And I'm the only one to blame.

Sometimes, I really think I lack a big thing called pride. Pride is supposed to be that big, whoop-de-doo feeling you get when you accomplish something small, something important, something big.......Pride is that proud feeling of undefeat, when you feel as if nothing can stop you at all.

Pride can be a wonderful thing. It shows your self-confidence, your ability to be the best of what you can be, to feel like the world...!

But you know that one feeling you get? When you feel as if you're the absolute best there is, and no one can top that?? That's pride also, but that's when pride gets out of hand. It's when pride becomes cockiness, conceit, and very rotten. This is when resentment forms, even though "Hate" is a very strong word. Pride may get the best of you.

The absolute opposite of pride? I'd like to say disappointment. Ever feel like you're just not good enough? Oh, I'm sure; I'm feel it all the time, too. It turns to upset and frustration.

Pride and disappointment show all the time, especially in SPORTS. It's crazy.

• "Why didn't coach play me? I'm a benchwarmer now??"


• "I cost us our game...It's all my fault. If only i made that basket!"

Believe it or not, many people go hard on themselves, and that's good, really. But it's not usually necessary and ends up bringing people down. It really depends if you play more as an individual or as a team.
Aside from that, families are a big deal at sporting events, too. They make a difference. There are two types: the supportive family:

• "Good job!"...


• "You're doing great! Keep it up!"...


• "Defense!"...


• "Don't worry about it, you'll do better next time"...

And then there are people like my "supportive" family:

• The father figure had not shown up at a single softball game because "softball is boring"...


• Instead of a "good job" after an exhausting basketball game, you get a "You could've ran faster." or


• "You lost again??" or "


• Your shooting position is not correct."


• and all this other shitty feedback that you've already heard too many times.

You tell yourself,

• I've improved...


• I DID play better this time...


• You could not run as fast as I just had, up and down that court.


• I WAS good enough!

But sometimes, "good enough" is not GOOD ENOUGH...And this is disappointment. Frustration that you've got no support, but shakes of head instead. Criticism at every little thing you do, right OR wrong. Upset because you should've done better? What happened to pride here, people? What happened to that big grin you'd get after stirking out three batters in a row? That whip of joy you'd get after you score a goal. What happened to roaring crowds and claps and cheers? See those people celebrating? That should've been us...That could've been us...

-my.great.ESCAPE.

To Here Knows When

Finally back

During my brief hiatus, I got some new stuff, which made me pretty happy

Prejudice is a thought or feeling conceived before actually knowing the truth. It’s everywhere, and even if you say you aren’t, you are prejudiced. Stereotypes are all around us, and inside us. Yes, we all love to say that we aren’t stereotypical. Many of us actually try not to, which is great. Still, prejudice is there. Whether if it's because race, sex, color, social standing, sexuality, age, or plenty of others, it's out there.

Plenty of people hate young kids, and think they’re annoying little brats. Although to an extent, that’s sort of true. Others hate old people, thinking they’re just grumpy and arrogant. Maybe people dress different, who cares? People like different kinds of music, obviously. From folk to hip-hop, blues to jazz, maybe even some kind of blend of pop and techno, who knows? Not everybody’s the same.

Another annoying thing is people who always try to stay out of the “norm”. Those who consistently attempt to be “different” and discriminate against others for a variety of stupid reasons are the ones. These people have already formed their own label, which could be anything from weirdo to as***le. The individualist became a conformist the second he/she became an individualist. So, as I’ve said earlier before, screw you all! (not literally, but figuratively…)

optimistic pessimist or pessimistic optimist?
to love or hate?
living?...or just existing?
living to die? or dying to live?

-Digital Delay

Pride's Gettin' in the Way

Oh the poor thing. This blog has been neglected for so long. I mean, two articles so far for half a month? This has got to be our lowest ever! (not that this blog has been living that long...it's only two and a half months old, anyway :P).

Well, to somehow revive this dusty place, I'm gonna talk about pride (in contrast to DD's next prejudice article).

Pride is the sole reason why we all do things that aren't necessary. It's the barrier that keeps us from doing what has to be done, just because you're afraid of damaging your 'image'. But it's true, and we can't live without pride. If there wasn't pride, 'embarrassment' wouldn't exist either. We do things our friends expect us to do, not something that has to be done.

But pride is just a little, taunting road that's begging you to do what it wants. If you find yourself trying to do better and better, but you don't get a response, then there's something wrong. Think of it like yelling down a cave and not hearing an echo—that's the time you should start reanalyzing yourself. You're just doing things the way that'll keep you out of embarrassment, yet, you don't realize that you're hurting yourself along the way.

Everything exists and happens for a reason, and pride belongs to that category. Pride is your little buddy that sits on your shoulder and nags you to do stuff—whether it be something bad or something beneficial to yourself (depending on the situation). If someone was tempting you to do drugs, and they start making fun of you just because you're refusing to do so, pride starts to kick in, and if you're not able to fight back, you're going to find yourself smoking and killing yourself. The reason why? Because you're trying to keep yourself looking 'cool'. If you have common sense, then obviously, that isn't 'cool' in any way. I'm sorry, but if you don't agree with me, then you'll realize the consequences sometime later in the future.

