Monday, January 31, 2011

Chillin' at the Holiday Inn

Well, after a long interesting weekend. I can say that I accomplished what I wanted out of the weekend. 1) Soak in the hot-tub and 2) Win the basketball tournament. I achieve both of those goals and I couldn't be anymore happier. One thing I want to bring to the table is what I call the "hot-tub effect" (I definitely know that I am not the first nor the last that will mention this but...) So what I mean by the hot-tub effect is where you have a couple drinks in the hot tub, 1) you feel fine when you are in it and then soon after you get out of the hot-tub, you are just completely hammered. (Maybe this is just me and it has happened almost every time I have drank in a hot-tub) So that was definitely my Friday night and I didn't even want to get drunk. I knew I had to wake up at 7am to get ready for the bus ride at 7:30 to the bball game at 8am. Let's just say I was quite inebriated and there were a few pictures that I do not remember. The worst part of Friday would be the fact that I only slept four hours that night and Saturday I was waking from 7 am - 6pm (when I took a short nap). Saturday was a rough one, playing a double elimination Basketball tournament which we dominated quite easily. Playing drunk/hungover most of the morning really took a toll but it was worth it. In the end we didn't lose a game and came out champs!!

This brings me to my next point. My true love in this life [so far] is basketball. (Someday I'll meet that sexy-cute girl but until then...) When I step out on that court, nothing in my life matters. No worries, no fears, nothing but happiness is on my mind. Sure losing sucks, but when I'm on that court I'm able to just focus and have a clear mind on one thing. And that is playing my favorite game in this entire world, Basketball. One of my best friends [Jitterbug] was in town and stopped by to watch a few games. It was good to see him again, we played varsity ball back in high school so it was good to catch up with him and have him watch a couple games of KU domination. Catching up with Jitterbug and having the love of the game really showed in the championship game. I had so much fun the last game that everything just started to click. My favorite moment is when I went to try and save the ball from going out of bounds and jumped over our bench. Sitting there was one of my favorite Brothers and I didn't even notice until after I landed that I had pretty much jumped over her. (I was just focused on saving the ball that everything else was just a blur) Later, she had told me that her entire life flashed in front of her eyes and then she was like "you were right in front of me and then you disappeared!"

After the game and after everyone had gotten back to the hotel. One of my Brothers had came up to me, and told me that she really enjoyed watching basketball that day. Not because of the fact we won but because I had a smile throughout the tournament. That it was just fun to watch because [I] was just out there having fun and helping other teammates enjoy the game. That really touched me because someone was able to pick up on how much I love basketball. This is where I want you to think about what is that one thing in your life that you love. Your escape from the world, to where you have no worries, no fears, and can just enjoy doing what you love. I believe everyone has one thing, one special thing that separates them from everyone else. It may be the same thing but to each individual it'll mean something way different. Personal experience is what makes us who we are and that is why I love talking and listening to other people's opinions. You never know what you can learn from even a 30-second conversation. There are some life changing things I've learned from even the shortest conversations or just witnessing a small gesture. So if you are having trouble thinking of that one thing in the world that you love, maybe it's time to sit back and realize what you love to do. We all need to take some personal time, refresh out minds, and reduce all the stress from living in this crazy world we call life.

All this basketball talk, leads me to think about my first real basketball practice. I was convinced by my best friend, Billy, to go out for 9th grade basketball. Man.. to this day, I remember how embarrassed and awful I felt after it. I knew nothing about basketball and everyone knew what was going on. I had never felt that way before and I was not a fan. Thankfully, Billy was a pretty good coach and taught me everything he knew. I guess looking back now, it really shows that sticking with something even when you think that you can't do it nor think it's right for you, is the best thing to do. I never knew that I would love basketball as much as I do now back in 9th grade when I was the worst player on the team. Also, I tried to learn how to play guitar since Highschool.. Never took the time to actually sit down and learn until Sophmore/Junior year of College. Now I couldn't imagine my life without that 6-string by my side. (true, I'm not a very good singer and I think only 3 or 4 people have heard me sing and play.. So feel special if you are part of that group!) Honestly, playing that guitar can ease my mind for those few minutes when I play my favorite songs. I guess what I'm getting at is, the fact that you shouldn't give up on things because they are tough or you don't think that you can do it. Of course there will be things that will not work out but with those things you'll learn something valuable out of at least trying. If I had given up when it got hard, I wouldn't be playing basketball nor playing the guitar. Which I couldn't even imagine my life without those two things in it.

This is to everyone that doesn't give up when it gets tough and to all those that share my love for basketball(or whatever your "special thing" is).

Cheerio & Enjoi,

Alastar Swift


PS: 8 days left in the States. Scared? Yes. Excited? You betcha. I've never flown by myself let alone on an international flight with multiple stops. I'll have to get a...

