KHS Junior Private Party -- March 27, 2011

This event, was probably the highlight of this month, scratch that; of this year.  It was well planned, there were a few contests, plenty of dancing, all you can eat food, and a kind of ambiance that just isn't replicable in a gym.  Did I mention dancing? In short, practically everybody this evening was a party animal for a while.  Even some of the teachers (and I as well) joined the foray.   When I left the Ala Moana Hotel at 10:11 PM (4 hours later), I did not see a single frown on anybodies face, except for a few grimaces due to sore feet (high heels).  


First off, the setting.  This party took place in a nightclub.  An actual night club.  With smoke machines, mini disco-balls, strobe lights, lasers's up the wazoo, spinning fixtures, a dance floor, and projection screens showing off popular music videos and the occasional "Welcome to Rumours".  There were also dancing cages.  People got a lot of laughs out of those. I kind of got a headache when the strobe effect went on but that was probably just me (party virgin here).  

The place had AC but it wasn't uncomfortable.  I'd like to say that it hit that "Goldilocks" temperature; not too hot and not too cold (and everybody knows that when it's too cold, you just gotta use the restroom...over and over again).  The seats were nice (comfy padded cloth chairs or bar stools) and the lighting gave the room an ambient relaxed kind of atmosphere (similar to before a movie starts in the theater).  The pillars, multiple floor levels, and weird carpet texture had me feeling like I was in the back portion of Willy Wonka's factory.  I liked that weirdness.  Not to mention that the ceiling was a complete mishmash of pipes, lights, and other assorted metal.  That was pretty cool.  There was even a kind of private room in case you didn't agree with all the noise. 


The food was okay.  It's not 5 stars gourmet kind of stuff but that's okay.  It's not like the brochure said you'd be having Iron chef quality food.  Not to say that it tasted bad.  In fact, I'd say that most of the food there tasted quite good.  Especially the fried noodles and fruits.  And avocado crab sushi. And buffalo wings.  The pasta salad had a little too much onion but then again, not everybody nitpicks like me.  The fact that this was all you can eat was a definite plus.  Also, the food wasn't "heavy"; it didn't get in the way of dancing.  The bar provided a wide array of fountain drinks (sodas) on demand.  


The games were pretty fun.  They weren't elaborate as most games are during the pep rallies.  It was just called "Bend Over".  Now that you've taken some time to pull your mind out of the gutter, allow me to elaborate.  There was a stack of boxes on the ground in front of you about a foot tall.  The point of the game is to bend over without bending your knees and pick up the box tower with your mouth. Everybody had a try and as the participants came full circle, the tower got smaller along with the number of people competing (they couldn't handle it).  Eventually it got to the last little 3 inch tall box.  About 4 or 5 people managed to do it (me included).  2 teachers also did it (Mrs. Kishimoto and Aunty Holly).  All participants got prizes ranging from school supplies to 32 ounce bags of animal crackers to stuffed teddy bears the size of a rather husky grizzly cub. 


There was also a call in contest where the 11th caller to a specified phone number had a chance to win a brand new Ipod Nano. I won't say who won, but the question was pretty easy.  "List three of the first names of the teachers chaperoning this event."  

The last game or rather contest was a "dance-off".  The prizes were upped this time and at least 5 people walked away with prizes that included Ala Moana gift cards valued up to $100, $50, and $25.  That was the best thing about this party.  There weren't many competitors so out of the 40-50 or so people that went, I believe a good 20 of them left with a prize.  That's 40%.  I'd say your chances of winning were pretty good, wouldn't you say?  


Music.  There were two DJ's and well... It was party music.  There were some unpopular soundtracks (Bieber) but that was easily fixed with a quick suggestion.  I thought that was great.  You could suggest songs if you didn't like what was being played.  Power to the students.  Songs included were by artists like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Far Off, Ceolo Green, Chris Brown, Bruno Mars, and Lil Wayne.  The dancing portion was great.  The music was varied and there were even some easter eggs in the form of oldies but goodies like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and the never fail "Electric Slide".  I think most people who went to the club actually got on the dance floor at one point. Though of course, I was disappointed that the DJ's were unfamiliar with some of my favorites.  

