Music and Training

Silent Sunday

2007-05-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

Tournament winnings

2007-05-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

So today came and went, and much to my surprise I did quite well.

We had a field of 6 age 17+ competitors. It was open weight classes.

First match of the whole tournament was mine.
I won via rear naked choke. I think I reversed his takedown attempt but I can't remember got a little foggy until I realized I had his back and I could choke him.

Next match I won via Ippon. I don't remember what throw it was, it was a reversal off one of his attempts, and what I remember is the hit basically and then I saw the hand go up I love the sound of an Ippon.

Final match for first place, I lost. The guy was very skilled and I resisted for a little while, but was eventually Ipponed. It was a very good throw, I don't know the name, but I do remember telling him once I hit just how nice it was.

Overall it was ran well, and for a local tournament, I would say the quality of participants was high.

My instructors helped me immensely get ready for this, and without that I would of been thrown all day long.

Overall a great experience, and I can't wait for the next tournament. Hopefully the next one is a Jiu jitsu tournament as that is where I am more confident.

Yesterday and the upcoming weekend

2007-05-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

First a big congratulations to my G/f Leah. Congrats on graduating, I am glad you invited me and I could be there.

Next, this weekend is going to be amazing!

I have my first Martial Arts tournament this weekend. My focus is mainly ground game right now, and this tournament is mostly stand up. It is a Judo tournament which is all about throws. So while I want to do well, my Instructor has told me that this is just to get used to the format of a tournament. It is basically a warm up for my NAGA(Mostly ground game) tournament on July 21.

I will post updates and possibly a picture if I get a cool action shot.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-05-09T14:08:00.001-07:00

Another good song that has me thinking...

2007-05-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

Unlike the last song I posted, this song is not a faith based song; just a song that seems to bring me to thought.

You can listen to it at my myspace, www.myspace.com/shmanny

Akon I Tried Lyrics
[Intro (Wish Bone)]

You know nothing come easy, you gotta try real real hard, I tried hard...but I guess I
gotta try harder.

[Chorus (Akon)]

I try so hard can't seem to get away from misery
man I try so hard
will always be a victim of these streets
it aint my fault cuz I...
tried to get away but trouble follows me
and still I try so hard
hoping one day you'll come and rescue me
but until then, I'll be posted up right here in sleet hail snow and
until then...
I'll be posted up right here with my heat gettin dough

[Verse 1 (Krayzie Bone)]

First let me explain that I'm just a black man
and I come from the darkside, so I'm havin a hard time stayin on track man my mind be
racin, and I don't even know what I'm chasin' yet I been in and out of relationships, I'm
startin to see thats it's me where the complications at, but I'm layin back prayin that,
you can't have piece of mind of me, I thought I was right but really I'm wrong, in the end
I was to blind to see, I was in the fast lane chasin' my dream, and then it seem when the
fame and cash came they just got me going craaazy lately, lately, lately I beed so faded
tryin to erase it but I cant cuz the drama just goes greater and I been in so many
collisions from puttin shit up till later

[Chorus (Akon)]

I try so hard
can't seem to get away from misery
man I try so hard
will always be a victim of these streets
it aint my fault cuz I...
tried to get away but trouble follows me
and still I try so hard
hoping one day you'll come and rescue me
but until then, I'll be posted up right here in sleet hail snow and
until then...
I'll be posted up right here with my heat gettin dough

[Verse 2 (Layzie Bone)]

It's like I'm taking 5 steps forward and 10 steps back, tryin to get ahead of the game,
but I can't seem to get it on track, and I keep running away from the ones that say they
love me the most how could I create the distance when it's suppose to be close and uh, I
just don't know but I be out here fighting demons and, it's like a curse that I can't shake
this part of Cleveland and lord, would you help me? and stop this pain I keep inflicting on
my family hustlin gamblin, trickin and scammin scrambling and losing sight of what I'm
suppose to be handlin, it's hard to manage cuz everyday's a challenge and man I'm slippin
can't lose my balance I'm tryin not to panic

[Chorus (Akon)]

I try so hard
can't seem to get away from misery
man I try so hard
will always be a victim of these streets
it aint my fault cuz I...
tried to get away but trouble follows me
and still I try so hard
hoping one day you'll come and rescue me
but until then, I'll be posted up right here in sleet hail snow and
until then...
I'll be posted up right here with my heat gettin dough

[Verse 3 (Wish Bone)]

I see thangs won't change I'm stuck in the game as soon as I get out it keeps pullin me
back mayne got me doin' dirty dirt so used to this hustlin' money that I don't understand
how 9 to 5 work studied on the streets, hustlers know what I mean hustlers ballin in force
I'm tryna make that major league so we never leave never, til' the sun came up gotta get it
nope no leavin no rush today games they play gotta go hard to get what u put in if you fall
off then it's all on you gotta watch what you sign to try so hard but I won't play the fool

[Chorus (Akon)]

I try so hard
can't seem to get away from misery
man I try so hard
will always be a victim of these streets
it aint my fault cuz I...
tried to get away but trouble follows me
and still I try so hard
hoping one day you'll come and rescue me
but until then, I'll be posted up right here in sleet hail snow and
until then...
I'll be posted up right here with my heat gettin dough

And no Leah I have not done my essay yet. :-P

My wordless Wednesday

2007-05-02T12:36:00.003-07:00

Jiu Jitsu and more

2007-04-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

I am so excited, I have discovered that I am now training under one of the best instructors for what I want to do.

