Candidate Journals

Today I went to Church and the sermon was about how Elijah prayed about many things but after 2 great things,(for rain to stop, and rain to continue) he also prayed that he might die because he was scared of someone coming to kill him. Instead of letting angels do what he asked, he told them to make bread and water and tell him to get up and eat. After the sermon I did my 3 miles and my other requirements before sparring. Today sparring was pretty good and I improved a lot from what I did on Friday. After sparring I took a nap in my dad’s truck when he was getting food and then when I got home, I took a shower. After my shower I ate and watched Chelsea vs Brighton. I wont spoil it because it just happened today and it was a really good match. There...

Today I went to Black Belt Class and I feel like I could’ve done better, I made a lot of mistakes except for the part at the end where we did poomsaes as a team but we switched. I‘ve never really been the best at self defenses but I still have time to work on it. After that I finished my requirements and we were out almost the rest of the day. We went to see some friends of my parents and we ate at a Jamaican restaurant that was so good and then we had ice cream. After coming home, I talked with my homeboy while I was washing my face then I watched some YouTube.

I was pretty early waking up today because I had to do 4 miles today. I did 2 in the Morning and 2 before Sparring. I was really to myself today but still the same way. I ended up getting 2 lunches because my friend said you could but that wasn’t true but the ladies were nice and just let me have it anyways. I was disappointed on how I did today in sparring and I just want to get better. I’m supposedly Top 3 students in terms of sparring in the do jang but I still don’t use my gifts to full advantage. It’s annoying because I know what to do but I make it a pattern and it becomes obvious and they just make me do  the opposite. 

Today I got up at the perfect time and I got my mile done and did my pushups. At school today it was fun being in homeroom and making some more friends in there. I had a lot of fun at lunch with my homies walking around outside and stuff. I had AP History today which was kinda confusing at first but I got my work finished early. I made a lot of progress on my beats and lyrics for a few songs. I had a Mentor session with Master Weeks and a Mentee session with Matteo after school. I just realised I wrote all of this in no particular order 😭. I think I already got a good friend group who are the same types of people I hang around but also a little diverse. I have 4 friends that are grades above me now, most of them are sophomores.

Today I woke up slightly late and I had to hurry up and I didn’t have enough time to take a run until after school. I ate two egg muffins and a singular pancake. Not my favorite combo but I like both of them individually. I actually got to school early today so I went in the lunch line to get breakfast that morning because I was still hungry. I went to class and made friends with the my other classmates that didn’t sit at my table. I made a lot of friends today and in just homeroom I made three. After Homeroom was Health which I talked with my table a lot more and talked to the people on the soccer team about their positions and stuff. After Health was Computer Science and I made a lot of friends and I made a few friends that were juniors and sophomore’s. After...

Today I woke up early at 4 and talked to my parents and they told me I had some time before I had to start getting ready so I watched Netflix for an hour and then I ate and ran a mile. After my Mile I took a shower and got dressed. After I got dressed I took care of my hair and went downstairs to wait for my Dad. My Dad’s always there to drop me off with my Mom on the first day of school. I My first block was really boring but it was fun making new friends. My first friend was somebody I saw walking in. We had instant chemistry and we laughed when we looked at each other like we knew each other for years and we had inside jokes already,There was a girl who was in all of my classes but I forgot her name. I...

Today I actually don't remember much of what I did when I first woke up, I think I was going through my Playstation gallery or something but I had to catch-up on my missing requirements that I didn't do yesterday because I was sick. I took a little break for around 45 because I was so tired from just catching up from yesterday. I made the drums on this new beat I was making. It's a little weird but I was still feeling it kinda like the whole 808 heartbreaks album but obviously worse. Then I ran a mile at around 12 or 1 I don't remember. After that, washed up and I put on clothes and my Dad took me to the barbershop. I was with a new barber and he did me right for only 35. He was Puerto Rican but I just thought he was lightskined because everybody else...

