Apostolic Chronicles -Blazing Seint

Now see, I didn't lie in my last post, it just took me a couple of months.

Oh man have I been busy.
Chicken update: I now have 9 adult chickens and 14 baby chicks (10 Rhode Island Reds & 4 Araucanas). This September, I will have egg out the wazoo!
I'll also be attending college this fall at Jefferson Technical College. The best part: I only have to pay about a $700, as $8000 of it is COVERED! Yay for me!

I'm kind of having an ADD moment, so this is all I feel like writing right now.

Dang, it's been seven weeks since I've updated my LJ. But no matter.

Well, Christmas and New Year's are both passed and I'm left with boring January. Got lots of Christmas presents (like Persona 4 and Manga!), so it all went pretty good. I was going to Take a Microsoft Excel class, but it was cancelled ('cause I was the only one who signed up -_-). But I received some free chickens from a person at dad's work, a white (orphington?) hen and a black Cochin, which Sam has named Daisy and Vinny.

And so, I will go to play Castlevania and try to slay my boredom. But of course, I will be back.

Well, I've graduated. I bet you're probably like, "Wha? I thought you already got you GED?" and yes, I did. But I didn't " take the walk ".

And last Thursday, I did. I'll just give the highlights, because I can't be arsed to write the whole thing.

Arrive. Get photo taken. Stand/walk around. Rehearsal. Parent and Grandparents and Sibling arrive. Friends from Church arrive. It starts. Listen (while giving Sam's video camera creepy eye flicks :-). Receive Honor Graduate award (and take the wrong way back to my seat). Listen to a LONG speech. Receive my Certificate (and take the wrong way back to my seat again. Damn, I really am not good with directions!). Eat Pizza. The end.

Now aren't you glad I saved you from having to skim through all the nonsensical crap other people might put down. You're welcome.

So now, it's either continue education or find a job. Or both, if I'm feeling a little crazy. Only God knows.

Ahhh, it feels SO good to just laze about for awhile.

Having gotten my brand-frickin-new GED, I realize all the possibilities open to me now. I could go to college. I could get a job. Heck, I could do both.

But one thing is for certain: I've decided against joining the Coast Guard. I just wouldn't be happy doing something like that, I'm very independent, so having to follow a bunch of orders is not something I like. And because of it, I'm getting back into missions! God is more important to me than some country's safety. I know that sounds harsh and ungrateful, but it seems to me that once you join an armed force, you sell (figurativaly) a part of your soul to it. They own you for however long you enlist, and I absolutely could not do that. My soul belongs exclusively to the eternal, almighty LORD, not a finite government. I might do the Reserves, though. They seem a lot more appealing than full time work, considering it would be only a couple drills a month (And women love guys in uniforms ;-P). Eh, maybe or maybe not, I'll decide when I turn 18.

So now, I just need to get a job. Easier said than done, I know. But with that shiny GED, something will surely happen.

Right?

So little time, so much to do.

In case you're wondering. . .

Language Arts, Writing: 490
Social Studies: 640
Science: 700
Language Arts, Reading: 480
Mathematics: 480

Total Score: 2790
Needed Score: 2250

Status: PASSED!

Oh yeah.

It feels so good to have finally finished the test. Like a weight's been lifted, if you don't mind a cliche. God deserves all the credit though. Without Him, there's no way I would have been able to pass. He kept me sane on the days I felt like going loco.

Mom and Sam were very excited (I got ambushed by hugs every time a score came up).

All and all, a very eventful and exciting week.

That's right! Monday and Tuesday is the day I'll test for the GED. To be frank, I'm nervous as hell. I'd just like to be done with it once and for all. I'd like to just take a few months off from doing any kind of scholastic thing. Especially concerning math! I mean, can you blame me? Math just plain sucks.

Well, I regret to inform you that I probably won't be able to go to a technical college. I don't want to be a monetary burden to my parents, so I've been looking at another option. Joining the Coast Guard. I like the aspect of helping people and the paycheck not too bad. Plus it will be a steady job for me, not to mention, it will toughen me up physically.

The saddest part is, I probably won't be able to go on missionary trips to Japan, at least not for quite a while. I had hoped to go as soon as possible, but now it seems like a hopeless hope. I don't show it, but its painful to be unable to do this for God. Spreading the Gospel is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I've already faced obsticles (I'm still facing my extreme shyness), and right when the winds of victory were pushing me forward, a iron gate slams down right in front of me. The Economic Crisis of 2008.

Depression is hitting me hard. I feel like I'm just floating around, like nothing's happening. Some nights I cry myself to sleep. I don't even have anyone who truly understands what I'm feeling. I wanted to be a missionary so bad; it was so close, and because of some greed-ridden banks and a drunken Wall Street, my dream's been chipped. Not shattered, but just injured.

Well, sorry for being a downer, but that's how I'm feeling right now. . . 

Today I was supposed to take my GED test.

But then they canceled it.

The new date is Oct. 20 and 21 (the anniversery of my baptism). Who knows, maybe God is gonna to do something special for me (Like a GED miracle, maybe!)

I stayed up until 3:30 last night, watching a documentary about prophecy concerning Israel. Pretty cool stuff, like did you know that the exact year of Israel's rebirth was prophesied (can't remember which prophet but I think it's Daniel)?

