Candidate Journals

3/21/24...Finally the end is near.   Getting extra practice in at Harrisburg every day this week . A little nervous for the test tomorrow.  Resting up after dinner.  Hoping for good luck for us all! 

today went by really fast! I started of my day at bible class, then I went to Spanish which was super easy. after that I had English and chemistry. then I left, got lunch, and came home. then I took a quick nap, got ready, and left for a guitar lesson. then after, we left straight for TKD. then after class, me and my mom went to subway. then I came home and did some homework. now I plan to just relax and get ready for tomorrow.

today went pretty well. I had math and then band. then I went to economy and made the highest grade on the test in my class. then I left school and went to taekwondo for a little bit. then me and my mom went to eat and now I'm going to relax for the rest of the day

today went okay, I went to a funeral then afterwards we all went and ate. then I came home, did my final paper, and practiced poomsae. now I'm going to relax for the rest of the day.

today went well for the most part. I had a half day at school, and we didn't really do much. then I came home and played helldivers 2 for a while. after that, I left for TKD and took a couple of classes. after the classes, me and my mom went and got dinner. now I plan to get some rest.

today went pretty well. not many people came to school today, so we didnt do much. then i came home, ran, studied my review guide and i plan to relax for the rest of the night.

today wasn't great. school felt super long, and we didn't do anything really productive. then I came home, tried to take a nap, which caused my mom to yell at me. then I went to drum lessons. then I was excited to go to tkd, hoping to go over poomsae and review guide but when I showed up it felt kinda alone. none of my friends really wanted much to do with me. they were probably just having a bad day so it's no hard feelings.

today was really boring. I woke up, ate, and worked on finishing my papers. I ended up working on 2 of them. tonight, I plan to just relax and study some of my Spanish for tomorrow.

today was surprisingly easy, I woke up around seven and got ready for sparring. I went to sparing, did 2 v 2, then left to go assist with bags of hope. after bags of hope, me and parker went to shake shack. then I came home, relaxed, and worked on papers. now I'm talking to some friends and I'm planning to relax for the rest of the day.

today was extremely nice. I went to school and didn't do a lot. then I had a chemistry test which I feel good about. then I came home and took a nap which was really nice, and I feel much better now. then I woke up, got food and redid homework that didn't save my responses which made me really upset. now I'm going to do some writing for black belt cycle and relax.

today was felt really long, especially since I had math first period. then economy went well, and I left school. then me and my grandma ate lunch and did some research on a topic we wanted to learn about. then I came home, got ready, and left for taekwondo. I helped with classes and did requirements then I came home. now I'm studying for a chemistry test.

today was a half day at school which was really nice. then in chemistry, my teacher gave us a free study hall. then I came home and relaxed. around 4 I took a shower and then left for a drum lesson where I worked on some rudiments and learned to play "I don't wanna be me" by type O negative. then I went and took classes. then i came home and did some math homework.

today was boring. I had math first period, then went to band, then had government. then I came home and ate lunch. I immediately left for tkd because master foster needed my help. then I left, came home, and started relaxing.

today was easy. got up for school, ate a bagel, had bible class first period. at the end on the day, I had chemistry which was okay. then I ate chipotle and came home. I showered then left for taekwondo. I took class, came home, did homework, and am now going to bed.

this morning, I woke up and showered before eating breakfast with parker and leaving to head back home. today has been mostly driving but around 1:30 me and parker ate subway. me and my mom got home, and my head has been killing me. I'm probably just going to write papers and relax for the rest of the day.

I went to school, which was really boring, but I made it through. then as soon as school was over, we left for Greenville. we made it there later during the day and ate cookout for dinner. then I went to sleep to get ready for the next day. I woke up, showered, ate breakfast, and left for instructor's camp. we got there around 9 and did a ton of stuff all day. we did lots of drills, hapkido, and balance exercises. then at around 7pm, we left and got dinner. me and parker ate crab legs which was amazinggggggg. then we went to the hotel and me and parker hung out till around midnight then went to bed. 

today was really slow. I had 3 hours of economy but I had a sub today. then I came home and have been working on papers while my mom is at a woman's conference with our church. I hope to be able to practice some bass tonight but I doubt it will happen. Have a good night everybody!

today was really simple. i had a half day at school which i really liked. then i came home and got ready to go to a drum lesson where i precticed "eyeless" by slipknot. then i left and went directly to class which went well. then i came home, did homework, and rested.

today was really easy. I only had school until 12:50 which was nice. then I started my mute day which has gone well. now I'm just going to get stuff done and relax.

today was really boring, I didn't feel great. at school, we didn't do much but then I came home and had a 45-minute nap which was nice. then I showered and left for taekwondo. I helped with the jr tigers then I had my class and afterwards I did a mentor session with instructor conner. then I ate dinner with my mom, came home and did homework, and now I'm going to bed.

