Candidate Journals

Today, i did nothing special. I  had a normal day of doing requirements, going to hyper pro class, and playing my xbox 1

Today was a normal summer Monday for me. It was not like a school Monday where something bad always happens. It was a summer Monday. Where every thing is laid back and fun.

Today was the last day of my 4th of July break. Tomorrow, I'll be working at the North Charlotte King Tiger location. It will also be my first with a job and on the cycle at the same time. I'm interested to see how things will go.

hello every body i did the same old thing as yesterday but the good is i am going to have a friend over for a week its to wear me out because ill tell you this he is very hipper so its going really fun

Today i celebrated my grandmothers birthday and we went to Fridays for lunch so that was nice. Even though it was freezing inside the place they still had good food, i got my grandmother a plant for her birthday, and she got some money so that was my day. :)

I met my college roommate yesterday. It was great, we hung out at white water center. That place is AMAZING, i need to there again.

Today, i helped clean our garage. My dad was cleaning the car while i was cleaning the garage. Then, i started cleaning the cabinets in the living room. i found lots of things in there. I ran 1.5 miles and i did my requirements.

Today I changed my schedule. I am doing requirements in the morning and afternoon so I have more free time.

Today I went to my basketball training, and I am improving a lot. I also can't wait to go to the park at summer camp tomorrow.

Feeling good with keeping up with requirements. Liking these early morning runs, particularly since I figured out walking up the hill and running down the hill. Can't believe Kukkiwon is in 2 weeks! Time flies. Jury duty tomorrow. Hope I don't get picked. Rescheduling patients would not be fun, not to mention expensive. 

Today we went to see the movie The Secret Life of Pets. It was a great movie. It was also very funny. Before we went, I ran 2 miles and all my requirements. I wonder what we might do for the rest of the day.

After about a week of struggling with this website, everything seems to be working very well. I'm ahead on my requirements and I'm working on the essays. I finished reading A Long Way Gone for my book report today, and it was a very interesting book, but I'm not sure if I mean that in a good way or not. Nevertheless, the essay will explain more of this.

Hello there, today my brother did the empathy challenge and is going to write about it tomorrow, unfortunately he did run into me 3-4 times so not the best thing. Yesterday i couldn't journal because our power went out when there was a big storm and the WiFi went out and we couldn't journal and we also had to use candles as light and my phone light. but the power came back up at 12:00 AM so we were fine.

hello everybody today i did me black belt skill witch it terrible expecouly in the sparing and then i did my work i ran into some walls wile i was blind it was just the strangest day ever

Today was a bit of a stressful day. I woke up early and couldn't fall back asleep. I also did extra push ups, sit ups, and kicks to make up for yesterday. Lastly, my TV wall mount finally came in the mail, only for me to discover the drill was nowhere to be found! I did get to have a couple relaxing hours at the pool though, and we ordered pizza for dinner. I guess my day wasn't that bad after all.

Today, i went to a 1 day sports camp. I had so much fun! It had lots of running in the sun, so i was very tired

Today I can edit in my requirements. I am super glad but there is one small problem, the days are all mislabeled. All and all it was a great day. I saw the movie The secret lives of pets. I spent time with family and worked out.  

Today, I went with my dad and sister to lowes for a build and grow. Today's theme was the Avenger Falcon. After that, we went to Walmart to grab a couple of things. Also in the morning, I ran 2 miles. Later in the day I will do the rest of my requirements.

Finally back from Pensacola. It was great to family, and I got to go to the beach. was a total beach bum (heavy on the bum). Not having th strongest start to the cycle. Didn't do as much as I could, but this week I'm going in hard!!!!!

Today I woke up extremely tired and cranky. I felt completely out of it. I tried going back to sleep, but I couldn't. So I decided instead of laying around, I would clean and redesign my room. I put up some paintings and pictures I have, dusted and cleaned the windows. Later I took my sister and we went on a short walk to get some fresh air. It was a relaxing day but I wish I had dedicated more time towards my cycle.