Today I woke up early and went to Black belt class but I didn’t eat anything but a banana like 15 minutes before. I felt kinda sick the rest of the day. Headaches and a runny nose. Maybe me not eating food is what caused my headache but I don't know what caused my runny nose. After black belt class, I finished my requirements and Me, my Mom and Dad went to watch the Spider Man movie. I liked it a lot but after that my runny nose and headache got worse from me starring at the screen for a long time. I folded clothes and stuff the rest of the night.

Today I was out almost all day and I finished my requirements kind of late but I still did them. I woke up and finished the pushups and sit ups etc but I didn’t do my Mile or my poomsaes and stuff. At around 8 We went to the Chiropractor and after we went to the cleaners and went home to drop my Dad off and my Mom and I went back to school shopping. After that, we picked up my Dad and we went out to eat while listening to og Kanye albums on the way. That made me happy just seeing that my dad knows the lyrics just like I do. I went home after to get ready for sparring. I took sparring and at home I finished my requirements and then showered. After I showered I went to eat dinner and watch TV. After I did all of...

Today felt the most like a Sunday than an actual Sunday. Today was a pretty easy day to get everything done and I spent a lot of time with family. I did all of my requirements by noon and I was recording my second verse of my song which was way harder to rap than the first verse. I have a speech impediment and that makes it difficult to say everything the way I want to say it while also staying on beat. I did finish it but I'm gonna re do it to try and make it better. After that I had a mentee session with Matteo on Poomsaes and it's making me realize teaching is really hard when you're teaching a forgetful person. I'm that kind of person that has to be told the same things over and over again to break a bad habit of whatever I was...

Today I had to make up for the days I didn’t do anything and it took me hours. After I finished I watched a Joe Bart VOD while walking 2 miles. After all of that I worked on writing lyrics for my second verse. At first it was kind of weak and didn’t fit with the flow. I had to change it up and add some more to it. The second verse was accidentally made longer than the first verse by me. I didn’t get to record it all before getting ready for class but I had a mentee session with Mateo and I helped two classes and did warmups with the jr tigers. After that I took black belt class and got Taco Bell. My Dad stayed home from work because he took off this week.

Today I walked 2 miles and then I made progress on my song. I added to the beat to kind of evolve the melody of it. I went to 2 open houses today to try and pick my school that im gonna go to. I might go to Hopewell because it looks like a better school overall. After those two, I went to have Dave’s Hot Chicken and it was really hot. I couldn’t finish the food because it was too hot. After that I finished my physical requirements at home.

Today I realised that haven’t been putting in entries for the past few days so I‘m writing this pretty early and I just finished black belt class. i woke up early and we went to go drop my brother off at his Hotel in Atlanta he stays at during the school year. I was so hungry on the trip because I had barely ate anything at home so I kept eating and eating but I was never “not-hungry” during the trip to Atlanta. We met my cousins and abuelos at the race trac gas station. It’s not Buc-ees level, but it feels like if a grocery store and gas station mixed together. We’re on the drive home now. I sadly won’t go to class tomorrow because I have to go two open houses.

Today I woke up at 5 because that’ll be my life for the next 4 years of my life 🫩✌️. I made some eggs and I cooked them almost perfectly. I ate them alone with nothing else. I ran my mile and recorded my fastest time yet; 6:08. Then I paused and ran another mile but I took it easy for that one. After that me and my mom and brother were out for a while. We first went to the dentist, then we went to Sam’s Club , then we went to Chik-Fil-A. I liked my sandwich. After that I recorded my first verse on me and my friend’s song. I started up stream and my friend watched the whole thing from start to finish which was cool. Then I went to class so early that Mrs. Evins was the only one there so I practiced poomsaes and I also got...

Today I woke up late but I still got everything done before lunch. I ran my fastest time since starting the cycle which is 6:54. I’ve never ran a mile before the cycle. I only did 2 practice runs before the pre-test just to get ready in preparation. I did 9:15 on the pretest but that was my fastest back then. I’ve already improved a lot which I’m really happy about. Today’s my first day of the diet and I feel like I’m not affected as much by it. I’m just not eating fast food and sweets and eating more protein full foods and vegetables. I’m overall just eating healthier. I normally eat pretty healthy but I do like to eat sweets and stuff. At class today I learned a lot concerning kicks and blocks and forms. Master Weeks Mentored me on everything he saw I had to fix during class.

