild clothes but now I'm stuck helping with the family business  And we hardly ever get new customers. 

TWO HOURS LATER

More regulars and the occasional tourist had come and go but no new customers. Two more of our workers had shown up and were working the floors along with us.

"Is this the end of the family business." I muttered.

Ding! Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong! I turned to the door and a foreigner walked in. He turned to me and smiled kindly. His hair was Dark brown and cropped, his skin was light with a slight tan, his eyebrows were bushy in a way like a squirrels fur. He wore a white long sleeve shirt with a black polo shirt on top, a pair of maroon pants, and tan running shoes. There was a beige bad strapped to his hip.

"Hi my name is Matt. Do you speak English?" The man introduced. "My Japanese poor."

"Yes master. Here in Cafe 'Lovely' we speak both English and Japanese." I bowed my head, "Let me show you to your table Master."

"You don't have to, I don't need a table, actually I need to speak to the owner." Matt spoke slowly, as if trying to help me understand.

"Yes follow me, Master." I started walking to the back, "Father! Come here someone wants to speak to you!" 

"Yes, yes, I'm coming." My father came from the back door while drying his hands. "Who needs to speak to me?"

"This man says he needs to speak to you." I motioned towards Matt. "His Japanese is weak, so speak to him in English."

"What can I help you with Sir?" My father questioned.

"Hello, My name is Matt and I want to film some crazy dancing here on this cafe." Matt explained, "I am doing a video where I dance in many different places of the world. It will be a great promotion."

"Will it cost us any money?" 

"No it is free of  any charge."

My dad expression changed to his thinking face, he smiled and nodded. "Yes, we would be honored to be in your video." 

"Thank You," Matt smiled once more. "Gather all the maids so we can video tape the dance."

"Yes," My dad turned to me, "Go get the others and set up in the back." 

I nodded and rushed to gather the others. In total there was four of us excluding my father and Matt. 10 minutes later, we were all ready to dance, none of us could contain our laughter and excitement. We giggled and squealed.

"Okay girls on my mark, three," Matt counted down, "Two, one, GO!"

We all jumped, wiggled, jiggled and giggled. Our squeals were extremely loud. Matt danced wildly in between all of us. My father recorded us with the Camera.

"Stop!" Matt shouted. We stopped trying to catch our breath and continued laughing.

"Thank you all for your help." He stated.

"Glad to help." My father stated. He handed the camcorder back to Matt.

"Thank you everybody, I will suggest this cafe to everyone I meet." That was the last we ever heard of Matt.

About two months had passed and our business had grown exponentially over the past few weeks. We had gotten new customers everyday and new regulars. Although we don't know if this was Matt's doing or not, we have all the right to thank him. If it wasn't for him most likely we would be out of business or in debt.

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http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3006.html#takeshita

It could have been worse

It all started two and half weeks ago, Hurricane warning was all, over the state of New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy was on its way. Nobody panicked much. 'We were ready for this.' Most of us thought, 'We survived Irene and now we can survive Sandy'. On the day of the Storm, Sandy's wind blew on us tremendously. The trees swayed teasingly, at any chance ready to give up and let Sandy tear them apart. My dad had left work early and we were all in the living room. It was around 6:30 pm and we still had power.I heard an familiar ringtone coming from my room, i raced over and snatched my phone off the desk. It was Kathy.

"Hello!" She greets.
"Hey," I respond, "What happened?"
"My power went out a few minutes ago." Kathy stated disappointed, "How about you?"
"I still have power but it's been flickering." I respond.
"Well I have to go, Bye." She mumbles.
"Bye." I hang up the phone and head to the kitchen. 30 Minutes later, the lights flicker frequently. Then, they go out. We are completely surrounded by the darkness. I grab my phone and lighted the way to my mom. She grabbed some candles and matches  After lighting them we put them on the Kitchen table. A couple hours passed and many rounds of different card games were played. My mom decided it was better to just go to sleep. My sister and I got up to go to our room but our mother stopped us.

"You're not sleeping in your room," My mother had declared, "There are too many trees nearby and too many windows. You're sleeping on the couch, where it's safe."