To be fair, I did have some problems with the party.  The one thing that irked me were the announcers.  They butchered the script.  Or rather, a announcer.  To protect their identity, I have given them a new one; Liphu Gino.  Why do you have to talk like a god-damned robot?  I think it was a great thing that there's such a thing as varying your tone.  You know, to have a change of pace in pronunciation?  I know you're reading it from a script but couldn't you make an attempt at making it sound like you're not reading it?  It's okay to use improv.  I mean, what would you say if the ceiling collapsed: "AND LETS START THIS THING OFF WITH A BANG"?

(This guy manages to sound totally badass.  And he's a robot.  What is your excuse?)

In conclusion, I'm inclined to say that the most fun I ever had this year was at this party.  It doesn't top Disney World, but in all honesty, what can?   In my personal opinion, this was the best high school event I ever went to, hands down.  Blew Freshman year out of the water, destroyed Sophomore year, and might be a heavy competitor for Senior year. There were a lot of people, all dressed semi-formally and in tasteful attire, I had a lot of fun dancing, and at the end of the event; with the sweat on my brow and the pain in my heels,  I (along with many others) felt satisfied that this was a $35 very well spent. Major props to the people who were able to make this possible, and the sponsors who donated the prizes.  If you couldn't make it to this event, I truly feel sorry for you and hope you're able to make it to a similar event next year.  


P.S. If you have photos you want to share on here, link it to me. 

NES Classics Castlevania -- for GBA

Today just happens to mark the 5 month anniversary of the time I finally defeated the game known as Castlevania on the GBA.  As of this moment, I have still only beaten it once on normal mode.  It's that hard.  Despite this obvious quill in the backside, the game is still playable.  It's actually one of my favorites in my collection.  The gameplay, the setting, the enemies, and the music are in my opinion, it's best features.

The main plot of the game is that you're a warrior named Simon Belmont, who's taken it upon himself to find and destroy Dracula, who's hidden away deep inside his castle.  You have to make your way through 6 stages, defeating different iconic monsters to get deeper inside, all while gaining different power ups, weapons, and a twitch finger reaction. 

Simon's main weapon is the whip, which can be upgraded from the short leather whip to the spiked ball and chain, and finally to the Vampire killer (a longer version of the spiked ball and chain).  You can only aim to the left and right.  They are found by whipping candles. 


Other items include hearts, which are gotten from enemies or candles that are scattered through out the stage.  Instead of replenishing life (as gaming intuition would tell you) they act as ammo for your subweapons. Sacks of money earn you points, food replenishes your health, gold potion acts as invincibility (sort of like the Star in Super Mario but without the enemy dieing when coming in contact with you), and the Holy cross kills everything on the screen. 


The Subweapons are found when attacking the candles and they're all unique.  The Axe attacks in a arcing pattern while the Dagger goes forward and goes relatively quickly.  The Boomerang cross goes... in a boomerang pattern.  Holy water travels a short distance ahead of Simon when thrown and on contact with the ground or enemy, bursts into a small ember that continually damages the enemy while freezing it (overpowered).  The Stop watch is the most expensive subweapon, costing a whopping 5 hearts to activate while the rest only need one. It freezes every enemy and obstacle on the screen (like collapsing spikes and moving platforms).  The double and triple shot allows a player to use a subweapon in a rapid fire fashion with the roman numeral corresponding to the amount of weapons you throw at one time.  