today was relatively easy, I slept in and worked on stuff. I worked on my new skill, practiced poomsae, and did homework. I haven't really felt great today so I'm going to try and get some rest. Hopefully.

today I slept in and then went to my Saturday classes. I got a lot of my requirements done and I'm preparing for instructor's camp. then I went home and showered before going to my friends bday party. then me and parker went and got ice cream.

today was good, school flew by thankfully. I had a bible quiz and wrote an English essay. then I ate lunch, came home and showered, and left for kt Harrisburg. we had sparring, black belt class, and then we all went to dinner. now I plan on just relaxing and going to bed.

today was really easy, I started my day off with math and band. in my last period of the day, my teacher got super angry at my classmate which made it hard for me to ask questions on the project we were working on. then I came home and relaxed. now for the rest of the night I plan to just write music or talk to my friend parker.

today was extremely stressful, I had a chemistry test which didn't turn out as good as I hoped but still not bad. after school, I ate lunch, I had a protein bowl from chipotle, then went to a drum lesson. after that, I came home and got ready for classes and left again. tonight, the classes were taught by grandmaster Lee, WHICH WAS AWESOME. now that I am back at home, I'm going to do homework and relax.

today, I had math and economy. overall, my schoolday was easy. then I came home and relaxed for a bit before going to a guitar lesson and working on my new skill for black belt cycle.

overall, my day was pretty good. i was out of school for Presidents' Day so i spent my day doing homework for Tuesday. then I went to classes and got a lot of requirements done. afterwards me and parker went on a run then i came home and went to bed.

today, my mom's car had to get fixed. then after that was done, I went to a friend's house to practice poomsae and self-defense. then, me and my mom got food, came home, and I built a Lego set. now I'm going to sleep because I feel exhausted for some reason.

today I was at taekwondo for almost my entire day. I had sparring this morning, then did requirements, and had leadership. afterwards me and my mom got food, came home, and relaxed.

today I had a Spanish and chemistry test. I felt like I did relatively good on them. then I came home, showered, and left for sparring at Harrisburg. after sparring, we had blackbelt class then we all ate. then I came home and did homework.

today went fairly well, I had a math test which wasn't that exciting. then in government we worked on our papers and took some notes. then I came home and got ready to help with the testings in Harrisburg. then I did requirements, got dinner, and came home. now I'm going to do homework and build a new Lego set.

today was pretty good. it was a half day at school and my Spanish test got cancelled. we did almost no schoolwork all day! then I came home and relaxed a bit before showering and leaving to help with the junior tigers testing. afterwards, me and my friends went to dinner at hawthorns before I decided to come home. now I plan to just try and get some rest to prepare for my math test tomorrow.

this morning, I didn't feel great, so I stayed home from school, but I stayed ahead on my work. I practiced guitar and went to target with my mom. tonight, I plan to just relax and talk with some friends.

2/12: today wasn't that bad, mostly just got stuff done. classes went by easily today, but I did have some math homework. I went to taekwondo and helped out with 2 classes. then I took my class. afterwards I went to Chick fila, came home and did math homework, and started a book.

2/11: today went relatively well, mostly just got stuff done. I went and got breakfast with my mom, worked on chemistry homework, worked on my papers, went out to lunch, and now I'm watching the Superbowl with my mom. today was extremely simple, and that's always a good thing. not many plans for the rest of the night but I might do some drawing or exercises if I can't sleep. LET'S GO NINERS!!!!!!

2/10: today was extremely long but i got a lot done. i finished most of my requirements and practiced my rolls and falls. after class, me and parker went out to lunch. then i came home and worked on my papers, im almost done with them now. tonight i plan to just relax and do some drawing.

2/9: today was relatively easy, i had a chemistry quiz that i think i made a 100 on. i came home and fell asleep for a few minutes then woke up, got up and got ready for classes. today we had advanced sparring class, black belt classes, and then we all ate pizza. now im going to end the night by just talking to some friends.

today i didnt do much, i went to class and helped. afterwards, i came home and did some homework and fell asleep

2/7: today was a half day at school like usual. i came home and took a quick nap and then did some exercises. i had guitar lessons at 5:30 then went straight to taekwondo. afterwards me and parker went for a run and now I'm doing homework.

2/6: today was a really hard day for me. I had a really difficult economy test and ended my relationship with my girlfriend. today was a reminder that nothing lasts forever unless you nurture it. no matter how much effort you put into something, if both sides don't put forth effort, then it is bound to fail. like taekwondo, if the master or instructor is putting in all the effort but the student is doing nothing then the educational relationship is bound to fail. the question is how do we care for something or someone who doesn't want help. you can't. no matter how hard you try, if the other party doesn't want to advance then it won't and vice versa. im going to end off my night with some homework and a late-night workout.