Today was a slow day. I did not do much but watch TV. I got hooked on a show were people were fighting. I was about to go to Lake Norman for class but it was closed. I am glad that I was at my house when I found out. 

Today has been a great day so far. I ran 2 miles in the morning. Then I did my poomsaes, self defenses, and other requirements. I need to work a lot on my pull-ups. In the evening my sister and I are going to go to the pool. I can't wait.

Hello everybody today i did all my usual workouts and poomsaes but at 1 o'clock my mom, Greg, Bethany, and me went bowling. My brother couldn't get higher than 63 points, but Bethany beat me every time except for the last game, I beat her 104 to 97. I felt proud since the other six games i lost badly!! After that we went and got food but there was a huge storm, and we tried going to get my brother food but the restaurants power kept going out and we couldn't get anything. So we headed away from the storm and got food there. Then we went home and got into bed.

today i did the same thing as yesterday except today i went boling with my brother mom and my brothers friend.

Today was a slow and boring day. Me and my sisters had stay quiet because my mom was teaching a class over the phone. I am starting to do pull up and almost have my weekly goal.

Today was a very relaxing day. I didn't have to cook any real food today and I took a very nice nap with my cat. I read the news a lot today because I like to stay updated and that took up a couple hours of my day. I also made plans to hang out with my friends one last time before my life is consumed by the cycle. After this weekend, it's going to be Tae Kwon Do all day and all night for me.

Today has been a great day so far. My sister and I played a lot today and I also did all my requirements. I don't know what we will do in the evening, but my mom said it would be fun.

Today i woke up this morning did my running as usual and for some reason i thought it was a good idea to start my empathy essay. I ran into almost every wall, and also elbowed my brother in the face doing self defense, also doing sparring rounds with my brother also hurt since i couldn't see. I managed throughout the day though, but when we went to our grandparents house and got to our car to drive home my other senses must of had some sort of boost because i could guess exactly where we were on the drive home every time. So i guess that will help me in sparring, then i finally got to open my eyes, i felt really dizzy and it took a few minutes to recover but i did and after i went to bed.

hello every body first off i woke up ran 1.5 miles and then ate a good breakfast worked out with my bro then i did self-defense, sparring and my poomsaes. i ran the whole way today and didn't have to walk any of it.

Today I went to Carowinds with my mom, my cousin, and my sisters. My sisters forgot to bring something to put on their feet when they got wet. My mom was not getting into the water, so she gave my sister Jasmine her water shoes. My sister Christine did not have water shoes, so her feet got overwhelmingly hot.  She started crying so I gave her my water shoes. It was a great time.  We went on a ride where you step into a capsule and a trap door falls underneath you.

Today was an interesting day. I woke up and completed my daily goals and took a nice shower. For lunch, I used some leftover ground turkey and mixed it into some macaroni and cheese that i had made. I wasn't quite sure how it would taste but I enjoyed it so much that I ate it for dinner too! I also talked on the phone with my friend for hours because my mom and sister were busy all day. Now it's time to clean the kitchen and go to bed.

Today I ran 2 miles in the morning and ate breakfast when I cam back. After breakfast, I waited for an hour before I did push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, and kicks. Then I did sparring, and jump rope rounds. After lunch, I am going to do my poomsaes and self defenses. We might go to the waterpark at Carowinds.

Hello everybody, I first woke up this morning ate a hardy breakfast with eggs, bacon, and pears. I then ran 1.5 miles with my Bro, and quickly started doing pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, and sparring rounds. jump rope i had to do throughout the whole day because it takes a lot of cardio, and 3 in a row is too much!! We did go to the pool today since going outside was basically like walking onto a grill. After the pool we went to my grand parents house to finish our poomsaes and self defenses. We then got home and took good showers, and went to sleep.

Today I ran 1.5 miles with my brother D'Andre and then worked out for 2 hours. Then we went to the pool and it started to rain so we practiced our kicks at the pool. I started some essays before the pool and hopefully I'll finish them tomorrow. Then I went to my grandmothers house and practiced my self defense and poomsaes.