"Traveler's money belt. Frommer's says as long as you have on one of these, no-one can rob you of anything."
"Except your dignity."
"No, you just put that in your... wait, what?"
Name that movie! It's my favorite movie of all time!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Restless In Dub-Town

As a self-proclaimed night owl, I've realized that I really shouldn't listen to music past 11:30pm or else I will be up until 2-3am. But tonight is different, as I'm a day away from my last basketball tournament. The reason that I say that is the fact that after playing pick-up basketball at the local fitness center, I come home feeling like an old man. I think my joints are overdue on replacement (which hopefully in my life time, they'll have some new technology to safely replace joints) because my joints make me feel like I'm 30 yrs old some days... When I'm really only 22. So I'm pretty unprepared on what to expect from the years to come if my body can withstand the active lifestyle I want. This weekend will be the second time I've participated in this tournament (last year we placed 2nd). This year I've learned from the mistakes I made off court. (I really didn't eat anything that day, which I ended up playing 4 games? before I was able to eat anything.) So hopefully I can change that, and bring home some 1st hardware. 

Last year I was actually disappointed in myself for not winning it all, but I had a bunch of friends to keep my mind off the loss so that I could go explore the cities' Downtown area. I was able to go downtown with some of my friends as we went bar hopping to visit our high school friends that were in the area. The best part of the night was when it came to bar close, my partner in crime [VE] was trying to grab a taxi for us... so when we think he had grabbed one, he yells over to us, "I got one!"... So we check it out and it turns out to be a random dude that was just offering us a ride... Learning from all the days that my mother said, "Don't get in cars with strangers." We all ended up pulling [VE] to the side, and explaining to him that the "taxi" he had got was really not a taxi after all. But to all those that know him, trying to explain that he is wrong.. especially when he is inebriated can be very.. let's say, complicated. (I do understand that the story I just told... really sucks, I know it will only be funny to those who 1) were there, 2) know VE, 3) have heard me tell it verbally. I'm not yet very proficient in my writing skills just yet. Plus, I wasn't very sober at the time also.. so I'm probably forgetting a large portion of the story...)

Back to Basketball... My first basketball tournament was in 9th grade. (I started playing basketball through school that same year.. I was terrible, still am.. but I'm a little better than back then.) I was really introduced to basketball by my best friend, Billy. He definitely showed me how to love the game and understand it. I definitely owe him for my knowledge of the game. But back to my 1st tourny... This tournament was set outside of school and was only open to a select number of players. It was in South Dakota. So we all had to car pool with different families to get there. I remember it being one of the best road trips I've taken... It was Billy, Blaine, and I riding in a white minivan with Blaine's parents. I just remember we took out all the back seats so we could all just lay down for the entire trip and play cards/sleep. When we had gotten to the hotel, we realized that Billy's parents (who's room we were going to stay in) weren't going to make it because of car problems. It pretty much ended up that all the entire team stayed in one room watching 8 mile... Except for one that wasn't allowed to watch Rated-R movies. Sadly, I don't really remember much of the tourny except for beating Winner, SD and losing to Worthington, MN. Oh and someone in the crowd yelled chicken legs at my teammate when he was shooting free-throws. Besides that... wait, I remember seeing one of the prettiest girls I had seen at that age. That's about all I can remember besides the best road trip home. I spent $40+ dollars at the gas station we stopped at and i just remember the minivan was just packed with food, candy, and magazines. Man that was a great time. Hopefully this weekend can live up to that much fun. 

Sorry for the long delay in between posts. I've been practicing guitar a lot the past week trying to learn a couple of my favorite songs. I've been practicing a lot for my going away party but I have come to realize that the person I want to be there, won't be attending. On that note, I guess everything happens for a reason and it could always be worse.. right? 

Cheerio to the weekend and hopefully some 1st place hardware,

Alastar Swift


PS: Stay tuned, as I just realized that I have a lot of FB friends that I have no idea who they are... So check out my other blog soon, as I will be updating that one until I have troubles finding FB strangers.


Friday, January 14, 2011

Life's just a Waiting Game, Until You Take Advantage of It

So this week has been the most exciting week of 2011. I finally received my acceptance letter from TKU (aka Taiwan University). Sadly, I also learned that the fellow student that had turned in all their information and paperwork before me, still hasn't received theirs yet. I hope for the best for them as I will be enjoying blowing a grand on a 13 hour plane ticket. They say it will be around 26 hours, but they don't tell you about the 13 hour jump ahead. I mean that going to be a crazy jet lag that I'm going to experience. I've only experience about a 5 hour one, I can't imagine a 13 hour lag. But I'm sure I'll dominate it, and if needed I'll just pull an all nighter and listen to music and stay awake until the normal sleep time of Taiwan.

I'll need to start researching different things to do when I get there, as I have heard the classes will be a great time and won't take much outside effort. This will be great so that I can just go out and explore and hopefully not disappear nor get into a situation where I can't talk myself back to the university. That is my worst fear of being in a place and not being able to find my way back because of the language barrier. I'm sure that I will overcome that, because I'm sure countless of people speak English.

So for the past month or two, well since December 10th (graduation day for me) I haven't been doing much. Setting my alarm on my blackberry to 10am, and snoozing every 5 minutes until 11am. The I'll make breakfast and from hours 12 - 6, I'll make breakfast/lunch, watch the history channel, play guitar, read, watch documentaries, listen to music or podcast, or play Black Ops. Then around 7 I'll go to the gym and workout or play basketball until 10pm. At the moment I am living the life and I can't complain. Since doing this routine, I've noticed that I really am not bad at bball, but there are just some people that really shouldn't play pick up basketball. More to them, but at the same time it's really frustrating to play with people that don't know how to play except to throw up 3 point shots which are a miracle if they even go in.

