F&F

So down with tonight,
didn't have to fake a smile.
With the true tonight.

Not a character.
Little blue but not taboo.
We see eye to eye.

Latest polls are out,
a sixty percent decrease.
Couldn't be more thrilled.

Still open, still me,
we're going to have a party.
The elite have tea.

Had my ups and downs,
had my back until the end.
Means the world to me.

Thank you, thank you, thanks.
Thank you, thank you, thanks, thank you,
thank you, all my friends.

Peanut Gallery

I want to know more
Wish I paid more attention
So complicated

Woke up denying
Thought Star was hyperbolic
I'll listen next time

People fill the streets
Is this like that one movie
We hit the third act.

Want to change majors.
Never seen such modern art.
Want to pass this class

Procrastination.
I'll cheat my way through the test.
You're too smart for that.

Never had such fun
Could make a brilliant career.
Even if I fail.

My study partner
Are you trying to slow me?
Now I'll make a C.

Last chance for first marks.
Scared for my life that ride, but
I'll do it again.

Use your other eyes
Daughter of my favorite
I'll see you next year.

Mimicry

I heavily ripped off the Wild Beasts song "Please Sir".

Please sir, excuse me
I didn't mean to offend.
With utmost respect

Generation Why
I know it doesn't make sense.
"I wish and I hope"

So for forgiveness,
please, take this haiku as an
offering of peace


I believe in the art world, ripping off is called paying tribute, right?

Sown

Please don't go away.
Not that I'll get the courage
Secrets I should share.

You are going up
I'll see you when you get down
I can't seem to climb.

I'm afraid of heights.
I've been trying since 90
ignore those feelings.

You were meant for clouds.
But if we do meet again
I want solid ground.

The Beginning of the End

Plot twists, cliffhangers
But does it really matter?
What's the big picture?

Hypothetically Speaking

What's your greatest strength
Tell me about a time when
You gave it your best

What makes you ideal
Hypothetically Speaking
How did you get here

Organic!

Plastic on the run
Natural should be preferred
Go away bad thing

Proud 2

Is it abnormal
to become what you rebelled
but came to respect

Its beyond instinct.
With a special connection
we can disagree

When the world can feel
what our previous versions
feel about updates

The rainclouds will part
make way for a new morning
and a new order

Is it abnormal?
Hidden appreciation.
Do you understand?

Destroyer

Seeing Destroyer tonight at the Troubadour, so I figured a tweet tribute was in order. Each line in the Haiku taken from various Destroyer lyrics.

"Saw brides and their grooms
Saw the features of the world
All sounds like a dream

Now you've got it all,
They told me it was clever.
You've got it all wrong."


That ended up being harder than I thought. Of course all my favorite lyrics are more are less than 5/7 syllables.

Patois

Don't take this lightly
The Icicles of Hector
will fall upon thee

Come back one more time
We've forgotten the dancer
Like the dash of salt

How crucial was Tenth
The law of Newton was Raw
Ruin scape winter

Not a Hurricane
Not a Master or Mister
I'm just me simply

Live by books to live
I liked the first one I met
Let's just have some fun

Replay the same song
Neves never needed notes
Just a manager

Cowboys play cards well
My host can trick me again
No harm, costume change

It's never too late
Take the towel off the wood
What needs to be done?

Not a refinish
Not just a restoration
It's just me simply

Don't call me these names
I was wrong to lie to you
I'm just me simply

Rainy Day

It's a rainy day
Too early for Jameson
Too late for make up

Greene

I tried to write tonight
I kept watching the spider
Looking for the cat

Please keep the light on
I'll go to sleep in safety
Then I'll get some rest

What's under my bed
It would help if you look first
You say it's nothing

Close my closet door
I'll keep my clothes on the floor
It's too dark in there

Heard you're doing well
Excuse me that came out wrong
Tell me how you've been

Make Yourself

I'll dance if you dance
There's no respect otherwise
I'm not that guy now.

Haiku of the Year

I will warn you, once you read this haiku, formerly known as the "joke of the year" you may never laugh again. Why? The bar is about to be set. High.

Two fish in a tank,
one says to the other, "you
man the guns, I'll drive."

Form an orderly queue...

Soon Well Get

Friend of mine had his lungs spontaneously collapse. He is having his final surgery today to repair and ensure this doesn't happen again. I'll be thinking about you buddy.

Get well soon Jorge
Sorry to hear 'bout your lungs
You will get better.

Sick Day

Taking a sick day
I got a parking ticket
Says I have to pay

When I drove uptown
I met a pastor today
Said I needed grace

Light won't stop blinking
Saw my mechanic today
Said I needed brakes

My hair is too long
Went to the town barbershop
Theres discounts on fades

With enough time left
visited a senior friend
this is what he said:

"I was so lucky
didn't know I had so much
until she was gone.

You take for granted
you lose out on happiness
even the small things"

Left with what he knew
got home late and Stuntman said,
Sick day? Where were you?"

Prime

I'll construct a rhyme
Make you a drink, extra lime
Let's text, say, prime-time?