I followed her instructions and put a pillow and covers on the couch. My sister slept across from me on the other couch. The next day, we woke up to a disaster. Trees were laying dead on the ground and wires surrounded them dangerously. The power was still out and the house had turned cold. We knew we were in for a rough week. The schools were closed, stores were closed and all the power was out in Plainfield. We spent the day loving our light, the sunlight, at night we lit candles and played board and card games.

Two weeks passed and everything was slowly getting  to its ordinary routine. The power was back in most houses, stores were re-opened and school was starting once again on the coming Monday  Over the week I learned how much I despise being at home with my siblings and how annoying they can be. I also learned to appreciate the seven hours that we are away from home at school. Hurricane Sandy, it was the super-storm that hit us, us in Central Jersey. It left us without power for two weeks and more. It left us without jobs and school for two weeks. Sandy shut down all major supermarket and minor stores. Almost all gas stations were closed and the ones that were open had a humongous line that was over half a mile long. Sacrifices were made and Sandy brought down our technology. It showed us how insignificant our precious technology is and how we are nothing without it.  Sandy shocked and devastated us all.

The (supposedly) Joy of Life

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” 
-----------------------------

In the selection above Chris Mc Candles poetically declares that although there are many people in the world in horrible situation, they do not anything to help themselves. They don't give it their all and more to get out of tough situations. The don't helve themselves because they are comfortable with the situation they are in and do not want to change and have to readjust to a whole new way of life. A whole new way of life makes you wonder about the future and the future is what will keep you going. It keeps you hoping for greatness, self accomplishment and human praise. Chris states that it is not good to have a set future otherwise you are nothing more than a senseless robot with no change to hope for the future. In a sense Chris Mc Candles is correct with his statements. Humans need some sort of hope that things in the future will be better or possibly worse. That possibility gives them the determination to strive.

Chris  had an unhappy life, he did his best to first accomplish his fate set by his parents but as soon as the chance came he escaped. He changed his fate and took it into his own hands. He stepped out of his comfort zone and went out to live his dreams by escaping into the wild as  a tramp. He did not know what to expect in the future and that got him thinking and hoping for the best. Out in the wild Chris did not know if he was going to die one day or the other. He grasped at his future blindly and anticipated the new adventures and experiences to come. He was not a puppet or a robot with a set future and nothing to expect. He took the future into his hands and anticipated it to the end.

My life has been conditioned to receive an ordinary education. It has made me laid back about security and feel that I am somewhat secured in all places but it also makes me think about the possibilities of my death or abduction! In terms of conformity  my beliefs are what I think is right and not what someone has told me, in the eye of other common humans some things are unusual or rejected into a social standing. In my standings though, they are mostly accepted as long as they somehow benefit me. In terms of conservation, I have stuck to my beliefs and mostly rejected the teachings brought onto me or changed them somehow. If I could meet Chris Mc Candles I think he would questions my happiness with my life. He would most likely encourage me to take things into my own hands at some points and live life looking ahead not forward.

Chris McCandles will Enjoy these...

Walk Your Own Path

Deep in the heart of the valley of life
Thats where you'll find the dreams you misplaced
Trapped between rocks but not beyond reach
Sparkling with future, waiting to be chased,
Deep in the heart of the valley of life.

The future is here, you've heard the call
Rise from the ashes that smoldered for so long
Claim your place and stand tall with pride
Do what you do, if it's right it's not wrong,
Take a walk deep in the heart
Reach right inside
And touch who you are
You're anyone you want to be
You're your own guiding star,
That's who you are. 

Mark Hopwood

The poem above relates to Chris McCandles in the sense of reason for travel. The poem explains that everyone has to get away at some point and do something they desire. To do something nobody tells them to do but themselves and this is what Chris does. He goes into the wild, to be free and have freewill.

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Liberated

Liberated, I'm free from you
Liberated, bondage is through
Liberated, I'll speak my view
Liberated, life to pursue

Oh come and hear the news
I am now free to choose
There is no more abuse
Gone are the loathsome blues

Because I'm
Liberated, I'm free from you
Liberated, bondage is through
Liberated, I'll speak my view
Liberated, life to pursue

An end to oppression
Freedom of expression
There'll be no concession
Gone is the depression

Because I'm
Liberated, I'm free of you
Liberated, bondage is through
Liberated, I'll speak my view
Liberated, life to pursue

© 2011
Udiah (Witness to Yah)

The poem means that you are free, liberated, you can make your own decisions. You have escaped from unhappiness to something you are now happy with. Chris McCandles escaped from his fate placed by his parents and went on towards his own destiny. He decided to get away for a few years and travel, he lived life to the fullest without anyone stopping him.