Today me and my friend we had a sleepover and this morning we made pancakes that were a mess.I had some nice peace and quite by meditating.   

Master Dege had a great tip Saturday in Black Belt Class. I always practice self defense at home by myself, but it is different with a person in front of you. She suggested practicing with the vacuum cleaner. Such a great idea. My vacuum cleaner is now my self defense partner at home. 

Today I got some meditation time in and went to go see tarzan. I don't know how to put in the requirements so I just have to wait for the web site to get up and running.     

I did a lot of requirements today and I am trying to figure out how to log them. I also had fun with my sister at home. I am having a lot of fun during the summer.

Today seemed to drag on forever. I was waiting for the mailman to come all day with my packages and he didn't show up until about 3. It seemed like I was either laying around or working out all day. I also cooked some really tasty turkey tacos for dinner. Everyone said they were amazing. I had to debate on whether or not I could make that a random act of kindness.

Today I went to the pool and my famil and I went shopping after. When we went to the pool, we were the only ones there which was great because we got the entire pool to ourselves. I had a great day.

I just got back from a family reunion in Fayetteville North Carolina. It had been going on for a few days but we got there on the last day. There was chicken with a green sauce, this round shaped potato, and some roast beef. I really did not know anyone there. There was a slide show from the first reunion to about the 40th reunion. The ride back home was very short because we took the short cut back.   

Today was my first day of my first black belt cycle. I woke up, had some blueberries and peanut butter crackers, and study my stufy guides. Afterwards, i did 200 push ups and sit ups over 3 and a half hours. My arms were pretty sore but I still managed to walk 2.5 miles to get chipotle with my friends. I just ate an apple as a late night snack and now i'm off to bed. my first cycle will be quite interesting. 

Ran this morning at 5:30AM, then knocked out some requirements before sparring and black belt class. One of my favorite things to do after 3 hours of class is to go to the neighborhood pool and float in the water. The cold water is like icing my whole body. It helped relieve cramps and was very peaceful.

Congratulations guys and gals!! The testing is done, now the work begins. To train like a black belt and become more proficient in Tae Kwon Do. Also, congrats to Jason for getting the best Black Belt Candidate this cycle. Not an easy task and it took dedication and perseverance. Awesome job. A couple of shout outs to others like Master Dege, for getting her fourth Don. That's an incredible amount of work to achieve that goal. Ryan for kicking butt on the requirements and always there to help out. Trent was very grateful to have you as his mentor. I'm sure you were a definite runner up to the best black belt. Tiger, who lets nobody stand in his way of achieving his goals. He is dedicated and is driven. He will someday be on the cover of some magazine. The Hartle's for all their help with this cycle for inspiring...

Finally we have completed the cycle and now I am second Poom. Great job by everyone in the cycle. 

Well, the night time testing is over. I did not do as well as I would have liked to do. Made some mistakes, and had some forgetful moments. This is usual for me when I am up past my bedtime. Really glad that Master Evins was able to do this tonight. Worried about him today, especially for the Tea Ceremony.

Last day and I'm pretty anxious. Usually I try to be very 'chill' so to speak and try not to get overwhelmed by projects, tasks and events, but this is really getting to me. I didn't sleep very well last night so I'm already pretty tired.

Last minute tweaks to my music, and i think I am done. Ready for tonight and tomorrow afternoon

Hello. Not much went on today. Came to class and practiced some forms like the Bolo form and Staff form 2 with my buds at Lake Norman. I have to write this essay for my senior exit project for tomorrow.

  My dad said that he was gonna get me some Kyrie's. I like Kyrie's  because they feel good on my feet and they look good. Kyries are like running shoes they fit nice and everything I really like kyrie's. Kyrie plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers Also there a pretty good team.  

Pretty cool day today. Chilled with the gang at Lake Norman, reviewing. I feel pretty confident about the testing, I hope we do well.

Today at school we had a field trip to Hiddenite. It was my second time going. Also, my grandparents came down from New York to visit.