The grass looks green here
But don't you prefer the beach
I'll wish otherwise

Don't forget that your
keen brown telephoto eyes
sees what we can't see

Your simplicity
No wonder they turn on you
You are the genius

You have no idea
The pile of gold you sit on
You can betray me

You saw raw beauty
Don't ever stop looking in
Wish I saw it first

Too much frequency
was reciprocity to me
Beat before the play

Dare you to adjust
the aperture wide enough
To see what we see

You think you waste time
Your self doubt should be a crime
You're no less than prime

Grass

I've got a secret
Its not your silly sister
Breakfast is for friends

There is no excuse
even though the world melted
should have stayed solid.

Is dedication
pathetic or poetic?
Where did the line go?

All of you are wrong
A smile is for everyone.
You've seen nothing yet.

Heard from you last month
Sounds like the weather is clear
Go outside silly

Don't want to grow up
Don't want to stay the same age
You're failing at both

The secret is fake
mythologized by the bored
Let's go get breakfast.

This Time

Others influence
does it really matter, if
our minds have been made

What is the number
of apologies I say
before I mean it.

Weapon of Choice

Born into battle
Raised to fight the enemy
An army so large

Lost sight of the prize
The enemy hit us hard
Beat knocked down punched up

It was time for me
To gather arms and fight back
They knew our weakness

I joined the campaign
Learned the way to victory
Ain't no stopping me

Battlegrounds were still
More soldiers came to fight too
I became relaxed

Put down my weapon
The enemy struck at night
My camp discovered

A wound won't kill you
Unless you fail to treat it
Where am I hurt?

I will not give up
Where is my weapon of choice
It will help me win

It is here somewhere
How could I lose my weapon
Knowing I'm in war

If not found I die
I can't withstand the attack
I must find it now

Not too late to use
Not too late to organize
Come back, not too late

Reload the weapon
Don't let it rust or jam up
My weapon of choice

Exit Strategy

Like a butterfly
Say goodbye to the bad guy
turn night into day.

Need a New Challenge

It has come to my attention that when scheduling my monthly challenges I happened to pass over some important information, that conflicts with the drink only water challenge. I will be rescheduling the "Drink Water Only" to another month, and in its place I need a new challenge. Any suggestions?

February Results

For the month of February my goal was to be able to do 100 push-ups in a row. (Pause for laughter) This challenge was an exciting one to undertake because it was one that people were really excited about. It was the one challenge that people had very strong opinions on. At one point I was the "push-up machine", but lately "gum-ball machine would be more apropos. Few people believed I could achieve this goal until they saw first hand the progress I was making.

I had started doing push ups at a friends place, letting their kids sit on my back while I tried to bust out as many as I could. I was feeling good from a mostly vegetarian January. I had the encouragement of Stuntman, the world class athlete, trainer and roommate. What was the result?

Challenge Result: FAILED

Analysis: I got sick at the start of the already short month. I had started a new job and didn't set the proper time each day to increase my efforts.

My plan was to start the blog during the push up challenge to share my daily/weekly results. If I'm held responsible by the blog then I MUST perform the duty. I didn't do that. Once again, I didn't make the challenge a priority.

I did however make progress! At the start of the month I could struggle through 35-40 straight standard push-ups. By the end of the month I was able to do 65.

I will be revisiting this challenge and all failed challenges in June, and I plan on dominating it. Here's how.

#1 - Set realistic Goals (Daily, Weekly & the Month)

Setting a realistic goal will help me track my progress and show me if my effort level needs to be increased.

#2 - Blog about it - I don't like to fail challenges. I didn't set this blog up to be the year of failures. Its much easier to make excuses in our own mind, but I will be held accountable to my two readers in Malaysia, I can't disappoint THEM.

#3 - Preparation - For any challenge, but especially a physical one, preparation is vital. Mentally & physically. My head wasn't in the game, again, I wasn't committed.

Come June, I will be ready to take on the Push-up challenge again.

Proud

I had a sweet one.
The best haiku I've written.
One big metaphor.

What's the gist of it?
The importance of music,
how they shape our lives.

Why didn't I save?
All my wordplay deleted.
Now I'm left bereft.

All my clever way,
to say, thank you for support
and proper advice.

I wish I could say
what is unspoken but known,
I want to make you

Synchronized Watches

This haiku goes out,
to my homie at Eight Five One.
Good looking out man.

This won't be a wreck.
It's going to get better.
I just found spell check.

Thanks, you got my back
I've got a long way to go.
With help, I can't lose

Above & Below

El Segundo skies
Nice to meet you, where you from?
wrap me in comfort.

The sun is gentle
Common ground above the earth.
wind kisses my cheek.

Trees synchronized dance
You heard my secrets and cared.
lead me to the beach.

The smell of the sea
No doubt this was meant to be.
sweet serenity.

The night is filled with
You looking on, I look back.
aviation stars.