The enemies are fantastic.  There are ghouls, ghosts, vampire bats, hunchbacks, skeletons, hawks, dark knights, bone dragons, medusa heads, you name it.  The bosses just get better with a killer bat, mummies, Frankenstein's monster and Igor, Medusa, the Grim Reaper, and Dracula.  Does anybody see a recurring theme here?  Their design was just great.  Keep in mind that this game was competing with stuff like Super Mario.  Compared to that, Konami did a hell of a job at recreating some of the silver ages best horror monsters on the 8-bit NES.  

Now on to the gameplay.  The control... isn't the greatest in the world.  When Simon jumps, he commits to where he's going.  You cannot change the trajectory and he always moves a set distance.  At least he can attack while jumping.  Simon also moves at the same exact pace throughout the whole game; a slow trudge.  The primary problem in this game is that when you're hit, it often meant you were going to die.  Not because of being hit too many times, no, you had a lifebar.  The problem was that whenever you got hit, you flew back.  And this normally resulted in you falling into a pit or water, where no lifebar can save you. Then there are the annoying enemies like the medusa heads.  I swear, I never look at a wavy line in a positive manner anymore... Ok, I feel like I'm just beating a dead horse now.  Better leave this kind of bashing to the experts.  

The music on the other hand is top notch.  Each stage had it's own unique theme that matched very well with the setting.  Would you believe that a game that came out in 1986 (a year after Super Mario Bros) managed to simulate music that was reminiscent of 80's rock and classical piano?  Just listen. 

In conclusion, this game is incredibly difficult (nigh impossible on hard mode) and should be played by only the most avid of retro-gamers.  Back in the day, this type of hand eye coordination exercise was common, unlike now.  In fact, the version that I'm playing is the easy version.  On the original NES, there was no save function to my knowledge, which meant that losing all your lives put you right back at the start.  This meant you would have to beat the game in one sitting.  The game is short (it can be beaten within 20 minutes with the luck of God and the reflexes of a crack snorting cheetah) but it can take days just to get past one level due to it's difficulty.  If you're an ordinary gamer, and not even kinda-sort of a casual gamer, then I suggest you do not at any point; pick up this game and play it.  I will not be held responsible for any broken consoles, furniture, and sleepless nights.  

Of Mice and Men -- By John Steinbeck

I finished reading this classic about a couple minutes ago, and I have to be honest.  I really liked it.  This book deserves its place on the recommended reading lists.  It's short so it should appeal to the casual reader.  In fact, you can finish it in a couple hours. The edition I have is a mere 118 pages long, but each page is jam packed with emotional dialogue between characters, and vivid imagery that gives off the feel of that "backwoods America".  It never gets boring (at least for me).  However, this story does not have a happy ending.  If books could make somebody cry, roll around the ground in agony, and feel depressed for a small amount of time afterward, this would be one of them.


The plot basically goes like this.  Two homeless guys, George and Lennie; are traveling together looking for a job.  They're like two dissimilar peas in a pod.  On the one hand, George is intelligent, cunning, and level headed; Lennie is dumb, slow, obsessed with rabbits, and incredibly strong (which plays a key role in the story). George acts as a big brother (ironic considering their implied size differences) for Lennie, in the occasions that he accidentally goes too far.  He isn't violent.  He's just childlike with no way to control his strength, much like a kid a gun.  He kills animals when he pets them (mice and a puppy) which foreshadows the fate of other smaller creatures he encounters.  They both share one goal however.  It's the quintessential American dream.  The only thing they want in life is to start up their own farm and "live off the fatta the lan".

The book starts off with the two in the middle of a forest running away from something, apparently from lynchers that want to kill Lennie for trying to "rape" a woman when the reality was that Lennie was feeling her dress (he liked velvet).  The duo figure out that they need to work for money and food, so they get a job at a farm. The primary problem comes in the form of an angry little man that loves to pick on bigger people, who goes by the name of Curley.  He also happens to be the son of the farm owner.  Then there's his promiscuous wife, who Lennie immediately finds himself attracted to, which kind of brings back the reason why they got in that mess.