Well, another month to go. . .

. . . Until I try for my GED!! I finally got past the bloody math (Praise Jesus!) and on the 22nd, I will be able to take the test. About time, too!

I've also been dabbling in making my own Visual Novel (titled Aki no Kioku or Memories of Autumn). The scripting was kind of hard to learn at first, for example, to put in text you have to do this: 

text,[character #]
{
[put what the character is saying in here]
}

Like that. Over and over. I can see why games are so expensive.

I've also been doing a Spiritual Warfare Bible study at my church. It's pretty cool. I can't say I agree with everything in the workbook, but I do agree with a lot of it.

Just when I thought I was free, it pulls me back in.

I re-took the TABE test yesterday, and guess what. My math skills (specifically dealing with fractions and pre-algeba) still aren't high enough for college. So I have to do more revision work. 

And I now know the reason why I'm depressed. Who's to blame? ALGEBRA.

My plans after my GED are this: Get a Computer Engineering degree and then go get my Bachelor's in Missiology. After that, I'm going to Japan for 5 to 10 years to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After that, who knows?

Now I just need to get through the math. . . Easier said than done.

 It seems my worries were actually groundless. 

Math Comp revision is (except for a few pages) a breeze. Just goes to show that all that worrying amounts to nothing. It's only been one week and I've finished 40+ pages.

I know. I can't believe it myself.

"But Brandon," You might say, "Are you sure they did not give you Language Arts by mistake?"
And I say to you, nay, いいえ, or whatever else you use to express "No". It was good old fashion evil math, where X does not stand for porno. Believe it or not, there is such a thing. It's called "Multiplication".
"But Brandon," You might say again, "How were you able to best such a thing as the dreaded math!?"
I say to you, by the Grace of the Lord Jesus and a site called Coolmath.com. Which had easy explaination of all thing mathmatical and pain-in-the-ass-ical.

Also, I might be getting a job soon. I'll keep you posted on this matter.

Ugh. God, please put me out of my misery. Please. . .

As you can probably tell, I do in fact have to take Math Comp revision. And I do, in fact hate it.

Mind you, I've never been good at math (All the jumble of numbers makes me freak out [for example: bull + color red = death of color red by impalement]), so when I heard that I would, in deed, have to take it, I was less than thrilled. But, I'll just have to grit my teeth and slosh through it the best I can.

Also, for reasons unknown to me, I've been feeling depressed lately. Maybe I'm just overwhelmed by the math, or just stressed out? I don't know. 

A little spot of sunshine in my current overcast: Dad just got a new boat. And it is awesome (I am now referring to it as "The Fishing Machine!?"). The Fishing Machine!? is quite nice; considering my Dad bought it for just $2000. Even came with a dept finder. I'm going to have fun in October.

Yet it's not.
I've finished the dreaded TABE test (whatever the hell it means, I still haven't figured it out), and. . .
I did excellent.
Not to brag or anything, but I kind of expected that. The only subject I 'might' need revision in is Math Comp, but math sucks pineapples anyway. I'm not sure wether I'll get to go on to the GED Pre-tests or if I need to take revision classes (let's hope for the former), but it doesn't matter. I WILL get my GED, go on to college and then on to missions. That much is non-negotiable.

I also bought some new manga while at the mall Saturday: Eureka Seven vol. 4, Gin Tama vol. 3, and Fullmetal Alchemist vol. 1. Not as much as I usaully get, but oh well, still a good haul.

I also found out that Atlus is bring Shim Megami Tensai: Persona 4 over to America! I can die happy now! (lol) Persona 3 is my favorite game ever; I'm even planning on getting FES (think of it as Persona 3: Director's Cut). From what I've seen by doing some digging online, P4 is going to be so much more awesome than P3. 

All is good today!

Hey guys, welcome to my journal. It isn't the most spectacular, but its my life. In a nutshell.

Yes, you will have nightmares for weeks after viewing this. (Only kidding).

. . .Or am I? o_O

It's been quite a busy day for me (a busy week more like, I thought vacations are supposed to be relaxing). I took my first test on my road to getting my GED, the dreaded T.A.B.E. Test. And before you ask, I have no idea what T.A.B.E. means so don't bother asking. It not too bad. Just about two-hundred questions (but thankfully there's no time limit!) designed to screw with your mind that are mildly challenging. Really the math is the only part I had any sort of trouble with, but the whole test battery is pretty much a breeze. I'll go back to finish it Tuesday afternoon, so expect an update around that day.

But tomorrow, I take a break from testing.
And get up early tomorrow morning to go fishing. Now fishing is a relaxing vacation. Just you, the fish, and the water, and sweet, sweet peace.  
Come to think of it, I need to go fishing more often.

And Saturday, we go to the mall! I'm gonna get some manga! I think I probably spend too much on manga as it is. . . 
Bah, who cares! I enjoy it, so I get it. I also may check out Final Fantasy IV for the DS. What I've seen so far looks really good. . .

Until next time, this is your friendly neigborhood Seint, signing off! 

This is just a test entry. Trying to see how stuff works on here.

This is the first time I've ever thought about keeping a journal, so it ought to be pretty epic.

Anyways, you get the idea.