Today was really productive. I got a lot of stuff done early. I finished my requirements, made a lot of progress on my song me and my friend are producing. I also got to watch YouTube for a while and even got to take a little nap before class. At the Dojang, I took philipines martial arts class, then I helped out in 2 and took 1. I listened to a lot if music throughout the day and I think it helped me a lot. Me and my mom made a plan for my diet I have to do after class and during dinner.

Today I went to church and learned something important. God won’t always give what you expect or exactly what you asked for because you might need the experience. After Church I chilled at the house until Sparring. I met someone new and I don’t know if it’s spelled the same way but it sounds like Decoy. He was really tall and he helped me learn something; I can use crescent kicks and Inside out kicks a lot more and put them to use. It’s like Curry with a 3 pointer. If you can consistently get the higher scoring shot off and make it, then you’ll be harder to beat. After sparing I completed my physical requirements and made some progress on me and my friends collaborating.

Today I woke up late because I forgot to set my alarm. I was late to Black Belt Class because of it. During black belt class I met someone new and got a new perspective on Bocho special. After class I went home to do my requirements and after that I went to a party and I ate a lot of food. There was an Ice cream shop beside the restaurant that the party was in. After the party I chilled at the house and talked to my brother and played games.

Today I practiced my poomsaes and self defenses early today so the rest of the day I could chill until sparring. I streamed for a couple hours and talked to my friends. I had a bunch of late night laughs with my best friend from 4th grade talking about sports, and the gym. At sparring I tried to go light because my toe was bruised but I still pushed myself to try and improve.

Today I woke up at 5 and started writing lyrics that just came to my mind because I figured it would be good to just write them I'll get better at hearing a beat, catching a vibe from it, and start writing then. I ate a bowl of cereal then started adding progress to me and my friend's song. we're still making the beat itself but I have an idea of my first verse already. I called Willow and started up stream and just played UFL while talking with her because I just started streaming so I don't get many viewers so it would be weird just talking to no one. After that stream I hung up and cooked some eggs and then I went to have a Mentee session with Matteo. After that I walked around for a while then went home. I finished all my requirements and then I...

Today I had to walk my two miles instead of running it because I twisted my ankle. I streamed today with one of my oldest friends and I also made progress on a song me and one of my best friends from 5th grade started making. The funnest part of my day was when I went to Tae Kwon Do  and especially Black Belt Class. I learned a lot from that class and practicing my Bocho Dan one step and special was fun as well. I haven't seen him in a while. I did see him randomly one class just watching but I haven't taken a class where he was involved in a while. I have a lot to practice but I know it's possible with time.

Today felt pretty normal and nothing note worthy happened. I woke up at 8 which is late because I usually wake up early so I have more time to do fun stuff. I did my requirements and then I streamed again. After stream, I got ready for Tae Kwon Do and had a session with my mentee. After that I helped with 2 classes and led warmups for one of them. After that I took the 6:55 class and I was the highest belt that time. Most of the black belts weren’t there but one (who was Disha) helped and didn’t take class.

Today I had to do double of everything which was challenging because I had to that and also class was very difficult. I played FIFA again today but I didn’t stream it. My brother’s still sick but I don’t know how much better he is. I actually didn’t eat much today but I’m writing this before eating dinner and I’m about to eat a LOT more than I did earlier today.

Today was my mom’s birthday so I forgot to do all of my requirements and I didn’t go to sparring class today. I went to sleep at 3 AM but I somehow stayed awake during the whole sermon at Church today. After Church we found out that my brother was sick so he was quarantined for basically the whole rest of the day except for using the bathroom. I gave him his food and stuff. After a while we gave him a supply of food and drinks and we went to a skating rink and I had a LOT of fun. I think the last time I went there was just before covid in 2019’s spring break. Then at 5 pm we had to leave so we spent 4+ hours there. I surprisingly didn’t fall once even though I got bumped into a couple times. After the skating rink we went...