Today I played a game that was a mixture of baseball and football. My team won. Later, we went to a Mexican restaurant and I got stuffed on food.  That's really all, goodnight!

  There is this basketball team named the Golden state warriors. They are really good. When the warriors,and the cavaliers dd the back to back games I think they did 8. But the warriors won it on the 8th.  

Pretty bland day today. Not much happened which is always nice. Went to class as usual, of course.

Must have done some good work yesterday. I slept for an extra hour and a half this morning. Worked on 3 position snatches for strength WOD: x2 4 Jerks (135lbs) 5 FSquat (135lbs) 6 PCleans (135lbs) 30 Pullups 40 Pushups 50 Situps Practiced a lot of flying side kicks jumping over as high and long of a pile as possible. Will see how this goes at testing.

King Tiger Belmont was very hospitable today. I met some new people and some familiar ones. I worked up a good sweat in class. Thanks Julia for working with me on self-defense.

  There is this place up the street called pelicans. Pelicans is a snowball place that has over 100 flavors. Pelicans is my favorite spot for snow cones. Me,step dad,mom, and step sister all go there almost everyday in the summer I guess you can say that Pelicans is a cool place. 

Today I had my 6 week assessment for ELA. I finished and got a 76%. I am going to retake for a better score.

Although the black belt test is coming up, I have to study for my AP test which are the 1st 2 weeks of May. There are many things going on at once for me, it's kind of stressful

Went to watch Masters Jackson, Geeson, and Brodie test for their next rank in Goldsboro on Saturday. They did a great job, but didn't give me any great ideas for my breaking routine. Kind of forgot about the Nai Bin Jin forms. Spent some time working on them today. More work to do.

Yesterday we went to Church of God Children's Home and helped with yard work. My group worked on pulling weeds from the planting beds in front and side of the house that is usually for young pregnant teenage girls. Several scenarios run through my head when I hear of young pregnant teenagers, and none of them are pleasant. I don't know what their real situation is, but it really makes me stop and appreciate my children and childhood. 

Not much happened today. I mostly did homework most of the day. I still have a Statistics homework assignment to do, so I guess I'll do that next.

Today I wrote my community service essay. I worked hard on it and I hope for it to be thought of as at least "decently written".

Yesterday we went for community service at Church of GOD orphanage. It felt very good to be part of the group giving back to your community. Thank you Instructor Foster for coordinating this and to all the people who came to help out. It was a lot of work but it felt good and satisfied when we finished.  This is our last week sharing our feelings in this forum. I am super excited to be part of this group and testing along with everyone. Wish you all the best and look forward to seeing you all at testing next week!

Today I went and did my community service project at the Church of God Children's Home. I had lots of fun and felt really happy.   (I also made a new friend. Her name is Cat/Kat.)

Somewhat bad news. I think I forgot to journal Thursday and that might become an issue. I hope not. I have a decent amount of homework for this weekend. I already got my spanish out of the way, so that's good.

Awesome color belt testing tonight! It is nice to see so many adults. I remember many of the adults in classes with me that were so encouraging and a belt or a few above me are long gone. It is easier to tell someone to relax than it is for me to relax in a similar situation. Practicing poomsaes tonight for me was not pretty. It took me three times to get through taegeuk sa chang. I got up to a point and could not remember what came next. The second time it morphed into oh chang. Not good. That has been my normal too much lately. Not good and frustrating  

Honestly, today was a terrible day. Long day at school with AP Biology test. I had the honors band clinic, in Charlotte right after so I bought dinner at taco bell for some reason. Terrible traffic. Got there, we played from 4-9pm. Absolutely awful. And one cold quesadilla for 'dinner'. Took a while to drive back.  They now expect us to come back at 7:45. So basically wake up at 6 and leave at 7. So basically the soonest I could get home was about 9:45 and the latest I can wake up is 6:00, I have about 8:15 hrs to eat, shower, do miscellaneous work and sleep. This is absolutely ridiculous. Then tomorrow, we have to stay there until 3pm. I don't remember signing up for voluntary punishment for being alive. Also, I missed a journal yesterday

Got a little "hot" in BB class tonight.  Too much chatter, not enough ki-haps.  Wasn't happy.  Didn't keep my cool.  They were lucky that my Mom showed up....had to be nice after that....lol.