2/5: today I woke up early and had a paper in English class today. we had to compare and contrast the lord of the flies book and movie. then I went to chipotle. then I ate, showered, and left for tkd. at kt Harrisburg we practiced our forms and our stick forms. then after class me, parker, and molly went for a night run together. I came home and did some math homework and now I'm going to study for an economy test that I have tomorrow.

2/4: today I started off by sleeping in and doing requirements. when my friend parker woke up, we talked for a while. when he had to go, me and my mom went and got lunch. but they got our order wrong... I came home, ate, had an energy drink, and practiced a new song I've been trying to learn on guitar. the song was "before I forget" by slipknot and I could play it fine, but the issue was playing it at the correct speed. I feel like that relates a lot to our normal lives. we can often balance anything but when we are put in a time crunch, it can feel overwhelming and tedious. I'm going to end off my night by working on my papers and try to get in some rest.

2/3: today was an average Saturday. I went to king tiger Harrisburg at 9 this morning and had a pretty good sparring class. during the junior tiger's class, I got in a mentee session which went really well, we mostly just prepared for his testing that is just around the corner. then I did a bunch of requirements to make my week a little lighter. afterwards, we had leadership class and me, molly, and Sid led our creative form. then we all went to eat lunch together which was really good. after we ate, we got ice cream which was delicious. I came home and took a super long nap which was definitely needed. now I am working on essays and talking to a friend. I will probably get in some exercises tonight and end it off with some drawing.

2/2: today was overall pretty good. I woke up and had chickfila for breakfast then went to school. my last class of the day was chemistry where we talked about the usual stuff and kinda got to use it as a make-up day. then I came straight home, showered, and I was off to TKD. I got in a mentor session with master foster, and we worked on a couple of self-defenses and poomsae. then we had the blackbelt class which went like usual. then after we ate hot dogs and played tiger ball. now that I'm at home, I think I'm just going to round out my night by working on some of my papers.

1/31: today was a half day at school which is always really nice because my Wednesdays are always really busy. sometimes I just wish I had a moment to chill out and not have to worry about doing anything. but I am committed to getting this blackbelt, even if that means I have to give up my time. I often feel like that's my biggest struggle, managing my time. I always get my stuff done on time, but I do it at the cost of some free time that could be used for other things, but I digress. today I dropped off three of my guitars to be repaired and in the meantime (between now and Saturday) I'm going to try and teach myself john Mayer's "neon" by ear. who knows? maybe a little challenge is just what I need. I took class and got in a mentor session with master...

1/30: had school today, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. my math class was slow, but I was reminded of some concepts that I had somewhat forgotten. then in band today, we had sectionals, where we got to go and practice with an expert in our instrument. this helped tremendously because I kept messing up over a single note. it kinda made me think about how easily we can halt ourselves from progressing, in anything, just by having 1 small issue. so, with this in mind, tonight I plan to focus extra hard on my curriculum and finish up my review guide(hopefully).

1/29: today I woke up and my day started out rough. went to school and had bible class first period. around lunchtime I got a horrible headache which still hasn't left me. I came home and tried to help resolve whatever issue it was that was causing my headache, to no avail. I pushed through the pain and went to classes tonight. this helped me realize that even on our roughest days, taekwondo can be an escape from that, at least for a few minutes. experiences like this further cement my appreciation for my friends and masters/instructors. I came home and will begin finishing up some homework for tomorrow.

1/28: today I slept in and started off my day listening to some Spotify (mostly metal). I decided to add some finishing touches to my paper that I started yesterday. Me and my mom went to maple street Bisquit company to get some breakfast/brunch. I came back home and I'm continuing to finalize my paper. I have to say, this paper has really helped me to realize how important the basics are. with this concept in mind, later, I plan to learn some new scales on guitar and maybe learn a few new songs. it truly is important to get the basics down but when you're a beginner, it's easy to wanna dive in headfirst. in reality, this just makes harder on the future you. hopefully later today I can go do some shopping or something fun, but my next priority is answering another page in my review guide.

1/27: Today went relatively well... I went to kt Harrisburg for the majority of my day. I attended the 9am sparring class which went really well. my ankle still hurts from sparring last week but I can tell that it has improved. I got to spar four different people, each at a different skill level, which always serves as a great learning opportunity. I came home and started working on my paper about what it was like being a white belt again. I have to say, these papers are relatively easy but finding ways to project what I want to say is always the most difficult part. I ended off the night talking to a friend and played some video games. then I was off to hit the hay.

1/26/24:  Not enough hours in the day today. Felt rushed all day long.  TKD and Pizza with friends tonight 

1/24/24:  Today was a half day at school. Got a new English project, sooo fun.....NOT!  I had lunch with my grandma and did my running. Did classes tonight at KT Harrisburg.  Got a lot of things checked off today. Now Im doing math and relaxing after. 