It's not all bad for George and Lennie.  They meet a one handed farm hand who goes by the name of Candy.  He also wants his own farm and promises to pitch in his own money to make their combined dream a reality.  You can't help but feel elated that they might actually live on their own, despite the unrealistic nature of it all.

Things start to look good but they quickly fall flat.  Curley's wife manages to catch Lennie alone and despite his attempts to get away, he becomes enthralled by her hair.  Of course, she screams, and Lennie (who innocently just wants her to keep quiet so George doesn't scold him) tries to muffle her, killing her in the process.  You can already tell by now that the two are in some deep shit.

Lennie runs off into the woods while Curley; in a rage, forms a search party to find and kill him.  George can only reluctantly follow along. Lennie starts to hallucinate and sees images of his Aunt and a giant rabbit; entities that he adores with all his heart.  They start scolding him for dragging George along and at this point, the reader would probably stop and think "Why does George put up with Lennie?"  The images fade and George (the real person) comes into to comfort Lennie.   This leads to the most poignant part of the story.    George now realizes that if he doesn't bring in Lennie, he'll be taken along and killed too.  But if he does, Lennie will be locked up or killed by the enraged Curley.  Left with no choice, he tells Lennie to turn around and envision their dream home in the distance. As Lennie does so, George brings out a gun, wobbles while positioning the muzzle at the back of the head, and finally kills his own distracted friend, execution style.

As the last pages start to come up, you realize that it probably killed George on the inside to do what he just did.  After all, this was something that nobody should have to do.  It becomes hard not to shed a tear at the way that these two men were already on the right track to achieving their goal in life only to have it be thrashed to pieces by a simple accident.  When one of Curly's men utters the question "Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?" in the last line of the book, the reader immediately knows the answer.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords -- For GBA

This game is to put it simply; a masterpiece.  It isn't perfect, but for the time, it was one of the greatest in regard to it's story, graphics, sound, simplicity, gameplay, and it's post game experience.

The basic plot is that you're a young boy in the land of Hyrule named Link.  Princess Zelda somehow telepathically tells you that she's trapped in a dungeon and she needs to be rescued.  You rescue her, you discover that some wizard named Agahnim is trying to free Ganon (The equivalent of Bowser) using the Seven Sages.  The only weapon that can defeat Agahnim is the Master Sword but before you can get the Master Sword; you have to get 3 magical pendants to prove your worthiness.  You get the Master Sword and defeat Agahnim but you're still only a third of the way through the game.  Then you have to go to the Dark World (Which is just an alternate version of Hyrule) and rescue the daughters of the Seven Sages (since they're already long dead).  You upgrade your Master Sword, learn the Spin Attack, fight Agahnim again, and finally... you face off against Ganon: an evil giant magic trident wielding pig with a cape.  He's also bipedal.

In summation, this game is pretty long.  The world map is huge (almost to the scale of Pokemon) and the fact that there's two of them (Light and Dark World) makes traversing through the game a chore.  Thankfully, there are ways for you to move around faster in the game (Running with the Pegasus boots, and calling on a bird to carry you around to specific points).  There are also many different dungeons.

What I'm playing is a port for the Game Boy Advance from the original on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).  Despite this, the game still holds well for something that was released almost 20 years ago.  The colors are very vibrant (kind of Super Mario World-esque) and the music's just great.  Some of the soundtracks were popular enough to be remixed into certain parts of Super Smash Brother's Brawl.  I got this game without any instructions from a used GBA cabinet at Gamestop.  I was also able to play this as soon as I left the store.  It was that easy to learn.  I value that "Pick up and Play" aspect of the game.  That's why they call it a game.


The gameplay is rich and entertaining.  There's nothing like slashing at a monster, charging into a whole group with a sword at the ready, and annihilating an entire mob of them with one item.  There are an impressive amount of items.  Just look at it.