I don't help with testing as much as I should, but it was fun tonight to watch several Jr Tigers test for their new belts. Tomorrow should be fun too. 

Cool day for me, watching Trent (my youngest) earning his green belt. I'm usually more critical of their performances, but tonight, he nailed it. He knew his pomsae really well and his kicks looked good. It was a proud dad moment. I'm blessed to have an awesome group of people in my sons lives. Encouraging, respectful, honorable, and kind to say the least of the King Tiger family. It does take a village, but that village can produce an idiot or a great citizen depending on the type of folks we associate with. Find the right village and you get the right individual. Thanks to all who make my job as a dad an easier one. My hat is tipped to you..

Busy day of errands, work outs and classes.  Practiced creative form with Natasya.  Busy weekend ahead with the Masters' Testing in Greensboro.  This next week is going to fly by!

REgular sparring class with Instructor Marcus. Pretty cool class.

Color belt testing is tomorrow, so yesterday when I got home from class, I put my doboks in the washer. When I went to hang them up I noticed several blue dots on them. Note to self: be sure to always check the washer to make sure no stray pens, crayons, markers, or other such objects are left behind. I have heard that aerosol hairspray helps with ink spots, so I tried it and oxyclean and laundry detergent. I am on the fifth washing with high hopes for few remaining obvious spots. I guess we shall see at testing tomorrow. This in no way will cause me to revert to washing my kids clothes again, just to be more careful with my own. Other than that, it was a great day for getting outside for some fresh air and miles with a coworker after work today. It has been a while...

Having nagging arm/shoulder injuries for the last 7 months, finally healing up, allowed me to get a personal record today with weight overhead. Close to my body weight (I'm heavy). Spent some time working on my breaking kicks today. Mentor session with Master Evins  

I'm so close! I only have .81 miles left and I just want to run them right now. However my parents are perfectly comfortable and are watching tv so I don't want to bother them. I can't do it myself because I don't know my way through the neighborhood. Well, goo night.

I'm working on my statistics homework right now. Staff form 2 and bolo form need the most work right now, but I feel relatively confident about testing than I did a month or so ago.

Today I had my first gym class. It was fun. We played a game where we had to knock the other team's pins down with dodge balls. I have gym for the rest of the year so I think I will enjoy it.

I think when poomsaes are ending up intermingled, it is time to do something else. I need to watch some videos to review. Looking forward to color belt testing later this week. It is always good to see hard work rewarded and the excitement of getting a new belt. I don't feel like I accomplished much today, except I am feeling better about my creative poomsae. My brain and body need to rest. 

Tonight was fun. i got to be teamed up with Master Richie and we did self defense drills a little different then normal. Master Evins had us do this one drill that seemed pretty easy. Just take a step in, then bring the back foot the opposite direction and face the other way. Well, Master Richie and I ended up looking like a Abbot and Costello show and kept ended up with our backs touching somehow, while everyone in class is facing their partner from a distance looking at two dudes with their backs together looking very unmanly. Needless to say Master Evins, which tried various attempts to correct us, made us change partners. Ahhh, that's what it's supposed to look like. If you were there at the North Charlotte dojung, you probably had a good laugh at our expense. And that's cool. It's one of my secret powers, to baffle...

At school today we had the "Greek Olympics" for all of the 6th grade Social Studies classes to wrap up our ancient Greece unit. I participated in the long jump and the tug-of-war. My class won the girl's running race. It was very fun.

Hello. Not much has happened. I have a case study to read about for biology about the Hedgehog gene, yet gene has no relation to hedge hogs. It apparently got its name after some biologists infused the genes into fruit fly eggs and the hatched fruit flies looked as if they had dense spines.