Today I ran my mile as early as possible and the rest of my requirements as well. During lunch I made an egg burrito and had a taco bell quesadilla to my surprise. I was charging my phone but didn't hear my mom leave to go get some food. I watched YouTube for a bit then I started streaming FIFA 16 and a few Roblox games until I had to leave for sparring. During sparring I kinda hurt the knuckle part of my big toe but I still continued so it wasn't too bad until I had to walk to the car. After sparring I got home and took a bath after I showered because I just wanted to chill for a while. Then I said goodnight to my parents and went to sleep.

Today I ran my mile first thing again but I ran a little slower than yesterday. I read 2 chapters of the Atomic Habits book in the morning and in the car. I helped out with 2 classes and took one. After I came home, I took a loooong shower and I then watched TV.

Today I woke up not as early as usual and I decided to run my mile first and I ended up running a 7:10 which is the fastest I've done since starting the cycle but, I almost had an asthma attack after. I've always been more a explosive short burst type of speed not holding a speed long term. Hopefully I'll improve my long term stamina by the end of the cycle. I helped out in 1 senior tigers class and took 1 class which was the black belt class.

Today I finished my second 12 hour period of the digital detox and I feel like a free man. One thing I noticed is that it's easier to focus and get tasks done but when you're done it feels like "now what". I dont like reading at all and I just cleaned my room so I just took a nap which I haven't done in a long time. I remember when I was forced to take naps😭. I was worried that class was going to be worse than it was yesterday. Yesterday's class was really bad for me because I had already finished all of my requirements but I had to do 2 miles because I forgot to do it the day before. Overall today was a relief and I'm glad I can listen to music again.

Today wasn't as boring as I thought it would be without technology for 12 hours, I was very productive and got all of my requirements done early and also made progress on reading the book. I also did the first day of the white belt challenge today and it felt nostalgic but new at the same time. Except from 3 people, I don't remember anyone from the 2 classes I took being there when I was a White belt. It's like I reversed time but only for myself. I still knew everything I learned but it's from a different perspective visually.

Today I spent most of my day cleaning my room. I haven't used my phone or my Playstation today because I was attempting the digital detox but at some point after church, I was really bored and just gave up because I forgot I was even doing the challenge. I watched YouTube on my computer and watched Netflix on my TV later on. I wont count it for one of the two 12 hour periods because of that. Today was definitely the most boring day of my year so far but I feel good that my room's really clean. Whenever I walk in I feel very accomplished and productive.

Today I helped my old 5th grade teacher for 2-3 hours and went to sparring but the instructor wasn’t there so I worked on my requirements for the cycle. The problem is that nobody there could sign my book so I have to figure that out.

Today I did community service and helped my 5th grade teacher organize her classroom for 5 hours. After that I went to class and helped out the class that Antoine taught and then I went home and finished the rest of my requirements.

Today I finished all of my requirements as soon as possible then I did a 3 hour live stream with Aiden, Antoine, and Laylah. After that I watched YouTube videos for a while then I went to my first ever black belt class. I wasn’t expecting for us to do sticks and staffs as well. It was a great experience and I enjoyed it a lot. Then, me and Master Weeks had a Mentor session where I learned a lot.

Today was very straight forward and I finished everything before 11PM and then I wrote this. I finished all my requirements and worked on my essay and a song.

Today I focused on getting my physical requirements done early. I finished everything at 1 PM and then I relaxed and played FIFA with my brother and I went to class at 5 and left at 8. Then I showered and took a nap. After that nap I ate dinner and felt like I had a very productive day.

Today was my birthday so my day was really busy but mostly fun. I had a watch party for the World Cup Final at a restaurant and I made a new friend there.

I woke up at 5 AM to get ready for my pretest today and it was a cool experience. I was surrounded by people who were so good at Tae Kwon Do and it felt like I was watching people on a level way too far away. I also had my birthday party a few hours after the pre-test which was nice