And keep in mind that more items were included in the GBA port such as 3 more jars and a shovel.  Along with the standard items of any LoZ game (Bow and Arrows, Boomerang, Hookshot, Bombs, etc..) there are some new ones like the elemental wands, the magic medallions, 2 magic staffs, a magic mirror (to switch between worlds), jars (to hold potions or fairies), Pegasus boots, power gloves, swim flippers, sword, shield, chain mail, etc...  Using some of these items depletes a magic meter that Link has so it's not possible to spam without some form of punishment.  Regardless, it just gives you so many options.  Mario had at best only 3 or so power ups.


Dungeons are a staple of all games in the series.  There are rooms upon rooms of unique puzzles, traps, enemies, and treasures.  The recurring theme is that you find an important item in the dungeon and you use that item to get through the rest of it to the boss.  The boss's weakness normally just happens to be the most recent item you found in his dungeon.  Despite this, they were still a challenge.  Here I was, playing a video game that was older than I was, and I was still impressed with the quality of the boss fights and their designs (and occasionally getting my ass whupped).

The Light and Dark World feature is an integral part of the story.  First of all, they're not all that different, the only differences being that the Dark World is a distorted version of the Light World.  They're practically the same shape with similar enemies.  The differences are that the enemies are stronger, they have a different appearance, and some obstacles have been radically changed (a bridge in the Light World might be broken in the Dark World).  The keys to finishing this game are the Moon Pearl and the Magic Mirror.  Moon Pearl allows you to keep your form in the Dark World (not having the Moon Pearl in the Dark World turns you into a helpless rabbit), and the Magic Mirror allows you to switch from the Light World to the Dark World (to go back, you have to enter a portal which normally pops up from the ground where you materialized).  The two worlds are intertwined so certain actions in one world can affect another which then allows you to advance further in the game.

There are a whole lot of things to do even after completion of the game.  You could spend hours just running around Hyrule.  There are heart containers and heart pieces (1/4th of a heart container) to collect.  Containers normally come as a reward for defeating a boss but they can also be found in minigames found around the over world.  The pieces tend to be the most difficult to collect seeing as how they're always hidden and that there are 24 of them.  You can also upgrade some of your items, like your shield for more reflective capabilities, chain mail for more defense, sword for attack power (with projectile capabilities at full health), power glove to lift heavier items, boomerang for more range, and bow/arrows for a key part of the game.  You could even explore the area to find fairy fountains that acted as rest stops to restore all your health or as a place to increase your ammo for certain items.  There was even a potion that doubled your magic meter.  I found these to be incredibly useful.  

I do have some gripes about this game though.  For one thing, some of the puzzles are just way too hard to figure out.  I noticed that I had to rely on trial and error a lot more often than my brain for some of them.  How would anybody know that some of the blocks in a certain room were pushable?  Who would have the patience to check every block in the game?


Some of the heart pieces, I noticed were very out of the way.  You would have to do something incredibly specific to find all of them.  I had to use a walkthrough to find every heart piece in the game and I got to tell you, it still wasn't easy.  You had to switch back from Light World to Dark World (sometimes back) in very specific locations.  Unless you were going to check every single pixel in the game, I doubt this was something doable by the average joe.


Some of the other stuff was a little cryptic too.  How could anybody know that you could get an upgraded item by throwing it away into a fountain?  My first instinct would have been "Hell no, I'm not throwing away my boomerang."


After a little research, I realized this game was originally made in 1991.  During this time, the internet was still trying to take a foothold and there were no strategy guides available through the web.  Game designers loved to put cryptic stuff into the game.  Why?  So that gamers would be forced to look for ways to keep going on in the game.  Back then, Nintendo Power was the only way you could get a 100 percent playthrough.  If you didn't purchase a subscription, have a best bud who did, or a local library with the latest editions; you were left in the dust.  Other examples of games like these are Metroid, Super Mario Bros, Castlevania, Contra, etc... Basically, anything with a cheat code or hidden area. 

