It’s been about two weeks since I went to WWE Elimination Chamber here in Oakland and at first I was doubting myself as to whether it was worth it or not and after all the smoke cleared it was. Me and brother got there around 4:30 to find parking which was around the BART station. What surprised me was that up at the main entrance, they were charging 30 bucks for a parking spot and we were lucky there were quite a few parking spots left by the station. After we had found our seats, we got hyped up for the night’s events, as everything seemed in place and the energy really seemed like it flowed well that night. When I was sitting there, I realized that I noted that one of my resolutions was to come to this event and I was glad that it was with my brother. I don’t see my brother on a everyday basis as he doesn’t live with us anymore but when it’s just us, I can talk about whatever is on my mind and he as well. The matches were really solid overall and they gave me hope for the sheer transition that wrestling seems to go through every 4 or 5 years. I was impressed with the veracity of the opener between Kingston and Del Rio as it established them not only as good performers but solid characters as well. I was also impressed with the Elimination Chamber matches as well as both had excellent standout performances. I can say that on the smackdown side, there was really no fear of actually trying something innovative here. Usually, what I see as a contribution from a well established veteran is what happened when Edge, Rey Mysterio, and the Big Show all pitched in and gave two young guys such as Wade Barrett and Drew Mcyntre, a chance to shine as they all took pretty nasty falls in that match. I can say that the exchanges between Mysterio and Edge really gave them the opportunity to give the fans their money’s worth and they didn’t disappoint. I found it interesting that the Raw Chamber was not as exciting as the smackdown as it seemed that this one was more built towards creating a ‘spot’. I understand that wrestling needs variety in order to get their point across and in this case it was no different. John Morrison really delivered a performance which was worth every accolade he gets because this guy has started to change my doubt about how much of a waste of talent he is. At first, the only reason I thought he was good was because of the guys he was being matched up with but then I saw that this guy can do some pretty insane moves. He has also won me over in how he can give a different type of performance very night instead of doing the same thing over and over. I was equally impressed by guys like CM Punk and Randy Orton as they both ended up looking like they took big bumps in order to get the effects of the chamber over. Overall, the show had two other matches in the Corre VS. Santino Marella and Vladmir Kozlov which was a short little affair that I didn’t pay much attention to as it was over just in about 5 minutes. I believe the match between Jerry Lawler vs. the Miz wasn’t great but not bad either as both men seemed to want to try to get the story of their match over. Lawler was playing the ‘one last chance’ story and Miz was playing the ‘most must see champiuon’ of his day which made me believe that Miz had to win in order to be a better character. The way that Miz plays his character almost makes me feel like a little kid again. In my older life, I have been a supporter of bad guys or ‘heels’ as the antihero is something that intrigued and made me wonder about our own society. Good guys have always seemed preppy and too goody shoes to do anything wrong as they are almost seen as superheroes. However, with the Miz I just feel like slapping him because he really makes your blood boil because he plays his part so well and he understands that the crowd has to hate him. I’ve seen that the man, Mike Mizanin, worked his ass to where he is and he deserves everything he has earned but as a character you just want to see that he gets what’s coming to him. In my case, I believe to see a bad guy get their ass kicked is what sends fans and supporters alike home happy. He plays his part very well and I can say that I was non believer in what he could achieve but he did well with what he got. Miz ended up pulling out a convincing victory and I was surprised that he won clean because very rarely do we ever see that happen with the Miz. Two other short segments in this event that happened was the appearance of the very wonderful Trish Stratus as she was revealed as a trainer of the show Tough Enough and very few fans knew who she was but I knew who she was and she looked gorgeous as she always does. Then one of the best characters that WWE has produced in recent years, Vickie Guerrero, appeared and she begged for some forgiveness from the authority figure, Teddy Long. I enjoy watching Vickie because she seems to understand the meaning of what a good female heel is supposed to be and she is probably supporting her family as well with what she does. I’ve always said, these people are away from there families almost 300 days of the year and for them to elicit a reaction must be tough as they have either be seen as good or evil. But, the way some people do it almost makes you wonder what goes on inside them as humans as some of them play their characters so well that it is hard to imagine what they are really like. The event was probably one of the better ones I’ve been to and I hope they come again so I can take some pictures with a camera that I hope to purchase soon. I would like to thank my brother for bringing along his camera as the pictures he took were very crisp and unreal to look at if you put them on a 1080 P TV:
Here they are:
Del Rio against KingstonBig ShowThe match itselfVickie GuerreroJerry "the King" LawlerRandall Keith OrtonNice picture of the ChamberCM Punk, Straight Edge Rules!The closing moments of the Raw Chamber
You can’t party your life away
Drink your life away
Smoke your life away
Fuck your life away
Dream your life away
Scheme your life away
Cause your seeds grow up the same way
-Wu Tang Clan on “A Better Tomorrow”
This year has been pretty nice to me so far as at this time of the year, I usually run really low on money due to the backlash of Christmas. However, I’ve been wise to at least keep a good amount in savings and also in checking and I should be allright for the next week or so. Everyday of the new year I check if I’ve done something positive that day and pretty much I’ve done my best to do so. Along with doing that, I also have some new years resolutions, some of which are possible and some of which are personal goals for myself. Here they are (in no particular order)
1. Lose 15 (or more) pounds
This one is attainable and yet I have found that a combination of eating out less and spending money to cook something decent is more worthwhile than spending to eat out. I used to eat out quite a bit in the 1st half of the year due to a former friend of mine and myself eating out 4 or 5 times a week. I found that my weight bellied up so to speak and ever since we stopped taking classes together I cut it down to not eat out more than twice a week. Last year I was in the 250’s for my weight and I got it down to the high 230’s which is very good for my standards as I believe that I lost a good 15 pounds since last year. A lot of that is a combination of smaller portions and not criticizing myself if I do eat so much. If you keep calling yourself fat and you really aren’t, but you make the effort to work out or exercise then you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself. I believe that going to the gym and working out at least 3 or 4 times has helped me realize that my weight sometimes stays the same but after I’m exhausted from working out, I feel positive and willing to do it again the next day or the day after. I have lost weight and I will continue to do so as I feel that a few trips to the gym within the next few weeks will help me on the pathway to lose at least some weight.I know I can do it!