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Sources:

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/walk-your-own-path/

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/liberated-4/

Macaque Territory

I had arrived at Yakushima, Japan  about three months ago. It has been really fun and cool to stay here. I faced a few problems here and there but not as bad as this one. Around me stood about 10 Japanese Macaque. The howled and screeched at the slightest movement I made. I stood still, body shaking in fear. I knew I shouldn't have gone this way, I just knew it but I was just curious. I walked into Japanese Macaque territory without knowing and was instantly surrounding.

The Macaques began howling louder and I ducked in fear. I heard a voice and I felt something touching my head.

"No!" I stood up ready to run, my feet tangled itself with its laces and tripped forward. I heard a chuckle behind me and turned my head. A woman stood, she had shoulder length black hair with a blue baseball cap, her eyes were dark and friendly, her complexion was slightly tan. She wore a tan Capri,  brown climbing boots, and a beige long sleeve thermo shirt. 

The lady spoke to me in Japanese but the only thing i actually understood was 'American' and 'anata (meaning you)'. I shook my head and held up my hands in defeat, I shook them back and forth in confusion. she imitated me with a confused expression.

"Wakarimasen, wakarimasen." I repeated. (this means 'I don't understand')

 Her face lit up, she smiled and laughed.

"Yamashita Kykyo," she pointed to herself and gave a slight bow.

"Sonya." I replied with my made up name that I always give to strangers and bowed lightly.

she motioned to the area around and said, "No, no. Bad..." 

I nodded and began apologizing  then i stopped midway and laughed. She can't understand me!

"M-map!" she exclaimed. I took out my map and handed it to Kykyo. She reached into her pocket and grabbed a pen, she started to cross out some parts of the map. My map was already marked up with places to obtain fresh fruit and where the main road is located.

She handed the map to me and pointed out some of the marked spots.

"No, no." Kykyo repeated.

I nodded and thanked her, "Arigato Yamashita-San!" 

Kykyo said something and then my name. She motioned for me to follow her and I did.

About an hour or two later, we arrived at a resort. She offered me some food, water and lunch. I took her offer, thanked her and left back to the woods. I had managed to draw a rough sketch of her, with her permission.

"Bye bye." Kykyo had told me, "Bye bye Sonya!" and that is the last I ever saw her. 

I learned that you can't get out of every situation on your own. Everyone needs some sort of help at some point of their life.

IT WAS A MURDER! (*enter girly scream)

Everyone either believes that Pipín killed Aubrey or that Aubrey death was an accident or even that she was sabotaged but not by Pipín. I believe none of these were true. Pipín couldn't have killed Aubrey, if he wanted to he would have done so a long time ago. His actions after her death suggest otherwise. "He couldn't eat. Twenty-two pound melted away. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't process the report from Kim McCoy..."

My prediction is that Pipín's old girlfriend, the "blond knockout Jazz singer".

Pipín's girlfriend had a chance to meet Aubrey before the first death.
"Maybe She could go just a little deeper. Ask him a question or two, make
her thesis shine. She watched from across the table as he sat beside his
girlfriend, the blond knockout, the jazz singer. What good fortune that
Pepe Fernandez, the chief of Pipín's safety divers, had gotten an eyeful
of Audrey in her bathing suit and invited her to tag along with the
crew for dinner and drinks."

The moment Aubrey had gotten together there was a death.
"Suddenly she was on his boat a day later,kissing him after a training
dive, when he bolted overboard-the safety diver Whom he’d just met
and hired, Massimo Berttoni, hadn't resurfaced after going down to
retrieve the sled. Suddenly she was staring at death, handling it with
more calm than anyone in his crew. Suddenly she was at the dead man’s
post, with Pipin's life in her hands: She was his new Safety diver at
197 feet."


The second death was Pepe Fernandez.
it was impossible for him to have killed Audrey or the previous diver because he is dead.
There could have been many scenarios in which Audrey could have died. She could have died by the hands of Pascal Bernabé but he was Audrey's dear friend, he couldn't have done it.
To me that leaves Pipín's old girlfriend, (whose name I did not find), she must have been filled with rage. She must have hated Aubrey and Pipín too. She hated Aubrey for taking her man. She hated Pipín for leaving her and choosing Aubrey instead and therefore she is the one who killed Aubrey and the other two safety divers.