If you had the patience to read through all that, then hats off to you.  Overall, despite the cryptic nature of some portions of the game, it doesn't really take that much from the whole gaming experience.  After all, you could justify it by saying that nobody really get's 100 percent completion in Zelda, only die hard nerds do that.  Well, the jokes on me.  Overall, I say that if you manage to get your hands on one of these; I highly recommend that you check it out.  It's well worth your time.


Note: I'm aware that there was a second game that came with the cartridge, but I found this to be unusable seeing how you needed at least two players (link cable and all) to play the game.  If you did manage to complete the game however, it would have triggered an event in A Link to the Past where you would have been able to access a bonus dungeon.  To my knowledge, this dungeon is incredibly difficult to defeat with an enhanced version of four of the dark world bosses.  After each boss fight, you gain a colored sword.  After collecting all four swords and entering the final boss room, you fight four versions of yourself, with the difficulty amplifying after  each clone's defeat.  Killing the final Link will trigger a secret cutscene showing all the enemies, bosses, and their names, respectively. 

Character Biography

Designation: Eric D. Schwab

Age: 16 (17 on April 5th) 

Ethnicity: Asian (Vietnamese)

Attending: Kaimuki High School

15 Things about me - Likes and Dislikes 

 This was something brought up by a friend, so I decided to try it.  

1. What are you obsessed about? Transformers.  Love it in every way.  I've watched almost every single TV series, all the movies (since I can count them all on my hand), and I've even read some of the comics/books (IDW, Alex Irvine, Dreamwave, etc...)  I can name the different classes of toys, I can name the different robots, and I can correctly identify which universe(or alternity - Shattered Glass) they belong to.  Most disturbingly of all, I know a lot about the mythology of an alien race that does not even exist.  Optimus Prime is my frickin' hero.  Starscream and Soundwave are just there as secondary favorites. 

2.  Books. I love books with a passion.  They are like portals to a completely different world in the convenience of a binded assemblage of paper and ink.  You can be anything you want: Harry Potter, Ivan Ilyich, White Fang,  Captain Nemo, absolutely not Bella Swan or Edward Cullen, Don Quixote, etcetera,  etcetera. It's like a trip of some sort which can be interpreted differently by different viewers. You can read at your own pace and turn back the pages if you missed something.  I prefer hardcover over paperback though.  

3.  Movies. I love movies and theater with an even greater passion.  It takes a lot of talent and work to bring a script to life on the stage or on the silver screen.  It's very easy to act poorly what with stage fright, having absolutely no idea what good acting is, or overcompensating and giving it a frustrating campy atmosphere (also known as "cheese").  The music also plays an important role.  When the writer, the actor(s), and the effects specialists come together, the feeling is like no other.  Boom; there I am right next to Eastwood in the iconic Mexican standoff, watching a scuffle between the Sharks and Jets, and riding shotgun with the Terminator.  Despite the rising ticket costs, I think that with the right movie/play, the price is well worth it.  

4.  Soccer.  You can tell I don't "lurve" this like the others due to it's succinctness.  The fact is that I joined primarily because my father played it.  A lot. As a result, I thought I'd give it a try.  I liked the experience.  I felt fitter and overall, the whole "running around a field kicking a ball all day" was pretty enjoyable.  I look forward to playing it again next season.  

5.  Robotics.  Again, this is practically another version of number 1.  This interest pretty much branched from it.  I think it's important and definitely a relevant topic in our changing society.  I hope to God we have Ironman suits and Optimus Primes up and running before I die. It might even be a possible career choice for me. 

(I just love this stuff way too much)

6. School.  It's kind of a love-hate relationship.  There are always people asking me "Hey, do you like school?" (I can't imagine why; it must be the clothes I'm wearing or something.)  I like school to a point.  It's just the endless tedium I can't take.  For example, I understand why we have to know the human body, and how to find the maximum and minimum area of a field: but when you have to do it over and over again in the most inefficient way possible?  There needs to be some reform. 