2. Find a new job at least by the end of the year:
This one has been bugging me for some time but I feel that it is time to actually start a job search. Sometimes, I may get a bit lazy after school or even after my actual job but if the right opportunity arises then I’ll apply for that job. I got a new app on my IPOD Touch a month or so ago that lists jobs in my area and every 3 or 4 days I’ll look at the first few pages to see if there is anything that applies to me. I haven’t been able to find anything as most of the jobs require a higher degree of learning yet I have stumbled upon openings for whole foods and Microcenter but I have yet to apply. My number one problem is procrastination sometimes and I feel that putting off a job search till later in the year will only hurt me even more. If I start looking early and often and I start applying anywhere I can I’m bound to be accepted by a job which is my goal. The current job I have is working at the Big Red Machine and I feel good having to work in the Market area yet I see much more opportunity for growth inside me. I’ve grown to appreciate having a job because I’m working to stay alive in an economy where retail workers are treated like dirt by there supervisors and there customers. I’ve learned that talking to your superiors is really not that difficult and all they want is a straight answer and they won’t say a thing to you and customers will only ruin your day if you want them to ruin your day as it is our job to provide some service to them. I can grow even more so than I have there and no job really “needs ” as this is a business driven country with an emphasis on how many “bodies” can do a job. Hopefully, I can do it and as soon as I see something I like I’ll apply.
3. Find a way to wrap up at De Anza College:
I’ve been going to De Anza for 4 plus years now and it has been fun and other times not so much. I can say that I’ve enjoyed my time thoroughly there and I’ve met some great professors and also a few people that I had a lot in common with. I’ve amassed about 140 or so credits and all I need to finish up there is to complete my Math portion of De Anza. I took math before and it was pretty simple passing with flying colors the two levels before Intermediate. However, I registered for that math right before I got hired by the Big Red Machine and I had to drop it because the first test was on one of the 1st days I worked there so inevitably I had to drop it. I enjoyed having the professor for the first few weeks I had him and ever since then I went on rate my professor and read the reviews for math teachers at De Anza and some of them seem either really hard and strict or just want things done there way. I fear that I may have to take Math at Foothill just to make up for that because I do hear from other students that there professors are much better or even at one close to home Mission College. However, after looking through at the list of classes I need all I need is math and maybe a few others and I’ll be good to go. I’ve already taken my science, English, Social sciences, Arts, Critical thinking, and all I need now is Math. Math was always difficult for me to pass and I sometimes asked for extra help in high school but I was afraid that doing a problem wrong would lead to my downfall. But, I’ve been telling myself that I shouldn’t be afraid of anything and if I need help then I should take extra measures to ask a friend or ask the professor. I’ve learned a lot from going to community college and the next step is finishing it.
4. Elimination Chamber in Oakland California:
I’m very excited for this event that WWE plans to bring to Oakland in February because I’ve seen TV’s and house shows done hear as I’ve only been to one other pay per view but I think this one is going to be a lot more special. For one, I understand that WWE is trying to establish a “youth movement” with guys like Wade Barrett, Sheamus, Jack Swagger, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, the Miz, and one of my new favorite wrestlers Alberto Del Rio. I think it’ll be interesting how this plays out on an event where the lead up to Wrestlemania has to be done well and without a substantial amount of veterans to get the young guys’ ability over, it’ll be even harder. I’ve enjoyed some of what they’ve done with the young guys and they keep impressing me more and more every week. Second, I plan on going with my Brother who I enjoy having with me as we share so much about wrestling angles and storylines as we always laugh about the good ones and bad ones. I myself am more of the wrestling type who goes for the wrestling ability of the wrestlers as these guys have to work just as hard as a professional athlete. I’m amazed whenever these guys either put on a wrestling clinic or just go out there and put on a story, like a gripping Hollywood film with dramatic scenes that grab you by the heart. All I know is that this will sure open eyes and ears to how they are operating their business and how it’ll do in the future.