My Place of Escape: Yakushima, Japan

1. Where are you going?  Why?  Where is it on a map?
I’m going to Yakushima located in the island of Yaku, Japan. I will go there to be able to observe the Japanese Snow Monkeys and see other animal native to the land. Japan has always interested me and to be able to observe it’s wildlife would be a way to know the land more. I also go there to sketch the unique wildlife of the area. Yakushima is located in the northern end of the Ryukyu archipelago, it’s separated from the southernmost tip of Kyushu mainland in Japan. It is a small island south of Japan’s mainland.

2. How long will you be traveling?  
I would be traveling for seven to eight months in the spring time until the end of summer. I would go during the month of April and leave in September or October. In the winter, the island of Yaku gets very cold and I would rather just be out of the extreme weather as fast as possible.

3. How do you plan to travel? (car, hitchhiking, train, walking, biking, etc.) Why are you choosing this mode of transportation?
I plan to travel by airplane to reach Kagoshima, Japan. From Kagoshima, Japan I would take the Yakushima Ferry Hibiscus. It would cost 3,200 yen (about 41 USD). I’m choosing this mode of transportation because it is the cheapest mode of transportation available. Once I get to Yakushima I plan to hike the rest of my journey. Only on my return to civilization will I use the same ferry to go back to the mainland.

4. What will you need for your trip?  How are you going to provide food/traveling expenses while you're on the road?
For the trip I will need four pairs of pants; two pants will be long jeans, one bermuda short jeans, and one  pair of jean Capri. I would only take four t-shirts, two pairs of socks, one pair of sandals and the shoes I wore on the trip. I would also need a compass, watch, a water bottle with a built in filter, two packages of 100 matches each, some rope, five sketchbooks, a small first aid kit, a sharp knife and book on edible and inedible plants/ vegetation.
I plan to draw and sell pictures while i’m on the road to make money. I would draw portraits or landscapes and attempt to sell them to the common tourist/ locals.

5. What do you want to accomplish on this trip (i.e. Chris wanted to survive in the Alaskan wild)
I plan to accomplish that I can be independent and not rely on anybody for help. I want to be able to do something  because I want to do and have nobody tell me otherwise. I want to be able to be my own person with nobody stopping me or making me think otherwise. I plan to accomplish the dream of being able to provide for myself and think for myself.

6. How will you record your experiences?
My experiences will be recorded in the form of drawings with captions on the bottom. I will bring about 5 100 paged sketchbooks. Each day I will recorded my findings and best experience of the day on one page per day. At the bottom of each page will be a caption describing the situation and date.

Power Rangers Blog

http://www.rangerpowers.com/blog/

This awesome power ranger blog is just so cool and interesting! It has all the power ranger information and has a link to the official site. I like it because I'm a power rangers fan and this is an awesome information heaven.

Illustration Art

http://illustrationart.blogspot.com/
If you are into art or simply interested, this blog might perk your interest. Illustration art shows various sketch books of many not well known but great artist.  This is of interest to me becuase I could be inspired by their prelimanary sketches and learn about great artist.

THAT Anime Blog

http://www.thatanimeblog.com/
This blog summarizes an episode of many anime shows and provides one photo from the most important scene. I like this blog because i get to know about what happens in an episode of an anime I like before i actually see it. In a way this serves an advantage to me and makes me more interested to try new anime shows.

Ghost Stories

http://paranormalstories.blogspot.com/
If paranormal occurrences and a simple story to give you fright are your thing then this is the blog for you!
This blog relates on the strange occurances that in the world that may be linked to paranormal backgrounds. The appearances of objects, strange happenings and more is mentioned on this blog. What I like about this post is the many sites around the world that can be visited and are believed ghost towns and places of strange occurences.

Apple- Think Different

http://youtu.be/cFEarBzelDs
The narrator is saying that it doesn't matter who you are, what you have or don't have, what you think or feel; your voice counts and you can make a change as long as you apply yourself.
I agree with this, it affects my life by the changes in the world that have happened because of these individuals and that changes that will happen in the future. Be unique, be yourself, change the world.