I've learned a lot watching different documentaries. Ranging from Marijuana to North Korea to Graffiti to Religion. I've probably learned more information than I have in the past 4.5 years at college. Maybe it's the fact that I don't have to learn it, and that I am interested/ I don't have to know that type of information. Either way, it sticks and I couldn't be more happier to share what I have learned with people.

Well It's about that time to end this article and leave you with something that is worth while. Someone once said, "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it's a matter of choice." I really couldn't put it better... my lame think process only put out, "You can't just hope for the best, You have to go out and do your best." I think my friend definitely put it in better terms.

Anyways, I would like to introduce you to a film that changed my life. Kymatica, is a film that makes you think outside the box. It definitely shows you a different side to a lot of different issues. Which reinforced me to think about how each issue has 2 different sides. I don't support all of the ideas that are shown in this film, but I do like the fact that it opens up people to the knowledge of different aspects of the areas that it covers. I hope you enjoy it.

Cheerio,


Alastar Swift

PS. I wrote a song. May not be the best, but I know you will like it.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Love4Music 2.0

Another sleepless night of listening to music as it is probably one of my favorite past times. If I could, I would want to have the job of finding up and coming bands to promote and help them get rich and famous. (pretty much help them "sell out") Sure it wouldn't be the most glamorous job, but I really don't need anything fancy to live a happy life. Going to underground clubs to hear bands, meeting crazy people that come from a different living experience that I couldn't even imagine and getting to hear all the different perspectives on life... I mean what else do you need?!

Have you ever had a song pop in your head, but you can't think of the title of it nor the artist? Cause I definitely struggled with that for the past hour. I could only remember one word of the song title.. and sadly it wasn't enough for youtube to help me out. The only person I know that would know the song title and could help me out... Well, she has a full-time 8-5 job and I doubt she would enjoy me waking her up at 2am asking for a song title. Anyways after hours of searching I luckily found it. I really have no idea what made me think of this song. Oh well I hope you enjoy it.
The Friday Night Boys - Permanent Heartbreak Acoustic Live

With the awesome-ness that comes along with youtube is the possibility to find more music that fits your tastes by their suggestion column. So I stumbled upon this song that I really liked. I've never heard of Anarbor before, but I'm sure I'll be searching through all their songs in the next couple days.
Anarbor - Passion for Publication

Well I hope you enjoy this type of music... I'm a huge fan of acoustic songs like these, maybe minus the whole heartbreak part of it... The thing that draws me into some songs would be the fact I can hear/see the passion and emotional connection between the artist and their song. That's what I think music should be.

Enjoi,

Alastar Swift

PS. For everyone who would call this "EMO", well let me elaborate a bit. What is "emo" short for? Emotion. All music contains some sort of emotion because that is what draws people to that certain song.  That is why one person can LOVE a song and a different person can HATE it. It's about the connect. Just a reminder that almost all songs can really be called, "EMO". All except for the horrendous music that is only created for radio play. Those are what I like to call, Awful.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

11 years after Y2K

We made it. No one thought we'd last this long pre-2000 era, but boy did we prove them wrong. Now for the better or worse, well I really can't decide on that. This world is pretty damn crazy when it come to all aspects of life. I mean we have deeply religious individuals that are willing to die for their "god" and we have people in powerful positions that aren't looking out for the best interests for their people. Don't get me wrong, we can always find negative things before positives. It's almost innate that we ramble about something negative before the thought of talking about something positive. I do it all the time, I'm trying to watch what I say because I really want to change that. So lets look at all the positives of 2000, um every single website we are able to use to this day. I can keep in touch with all my friends and I can even see crazy picture of people I don't even talk too. (kind of creepy) The ability to write my thoughts on a "blog" and have people read it, hate it, like it, or maybe the slim chance it may change the reader's perspective on life. There are so many great things that have come from the last 10 years, but they are usually covered in the shadows of all the bad events. So here's to 2011, where we should focus only on the positives, but not to forget to acknowledge the bad.

This brings me to a little thing I always did but after thinking about it, I'm going to stop. New Years Resolutions. I love the meaning behind it, changing one's life for the better. Great idea. What I don't like about it, is that it's the only time people try to change their life. Which happens only once a year. Everyone is able to change their life anytime during the year. Everyone is always saying, "I'll start tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, etc..." Why not start today? It's never too late to do what you want but at the same time, the hardest part is starting. So here is my advice for everyone's New Year's Resolution, I'm going to start anything and everything that I want to do during the year of 2011.

Let's start the New Years right folks and watch this video my friend showed me: Joe Rogan - You're a Fucking Human Being

Cheerio & Enjoi,

Alastar Swift

PS. This video may come off pretty harsh in the beginning, but trust me, watching it all will be worthwhile. ALSO check out my Friend's Blog!