We are so close to testing! 11 days and counting.  Working on some of my higher belt poom saes.  Have to get them more fluid.  Need to work with my self defense partner.  Feeling good about my weapons forms.  

I hear there are games going on tonight. I for one do not follow much of college sports, but I do enjoy watching them live. I guess thats the west coaster in me. Don't hold it against me too much. I have embraced the southern ways and love it. I just can't get into college sports. Katherine (the Mrs) is supposedly a big Duke fan, passed down by her father. They love their Duke. Though she doesn't follow them or has a clue how they did this season, I would not be allowed to turn on the Carolina game. A long time ago I asked her father who in the family went to Duke. Would have thought I grew a third eye on my head the way he looked at me. "Boy, you don't have to go to heaven to know that you want to go there" was his answer. I...

  On sunday when I was with my dad me and him played on my ps4. When we picked teams I picked Golden state warriors, he was the Milwaukee Bucks. The score was 103-101 I was up then he mad a three. The score was 103-104 I had to make a shot with klay tompson but he missed the three and we lost.

Today was the first day back at school. It went pretty smoothly and I think the rest of the week will be good.

Went to class today. Basically mastered by Bolo form. I should work on that along with my staff form tomorrow.

Did my first weight class since injuring my hip last week. Kept the weight light, and everything went well. No pain. Ready to keep on working and getting ready for testing.

Wow! No more Saturday black belt classes before testing. The reality is closing. I suppose there will always be more to do. Could have, should have...I wished I would have done this one differently. 

Hello candidates, Master's, fellow students, and foreign delegates. Wanted to thank you for what looks like a big turn out for the King Tiger service project coming up this Saturday the 9th. Those who are on the cycle, were of course voluntold, but we seem to be getting a lot who just want to help out. Here's a little about this organization. It was established in 1944 by Rev Childers. It was a private place to help abuse, neglected or any child in need. The residents at the ...time, was a mill town, raised $10,000 to make it possible for children to have a safe and loving place to go if needed. The Church of God Children's Home is still a private, non-profit Christian facility and will remain so as long as the generosity of the community deems it so. Most of the children (to my understanding) go home on the...

Last day of Spring Break. We came back from the beach today and on the way back I was crammed in the back of the car because we had to pick up one of my dogs.

Hello, sorry i haven't journaled in a while. I guess i really just took spring brake off. I did get some running though. Today i went to some batting cages and practice hitting for baseball. Then I went to the field to catch fly balls and do suicides. It was fun, good night.

Yesterday I went to spare time.  At spare time me my dad and his girlfriend all went but me and my dad did putput.  Then I did the arcade. Then after that we got my favorite food ribs. I had a fun day yesterday .

Hello. Today's going to be pretty busy for me. I have a spanish project to finish and I want to read about our next class in European History, it's a very reading-extensive class.

Awesome instructors training this afternoon! I should try to do better and break out of my comfort zone. I also need to make a point to meet someone new each time I go to the dojang and then keep up with them. It is hard with so many. I missed working with the student I have been working with each Saturday after family class. I hope he's on vacation.

Two more days of spring break. Can't wait for school! (sarcasm)

Yay! I finally finished creating my creative poomsae today. Now I just need to learn it and remember it, so it looks as if I have been doing it for a long time. I have in my head, for trying to come up with it, but that's totally different muscles. 

If there is one part of my life I could just skip, it would be tax season. God Bless accountants because I don't know how they do it. Looking at pages and pages of numbers, forms, rules and whatever else. The stuff makes my large intestine do a yoga position. I remember taking Accounting I and Accounting II in college, and you know what I learned, hire a good accountant. Every year I do an extension because of the dread of completing the 80 page booklet my accountant gives me to fill out. And every year I tell myself I will start earlier and get them done prior to March. When pigs fly. Or how about when pigs own a breakfast bar and fry bacon. Weird but tasty. So, stay healthy cycleillans and be sure to wash behind your ears. You never know when the IRS will want to meet you.

Happy April! Hope for a great month with testing coming up!