Just remember to consider pride. Think about your decision, and make sure it's a smart one—if it's going to be a good factor to your life or not. Don't tell me "Oh, but what if I don't know if it's beneficial to me or not? How should I decide?". It's in you somewhere. No one else is going to know but you, so think deeply.

Alright. That was my opinion on 'pride', and how I view it in my own perspective. You might not agree, and I won't argue. Everyone's opinion is different, after all.

My ten minutes of my cheesy therapeutic session is over. Go and do your homework, eat your dinner, play your videogames, take care of your kids, pay the bills...whoever and whatever age you are. Life always comes first!

-the clam.

Warning: Not for Cavity-Conscious People

Alright. Because I feel a bit hysterical at the moment, I'll veer off from the month's theme. This is probably the longest gap in between the previous article and a new one (DD's article wayyy back on April Fool's).

Okay. Let's get to the point. Who doesn't love (except for cavity-conscious people):

CANDY!!

In fact, I'm chewing on a very delectable piece of Milk Dud. Yummy...nysh caramel shenter with uh thin layer of shocolate. –swallows- Excuse me. That small caramel sticky-bomb can get extremely sticky to your teeth. It barely allows you to even talk. Kinda' like peanut butter.

It's good to have candy once in a while (emphasis on once in a while). I don't want to be blamed for the five cavities you're about to have just by reading this article.

Ooh, how about Whoppers? A crunchy center with a nice, layer of milk chocolate on the outside. Not as cavity-dangerous, and much faster to consume than a Milk Dud. I find it funny how they come in giant, quart-sized milk cartons.

Both of the candies mentioned above are manufactured by Hershey's. I love Hershey's. Their milk chocolate bars and white chocolate bars are really sweet...and yummy. Haha, I consider everything yummy. I become untrollably hyper after eating a Hershey's bar.

What other chocolate bars are there? OH! Crunch is also good. Those pesky small little rice crispies all scattered within the chocolate. The Three Musketeers, Milky Way, and Heath Bars. De.lic.ious!

"Baby Bottle Pop, Baby Bottle Pop! You can lick it, shake it, and dunk it!" I know that sounds a bit...weird. But that was the 'in' candy back then. Past popular candies also include Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit Gushers, Fruit by the Foot, and Ring Pops. Hey—that doesn't mean you should go propose to your girlfriend with that. She'll slap you in the face (or laugh like a maniac...and then slap you in the face).

Or, if you'd like a more fiery taste, try Hot Tamales. They'll give you a nice sting. Don't eat too much though...you'll be crying.

You know what, I'm really lazy right now. I'll just throw a bunch of names out there. Hershey's Kisses, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kat, Almond Joy, Snickers, Skittles (three cheers for Skittles!), Take Five, Sour Patch Kids, Twizzlers, Jolly Ranchers...they're all so sweet and perfect –mouth waters-.

Hungry for candy? Just be careful...think of your poor teeth.

-the clam.

Pardon Me

Pride can do a lot of things. Whether it’s good or bad, it’s definitely there. It’s that invisible, constant force that draws people to do things. It’s sort of like gravity. It’s the thing that makes you say no thank you to charity, the thing that makes you refuse the obvious, and the thing that just kills you when you lose.

Is pride being chivalrous, or being cocky and brash? Most likely, it’s the latter. While it’s ok just to say no thank you for something, some could consider that a deed of politeness. More often, pride can be described as being a sore-loser, ungrateful, and arrogant.

Do you always submit to authority, feel absolutely dandy when you lose, and feel terrible when you’ve just had a great accomplishment? It’s not always good to always be subjected and controlled by others, or is it not always good to be too boastful. Pride causes these things, and it can cause more. Pride can be related to greed, envy, and probably several other terrible things that plague people.

Getting away from all that; sports can be a magical thing. When you’re really getting into the game, if its soccer, basketball, baseball, or anything else, you don’t think about anything else. All you think about is winning, how you’re going to do it, and actually getting it done. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing with, sports can bond teammates together, regardless of who (most of the time, at least). Most exceptions come from people who don’t really care about the game, are just jerks, or just sit around (not caring).

There are a lot of different kinds of songs.
There are happy, sad, catchy, poppy, sparse, heavy, dense, depressing, just weird, and…(there are a million different usable words that would fit there).
But one kind always really reaches out to me. It’s that sad song that’s not depressing, not heavy, not dense, nothing that just jumps out at you. It’s that sad song that makes you happy, just because it’s so…beautiful. I’m not talking about that sad song that’s just melancholic, or that angry song you listen to when you’re pissed off, or anything. Haha, that’s weird, but it’s true. Of course, for everybody, each song will invoke different emotions.

Just to forcefully shove my personal tastes down your throats (sorry if these are old), examples are: My Number, Hallelujah, Let Down, Haunt You Everyday, and plenty more.

Don’t you just love playful, joyful, hilarious banter (ok, anything that’s funny)?

April 1!

-digital.delay.