5. Take more long walks:
Last year, I took a few long walks, two of them with a buddy of mine and the last time one of my friends decided he would join us. I enjoyed all three of them substantially and the best one was the first one. I liked the other two as well but the first one felt original and it was something I’m glad I did. If nothing more, I was there to be a boombox for the personal issues my buddy was going through. Taking these made me realize that people are strangers and we all have our secrets that we wish to keep to ourselves sometimes. I myself never realized that till we had taken those walks and there was some things I was surprised to hear myself saying to my friend and my buddy. I told my buddy things I rarely tell anyone else and I gave him my take on the situation that he was going through and he let out what led to the way the situation was being handled. I did my best to be there for him and I always say no regrets. The other two times were good too but I wouldn’t say they were great. I want to duplicate the original walk with the friend that joined us for the last walk because I feel that there is so much more that can be said between us as over the last 6 months or so we’ve gotten to know each other a bit more than I would have thought we would. This time however, I want to bring a camera to take some pictures as the trail of Los Gatos is wonderful to seek out and hopefully we can talk even more so than before. Hope to do it this year my friend!
6. Spend money (more) wisely
I’ve had this problem of overspending and most of it is sometimes on food. Well, I made a resolution to cut down on spending on food and the same can be said for other things as well. I sometimes spend money on wrestling DVD’s and I buy them as soon as they come out but I ask myself why buy every single major one that comes out? I tell myself now that I only want those that will mean something in the end. I also feel I can do better in terms of spending on gas and movies and CD’s. I can rent the movies from Netflix and if there is a show I like I can buy it in DVD from Amazon as there are prices are very reasonable compared to the retail stores prices. All in all, the most important thing to remember is to save, save, save. The best advice I got from my mom and a few of my heroes, was that I had to save and if there came a time when I had to use it, then use it. Money talks in America and we all pay that price.
7. Continue to fill up my IPOD:
I love doing this when I have that time to look through our extensive music collection and see what I could add. Right now I’m about 200 songs away from approaching 2000 which I couldn’t even imagine. Before, I thought only the music I listened to was the only that mattered but I branched out and discovered a vast array of artists. I will continue to discover new artists and probably new music because i want this IPOD to describe who I am and if I have the chance I want to one day have the ones closest to me listen to it or whenever I may have an immediate family. I hope I can continue to discover new music and also listen to some I may have forgotten about.
8. Building up my relationships with my brother, mom, and dad (again)
The last two years have been pretty strange for my family and I. We hardly ever have the chance to actually talk about the positive things in life because I hear my mom talking about how her foot hurts or how she is tired from working and this year I’ve made an effort to help her a bit more cleaning the house and helping her cook a little. I also take more responsibility for our dog Paloma as our brother was the one that took care of her in terms of food or her annual shots and also her grooming appointments. Well, I was the one that made the effort to at least make her my own and so far I’ve been doing a good job keeping her clean and making sure she is fed. Hopefully, the relationship with my dad improves as well because I know from seeing how much he is aging and how in a few years, I’ll have my own life, we probably won’t have as much time to talk as we would have in the past. I had a good relationship with them before this last year but I think money and bills stress them so much, they don’t look at the bigger picture. I have to be a good son to them and be even more obedient than I would like to be for myself. Sometimes, you feel you have to be right, but in this case, our egos and our wants need to be set aside to help each other out in the long run. Part of the reason we didn’t have that good of a relationship was because I was spending less time at home and I acknowledge that now I can do a better job, and every day I try to be as positive with them as I can be. Lastly, my brother is a great guy that I have only reached the bottom of the surface with. Before I started making my own money, he would pay for so many things on behalf of me that I would feel gracious and courteous to one day do the same for him. Yes, he can be an annoying drunk who is quiet and makes crude comments sometimes but I always defend him if I feel he is doing no harm to other people. I let him have his fun because I know him being a dad now that he has share of things to take care of. He has to deal with a wife that I have no problem with but being in a relationship is no easy task and I try my best to be a good brother to him. Yeah, we joke about wrestling, sports, cheesy 80’s movies, and fantasy football, but in the end we’re brothers that help each other out.
9. Go to more A’s games
I love the A’s and I will never abandon this team. Hopefully, after a little time away from the Coliseum I can catch a few games in 2011 with an upgraded offense and a solid pitching staff. Go A’s in 2011!
10. Continue being a good “teacher” to new people I meet
No matter how you put it, I enjoy meeting new people at work or at school. Part of the reason is because I want to see where there at in terms of life and how they’re doing. Last year, I met a few ne people at work and at school and it was great getting to know them and their life experiences. I taught them a few things and they taught me a few things. The most important part is being able to understand that generally people like feedback but as long as they keep one or even two things you have shown them, all will be well. I was able to be more comfortable in meeting new people because I wasn’t afraid to understand them even more deeply. There was some people I got to know on an even deeper level and I enjoyed hearing how they are and I had it in my head for a while that this person or those people are like that just because. Hopefully, I can continue to build on this momentum because a good friend once told me that I can make friends easily if I wanted to. I realized that is something I have inside me and I just have to branch out of my shyness and be who I am.
Just Another Day... 