7. Video games.  I'm male.  And a teen.  You can already predict my stance on this stuff.  It's great.  Just fucking great.  What most people don't realize is that behind all the bonus points, the bosses, and the extra lives, is something that isn't too different from a book or a movie.  Granted they vary a lot from the way they're presented.  But games hold a lot of story to them.  Pacman was originally intended for girls due to the "vibrant" color scheme of the ghosts and the first Street Fighter flat out sucks unlike the versions that came after it.  Video games are a great representative of it's culture.  For example, when you look at the older retro games like Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, etc... you start to see a pattern.  They were all based in a fantasy setting (knights, princesses, castles, plumbers...) which was very popular at the time.  Even now, despite the myriad of choices to play, the most popular games are first and third person shooters like Halo, Call of Duty, Modern Warfare, Gears of War, Battlefield, Killzone, etc...  It's not a coincidence that we happen to be in a couple wars right now.  

8. Food.  I like a lot of different kinds of food.  I typically enjoy those that taste good.  Who doesn't?  Curry, stews, and other soups tend to be my favorites, but fruits and certain chocolates are also great.  I'm not sure if Wasabi counts as a food or condiment so I'll just say I like the smell of it.  


9. Turtles and tortoises are pretty fun animals.  They don't move very fast, except for some swimming varieties, but I like their tank-like shells.  They're almost like living stones, tables, stools, or ottomans.  

10.  Space... is big.  Really big.  If you can tell what book I'm referencing, pat yourself on the back or other body part of preference.  It's so big, that I think there's a pretty good chance that some kind of intelligent life is out there beside us.  If the Earth is a grain of blue and green sand on a beach spanning several miles, don't you think the odds are in favor of another intelligent race?  If not, then you must suck at gambling and I would like to play you in some form of card game involving money/coupons.  

11.  I don't think I'm that smart.  Compared with what other people have done, I've done practically nothing.  Look at that kid who got into college at 7.  Daaaayuuuum...   But I'm not that much of a self deprecating masochist.  I give myself credit when it's due just like everyone else.  


12.  My taste in music is not consistent with what everybody else expects of me.  Whatever that is.  I like Heavy metal.  Specifically 80's Hair metal.  I like Jazz.  I like Classical. I like techno.  I like video game music (of course).  But the key detail is that I think they actually sound good.  With all this auto-tune stuff nowadays, I feel like music artists have kind of lost sight of what actual singing mean't. What happened to the passion; the emotion?  I'm curious.  How does Bieber sound without a recording studio?  

13.  I like all kinds of colors depending on what it's on.  I like red strawberries.  I guess a blue strawberry would be kind of interesting.  A purple, black, white strawberry... no. 


14.  Do I like being called a nerd?  Yes and no.  I'm flattered that you think I'm smart, but I'm also kind of disgusted that you would need to fore go my actual name and group me along with an entire group of people that are also individuals.  Like me.  I like wearing the pressed collared shirt and tie (pocket protector, pocket calculator, the whole shebang) because it's comfortable and it's efficient.  Pen?  No problem.  Oh, and don't go calling people "nerds" willy nilly.  Chances are, you're confusing them with a geek, a dweeb, or at worst, a dork.  You might even be way off target when it was actually none of the above. 

15.  My last name.  I hate it when people pester me about that.  Even adults are guilty of this same thing.  It's annoying.  Do I ask you how you got your face that way?  I'm sorry. That was irrelevant.  But then again, so is asking me my why I got my last name.  It's a last name.  It's not going to be a question on Jeopardy.  If you really want to know then fine.  Ever heard of Charles Schwab?  That  investment service?  Yeah, I'm not related to him in any way.  I just saw his name on a building when I was 5 or something and I asked my parents "Can I have a name change?" and there you go.  From that point on, I was Eric Schwab.