The Tiger in us All

"Mr. Okamoto: 'We'll be careful when we drive away. We don't want to run into Richard Parker.'
Pi Patel: 'Don't worry, you won't. He's hiding somewhere you'll never find him.'"

The line is from a scene from the novel by Yann Martel called Life of Pi, where the main character, Pi, is being questioned about his journey on the Pacific in a life raft with a tiger for 227 days. Japanese businessmen have come to ask why his boat, the Tsimtsum, sank.

Pi tells two stories of his escape of the Pacific: one, with himself, a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and a tiger, and another with himself, a Chinaman, the French cook of the Tsimtsum, and Pi's mother. He first tells the story of himself with the animals. The hyena kills and eats the zebra with a broken leg, and the orangutan, and the tiger, Richard Parker, kills and eats the hyena. Then Pi is left with the task of living with a tiger on a raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for seven months, and eventually takes on the challenge of training the tiger, the only way he sees possible for him to survive.

After completion of his first story, the Japanese men are skeptical to say the least. They ask him for the real story of what happens, so he gives them a more believable story: The cook kills the Chinaman with a broken leg, and Pi's mother, and Pi kills the cook. He asks the Japanese men which story they preferred, and they pick the story with the animals. The interesting thing about this book is that Yann Martel lets you decide which story is the better choice; he never specifically states which one is true.

The men eventually figure out that Pi has just told the same story: that the hyena is symbolic of the cook, the zebra of the Chinaman, the orangutan of the mother, and Richard Parker of Pi.

When Pi tells them that they will never meet Richard parker because he is hiding somewhere that no one will ever find him, he actually means that his wild side (what is known as Richard Parker) will never be seen again because he keeps it under control. He will try for the rest of his life to control Richard Parker, because he doesn't want anyone to see what he is capable of.

I think deep down, Pi loved Richard Parker because he helped him get through the most strenuous journey of his life. When he reaches land and Richard Parker leaps off the boat, Pi feels sorry that Richard Parker is leaving. Every human being has his or her own Richard Parker inside of them, and I'm sure if you got to know them, you would love them too. Most of us will probably not meet the tiger that looms in the shadows of our souls because he is only uncaged in moments of crisis, such as Pi's. Let us hope that whatever happens, our struggles will not to be so great as to unleash our tigers.http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/95011/tiger_wm2.jpg

Ahhh ... perfect

The sky is gray. Not a light gray, but the color of fresh cement. The wind is blowing like it will never stop. I can feel a light rain. A storm is coming. The smell of salt is strong in the air, but not pungent; it's more relaxing than anything. I frown in concentration regardless.The waves are colossal and spaced brilliantly: about a bus length between each one. One crashes, and I feel the cool rush of water over my feet. As soon as the ocean is as deep as my ankle, I launch it. As fast as my feet will carry me, I run alongside my projectile. The next wave is about to hit. I jump, cling to my missile now kissing the water. I brace for the wave and pull up, turning it into a ramp. I'm flying over the water: a falcon hunting for its fish. And in those few seconds, I think to myself: "Why can't every day be like this: beyond compare, and full of bliss?"

"Star Wars IV: A New Hope"

"The force is strong in this one."
         Luke Skywalker was an average Joe, but only on the outside. Inside, he was filled with his father's ability and force power, and also, his master's, Obi Wan Kenobi, patience and wit. This movie was a fantastic sequence of light saber battles, flying scenes, and the strategy of war. My father has been wanting me to see this movie for a while, so we were both delighted when I found out that I had an excuse for fitting this movie into our busy lives.
        This movie is not just an everyday movie. It makes you feel for Luke, because maybe you feel like him sometimes. Or maybe you just like it because R2-D2 is a hilarious little astro-droid. Probably both, but the more important one is the first. George Lucas made you believe that you could be a nobody and then, through natural talent, become a somebody (a dream that all people have). For example, I wish that I could be discovered by some great fencing master, and be whisked away to some taciturn instructing arena in a small European country for my swordsmanship. But Lucas makes you believe that, if a simple farmboy from Tattoine can become the one hope for the galaxy, then anything is possible.

Nantahala Trip

"All my friends are in my cabin: Austin Lewis, Thomas Moon, David Blue, Drew Moore, and Harrison Long (but I don't know Harrison that well)" I had such a fun time at Nantahala, by just hanging out with my friends. Whether it was on the river, on the lake, or just hanging out in the cabin. Actually, the funniest things that happened on that trip happened in the cabin. One time, Moon had been going to the bathroom, and then Mr. Rice (who was the adult looking over us because we had a cabin to ourselves) went in. He came out saying, "Moon, you up in the loft?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Moon, you clogged the shitter!"
Just spending time in my cabin was a great experience, because being with my friends is more fun than any adventure.