1/23/24:  Today was surprisingly laid back. I have all my requirements done today and school was cancelled due to a busted water main. I have mostly been talking to friends and working in some homework in between. Planning on doing some guitar and taekwando practice later. 

1/22/23:   Literally can I not forget to post my day on the day it happens ...smh!  on to tommorrow.

1/21/24...Today was productive.  Finished an essay and my mom tested me on progress on my physical requirements.  Getting ready for the week ahead which looks difficult with the additional physical stuff.   Gonna try to get a good night of rest after dinner.

1/20: Saturday is my busiest day of the week.   All day at KT Harrisburg for sparring, assisting, class, leadership, and volunteered in the afternoon there.   Overall a great day of getting things done and enjoyed class  And my mom brought Sushi for lunch....Awesome!   Now for a little down time. 

1/19/24:  headed to school and hope it will be a good day.  pretty tired and worn out from sparring class with Instructor Max at North Charlotte last night. But I had a blast.  Will be going back next Thursday as well.  Tonight is black belt class at Harrisburg so I have lots to do after school to get ready and a birthday party to attend after that.  Busy day! 

1/18/24:  Math test at school and a History quiz that were pretty difficult. Working on requirements before North Charlotte Sparring tonight. 

1/17/24: For some reason I am exhausted and the day is just getting started.   Glad I only have a half day of school today.   A busy day ahead and I need SLEEP....

1/16/23: Back to school today. Today was a mess...late to school. Had a meeting for dual enrollment next year. Went to Band, ate lunch, and had a Government Quiz.   Working on requirements this afternoon and then to dinner with my mom. Have to get some Black Belt stuff done first

1/15/24:  Out of school today for MLK day...it was very nice and I felt I needed the break.  I did requirements, got my homework caught up, did an essay and went to KT Harrisburg to assist and attend classes.  Productive day

1/14/23 Sunday:  Another busy day of planning to get requirements done.  Have to get done early today to participate in performance band concert.   

1/13/24:  Saturday:  Did the mile run for pretest.  Did a whole day of sparring and class at Harrisburg. Mentored another student. Had a leadership class. 

1/12/24: Friday School was easy but boring today. Completed requirements after school .  Attended Black Belt Class and volunteered to assist with Ninja night. 

1/11/24:  School was really good today.  It flew by fasth and I had very little homework.  I was so happy because usually I have so much homework it stresses me out.   After school went to KT Harrisburg and assisted with some classes, had a mentoring session with Instructor Connor, and did one of my weekly classes.  AFterward, dinner with my mom and home to relax. I felt pretty accomplished today

1/10/24: Overall today was pretty boring, but there was a lot of stuff to accomplish.  I had a lot of chemistry homework that has confused me for days, but I think I finally got it.  I got in my run and physical requirements.   No class today as I had performance band prepaing for a concert Sunday.  More homework after band.  Ended the night with 48 minutes of poomsae and self defense.  Overall an average day. Hopefully tomorrow will be even better! 

1/9/24: Everyone was out of school today except me :(  My school was in session even though lots of folks did not show up.  Talked to some friends and completed homework.  Worked out for completion of my daily requirements. Beginning to make a calendar for the week as it is going to get busier and lots to get accomplished.  Cooked a great spaghetti dinner for my mom.   Spent some quality time with mom and watched a movie after dinner.

1/8/24:   I went to school  today and surprisingly, enjoyed my english class which is quite unusual. I was the first to complete my required chemistry assignment, but then i found out homework was added :(  After getting home, I did my mile run, ate dinner, and went to Monday night class at King Tinger. I really enjoyed the sparring tonight, it was fun. I got home and finished up homework.  I talked to my friend until he had to go and then started preparing for my day tomorrow.

Sunday 1/7/24   I woke up around noon. My mom and I went to the grocery to get some things for our new "healthier diet plan".  Hopefully this new diet will help me improve my health for the Black Belt cycle. I came home and met all my requirements, but today my run was slower.  Most likely due to how sore all my muscles are after the pretest and classes yesterday.  I am hopefully going to be able to get in some leisure time before returning to school tomorrow.  Mondays are never that exciting, but I have a good feeling about tomorrow. 

Late entry: Just got website access.   

Journal Entry Sat, Jan. 6 

I was very stressed out this moring repeatedly practicing my forms but still feeling shaky and like I would not perform at my best. I go thru Pre-testing and I did not do as well as I had hoped.  The physical portion,however, went about as expected.   I then went back to KT Harrisburg and did classes and leadership. I finally got home and still had to complete my "run" for the day.  My time was actually one of best ever for a mile run. I ended the night out with some TV, a good dinner, and downtime.