I am meeting him tomorrow for a drive to Brandon to train under a legendary instrustor, and then a 3-4 hour session of practice at a Dojang (martial arts gym). After that, lunch and then back home for UFC. I will write a review of that as well.

I am excited for tomorrow even if I have to get up at 5:30Am to meet him at 6:00Am so we can be to Brandon by 7:00Am. Fun Fun.

I also have a tournament on July 21, 2007 with the NAGA (North American Grappling Association) nagafighter.com . Over a thousand competitors, time to train. Class tonight early bed and then class tomorrow. I love this sport!

Virginia Tech... RIP

2007-04-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

With 32 dead as of this post and 20+ people injured, the worst shooting in U.S. History has taken place at Virginia Tech.

What drives people to do this? What was the reason that no students were notified until two hours after the first shooting? What was the main failure?

This is a tragedy, and my prayers go out to the families, and as student of a college I feel for them. This is mighty scary when I think of how open our campus is, and sit and wonder how many copycats will come out of this.

To those killed, God Speed.
To those injured, Get well.
To those families, Our prayers are with you.
To those in charge, Our prayers are with you as well.

Daniel

PROM!

2007-04-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

It is time for prom... now let's just go with the assumption that I can dance... which is an assumption that I am not sure that we can make but whatever, this is still a nerve racking day. I get to go down to Port Charlotte and see my G/f, and ALL of her friends. It should be good though.

I will let everyone know how it goes.

In other news, traffic school is done, and finals are almost here for this semester. It will be nice to get this semester overwith, I could use a few week break before I have summer semester.

Ahh the life of a busy 19 year old.

Schools in session

2007-04-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well it finally happened... my driving record is no longer clean. This is so bad because I know what the speed is on that road. I drive it every day, and any other day I would of been fine doing the speed limit. But today I was on the phone and the officer caught me 17 over. 47 in a 30. Well time for traffic school, this should take off all the points and reduce the fine, but none the less I am frustrated. Not at the officer or at anyone else, but at myself.

How is it that we can get so caught up in one thing that a temporary lack of focus catches us 185.50 in the hole?

Applications and rain

2007-04-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

So I have spent today filling out my application of transfer to UCF. What a long and informative process, all I have left though is the Essay and a few mundane numbers to look up relating to courses I am/will be taking.

Now that that is almost done, and I got prom shopping done yesterday, all I have to focus on is... the rest of my To Do List.

I don't normally make these, but seeing as how I needed to keep track of everything that was overwhelming me I decided to. Blame my Girl Friend for instilling that idea in me.

All that is left:
School work; Math Project, Feature Story, persuasive speech
Martial Arts; Decide to switch or stay in this current form.
Finish the Essay to UCF
Go to Prom and have a good time
Clean my room (Just moved a new computer into here which will make it easier to do homework... but harder right now with all of the things I had to move on my bed. Until I can clean that, I will just sleep in my Computer chair.)
Register for Summer and Fall classes at MCC
Find a topic that local people all around the country would like to read in a weekly column

There is more including finishing a few songs that are in the works... and to start and finish a short story, but those don't really have dead lines.

Other than that it is raining which limits what I can do outside... so it will be inside conditioning work today.

I sit in awe and think...

2007-04-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

I am listening to Brand New and their song Jesus Christ. This song has totally blown me away the past couple of days. I can not get enough of it. This song really has me sitting and thinking about a lot about my faith and a lot about life. This is the first song in quite some time to do this for me. Here are the lyrics what do you think?

If you click on this link: www.myspace.com/shmanny and scroll down you can hit play to listen to it.

Band: Brand New
Song: Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ that's a pretty face
The kind you'd find on someone that could save
If they don't put me away O' it'll be a miracle

Do you believe you're missing out?
That everything good is happening somewhere else
But with nobody in your bed
The night's hard to get through.
And I will die all aloneAnd when I arrive I won't know anyone.

Well Jesus Christ, I'm alone again.
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Cause this problem's gonna last
More than the weekend.

Well Jesus Christ I'm not scared to die,
I'm a little bit scared of what comes after.
Do I get the gold chariot,
Do I float through the ceiling?

Do I divide and fall apart?
Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark
And this ship went down in sight of land.
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands?

(Interlude)

I know you're coming in the night like a thief,
But I've had some time alone to hold my lions at bay
I know you think that I'm someone you can trust,
But I'm scared I'll get scared
and I swear I'll try to nail you back up.
So do you think that we could work out a psalm?
So I'll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try.
I know you're coming for the people like me.
But we all got wood and nails
we try n' tear down hate and factory.
Yeah we all got wood and nails
don't tear down hate n' factory.
Yeah we all got wood and nails
And we sleep inside of this machine.

As I look on a new possible place to play and talk to people about God, this song pretty much sums up the way a lot of us feel.

Daniel

First for now...

2007-04-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

I might as well introduce myself. My name is Daniel. Who knows who will read this eventually so I might as well start with the basics. I am a 19 year old college student of Journalism/communications. I am also severly interested in Music and MMA. I have played music most of my life, the MMA is a new thing of about 6 months, but I still want to pursue it.

I am currently going to use this blog to comment on current events, ( there is a scholarship that requires it) and also for training updates with my Martial Arts training, as well as music reviews and other things I find worthy enough of being on my blog.

For those who read this... Hello, leave me a comment and I will get to know you as I get to know this thing.