.... , he passed it. Then he started studying for the second level examination, but it was not as easy as the first one. He had to memorize everything in certain books word-by-word. In fact, it took him eleven years to pass it. In the meantime, he failed the first ten exams with scores like 58.9, 59.2, or even 59.98 when the passing score is 60. Frustrated, he had very bad tempers during that period of time; even his kids were afraid to go near him. At the age of forty-four, he finally passed the examination but had to leave his family to go to another city to get proper training. After .....

.... only thing he could afford to drive was the car the police station gave him. It was a 1986 Buick with a green trunk, maroon body, and a navy blue hood. The thing took about three minutes to start and another five to warm up, and that was in the summer. Ten minutes later he showed up at my desk. I could still smell her perfume on him. He looked terrible, like usual, man he was such a good guy, but he didn't have a lucky bone in his body. “So what's up now Steve? . . . another vending machine robbery . . . more scuff marks?” Pat looked like a detective, you know what I mean, the way .....

.... if you hated each other, on Valentines Day everyone put aside their differences and even presented cards to the children nobody liked. That one day of love seemed to unify the worst of foes through love and forgiveness. I could hardly wait for that day to come. As the night before Valentines Day had rolled around, anticipation had escalated to an all time peak. Nevertheless, it was all set aside as my parents once again started to fight. My brother and I were sent to the car in the garage so that we would not witness them fighting. We knew the routine. I was scared and I could still .....

.... Officer Gage started to take my report :”I was adjusting my rear view mirror when I saw the flash of white, I realized it was a car and tried to brace myself if could not find a way around or to stop. He struck me and I don’t recollect hitting the driver in front of me.” All the other drivers had the same story and we exchange licenses and insurance cards. Feeling a little uneasy about driving I got back into my car and drove back to Hemet, where I had to reveal the news to my parents. Reaching my parents work they saw the damages as I pulled into the driveway. They rushed .....

.... had to withdraw my sword and cut my way through. The sword caught what little light that had somehow found its way through the trees and it danced on the nearby trees. It made a swish as it flew through the air. When it hit the brush the sword vibrated through my hand and the brush gave way to the knife and allowed me to pass through. A tiny light became clearer to me and I headed toward it. The bugs became thicker and there were mosquitoes all around and it was getting harder to take a breath without getting one in your mouth or up your nose. Overhead there were monkeys talking back and .....

.... ranging from wildlife and wet grass, to evaporated swamp water and healthy dirt. Then, the time for us to find the desired vessel arrived. We chose the kayaks, and set out for the water. Carefully, with our torn-jeans rolled up, and shirts off, we dragged the massive thing over the slope of grass and mud into the shallow stream. We then hopped aboard, grabbed the paddles, and floated and splashed into nowhere. The wavy current sucked us downstream, periodically bouncing us off of sandbags and sharp branches leaning over the water- Now that was true adventure! Minutes later, .....

.... other source that aided in the instillment of individualism in me, is the various authors, poets, songwriters, and other dignitarys who I valued as authority. Any sort of publication that celebrates the individual captures my attention and can range from the books and essays of Henry David Thoreau to the rebelious content in the music of Rage Against the Machine. Since I read Walden, Thoreau has branded his interpretation of a famous saying into my brain: "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears .....

.... unruly pitbull barking registers over the calm of the wet playground. Trash strings the streets and every dwelling has an eight foot, black, metal fence circuitously about it. Two white faces gape over the hood of a parked Cadillac. Besides the police parked down the block, they are probably the only Caucasians in a five mile square radius. Two companies of drug dealers fire at will scrambling for control of a superior capital making outpost. Even at nine o'clock in the morning the combat tract roars on. I was one of those faces peering over the car hood with horror and revolution in my eye .....

.... be ready to go to war," Odysseus claimed. Odysseus and his men came to a cave and were directly surrounded. They got ready to fight, but the people were only trying to find out if they were friendly or hostile. The people were called the Takol Klan. They invited Odysseus and his men for the verrano feast. The Takol Klan, that greeted them, seemed to overly excited to Odysseus. "Hey, do two of you want to come and help us set up for tomorrow's feast," Taboli said. "Sure, Odysseus, Ankortipo and I are going to go with these friendly hosts," said Amtiphorus. "Go ahead, you t .....

.... The Chinese have their rice, we have our malls. Does anyone else see a problem with having over one-thousand of these gaudy monstrosities across the country? Despite the fact that the era of eighties-decadence has passed, the malls keep coming, and they keep getting bigger. It's like something out of an Ed Wood flick. I remember reading an article about how bad it's gotten. The largest mall in America has 425 retail shops, 4.2 million square feet of space, over 13 thousand free parking spaces, 44 escalators, and cost $625 million dollars to build. Oh, did I mention that there is a full blo .....