Remember my friend
what will morrow bring beneath
El Segundo skies

I am Jack's Haiku

Run through the jungle
I want to fix everything
I am Jack Shepherd

I tried I destroy
I'll take a back seat this time
I'm Jack season five

What's the issue now
Wasn't this what you wanted
It's time to blow up

We live together
Put our contentions aside
Or we die alone

No rain no others
The man in black won't stop me
I'm a candidate

Don't want to be Lost
I can't go through time without
help from my constant

I have to save you
I'll do what it takes to leave
this island behind.

Where Will You Go?

One of the most fascinating things about life are the decisions we make and how those decisions create outcomes that become our future. How do we come to these conclusions? Are the decisions we make linked to the decisions and futures of others? If you had asked me a question two weeks ago I would have given you an answer much different than the one I give you today. It is a relief to be so sure of something that was very unclear only a few short days ago.

Wanted Arkansas.
Thought Deep Creek or England, but
its Temecula.

This Is Not A Love Song

Not a love haiku.
Just want to make you breakfast
Then laugh in the rain.

This is a Tribute

Got some pretty cool news, felt compelled to write about this. I wrote the GREATEST series of Haikus for this post, but when it came time to actually posting it I couldn't remember it. This isn't the best series of Haiku. This is just a tribute.

My new friend is near.
I wonder what you’ll be like.
This is your tribute.

Knowing your parents,
you'll be too cool for school.
You better still go.

I’ll give you advice
When Mom and Dad are away
Like they did for me

Number one uncle,
The Lonely Pie will be called.
Sorry Dark and Man

You're more than a friend
Family from more than blood
What’s your name again?

Don't care if its Sue,
Beatrix, Maxine or Zeut
This is your tribute

Starts with a Spark

Thank you @sparkleigh
Smart, foodie, student, style friend
My first follower

Fast Start

Late for work today
Got my first speeding ticket
What a great start, March!

March Challenge!

For the month of March I will post a new Haiku every day. The goal of the challenge is to 1)Become committed to doing something on a daily basis. 2) Exercise my creativity 3)Reflect on the day (environment, attitude, people etc.)

I am bending the rules of a haiku as the common practice in English is:

Use of three lines of up to 17 syllables;
Use of a season word (kigo);
Use of a cut or kire (sometimes indicated by a punctuation mark) to compare two images implicitly.

My Haiku will simply be three lines of up to 17 syllables broken out (5,7,5).

Enjoy!

January Results

I should have published this blog at the start of the year, I believe the blog aspect of the year will be an encouragement. Normally, I will update more frequently, but to catch you up to speed...

In the month of January, I went vegetarian. I cooked vegetarian. I ate vegetarian. Some might say I started to act vegetarian. This was setting up to be the easiest challenge ahead of me, I loved it.

Then...I took a spontaneous trip to North Carolina to visit a friend. Could I have maintained my diet of plants while visiting the "Old North State"? Would looking like a California hippie be too much pressure "down south"? Would I reject the offer to eat one of my closest friends favorite foods with him because of a challenge?

Challenge Result: FAILED

Analysis: When I returned home I made excuses for a few days. "I was on vacation, what was I supposed to do?" "It's not really fair, I didn't know I was going on this trip when I started this challenge." "I would have succeeded if I hadn't gone on the trip."

With the help of my roommate Stuntman, I came to realize there are no excuses. I need to be honest with myself and the truth is we all make decisions in life. It was more important to be a ravenous meat eater with my friend than to maintain my challenge. Going to NC and staying vegetarian was the biggest challenge of the month, but I decided to give up. The question I must ask myself is why did I give up? What does that say about me? The challenge?

I had a great time doing it. I learned how to cook many different types of veggies. I prepared dinner for 3 and then a dinner for 5 for the first time in my life, completely vegetarian. I'd even say that since January, my meals at home are much more balanced.

Living Challenged - A Monthly Challenge Project

Late last year I decided that 2011 was going to be much more exciting & challenging than the previous two years. I wanted to try new things, challenge myself, and create a lifestyle that wouldn't be as monotonous as prior years. I sat down on a cold December afternoon and wrote out a bucket list of exciting ventures I hoped to conquer before I "kicked the bucket". Before long I realized, that there might be things that I wanted to do that I had never thought of or even realized I wanted to do/try. I then came across http://www.themonthlychallenge.com/, a blog designed to get people to try new things. I loved the concept of doing a monthly challenge so I decided that in a quest to try new things I would engage in a different challenge every month for the year 2011. The basic concept is this:

"Each month, a goal is set - whether it be a daily goal (ie., complete a Sudoku puzzle every day) or a weekly goal (ie., read a book every week) a monthly goal (ie., cycle 1000 miles in a month) or something completely different.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Hopefully you will learn from your failures and that will help you refine challenges down the road. However, don't expect to succeed at everything - if you're completing each month's challenge easily, then it's not really a challenge, now is it?"

The challenges are a work in progress (I will take suggestions) but once a challenge is started that will be the challenge for the month.

I'd more than welcome you to play along or even try out your own challenges. From these, I hope to learn something about myself, challenge myself, try something new, better myself, or at the very least, have an interesting year.