On the Range

Hey, everybody! Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I haven't e-mailed for a while either and I feel bad about it. Today I finished my work early and now my mom said that I have to do a blog post or two (counts for my creatitve writing, you know) and answer all my e-mails (which is probably around 20). So, I've got my work cut out for me!

Listen to this. After I got grounded we stayed at the beach house for a couple days then we packed up and drove two hours to my Tita Sas' house where we were going to stay for a few days to visit with them. My Lolo said before that we (my mom, dad, and I) were going to be able to go to the gun range on that Sunday and shoot his guns there but when we got there a security company was using the whole range for training or something. The lucky thing is, that they didn't start until later and we were able to go to the range. I got to shoot a Bushmaster M4 semi-automatic, a 22 caliber Sig Sauer handgun, a 40 caliber Sig Sauer handgun and a 40 caliber Glock. It was so awsome! My mom took some pictures of me with her iPhone when we were there and I put them in this post so you can see.

That's my dad in the green sweater and that's me shooting the Bushmaster.

This one is a good one of me shooting the Bushmaster. It was more powerful than I thought.

I think this is the 40 caliber Glock in this picture but I'm not sure.

This is my Lolo demonstrating proper shooting technique with the, I think, 22 caliber Sig Sauer. Compared to the other guns, the 22 is like a cap gun. We actually used all the ammo for the 22.

This is a picture of me shooting the 40 caliber Sig Sauer. That one had a pretty good kick. It was just less than the Bushmaster.

Speaking of guns, while we were in Connetticut, I bought my first BB gun! It's a Pumpmaster 760 with a maximum FPS of 600. I use the metal BBs with it. I'm a pretty good shot actually.

There's a lot of stuff that I'm gonna tell you about like iPods, moving, getting a house, birthday, rodeo, and lots more. I can only do one post per day, so, you'll have to wait! LOL!! Actually, check back regularly now that I'm back on track!

Signing On!

Hey everybody! I'm back on the computer now! I have TONS and TONS to tell you about from the last month! It'll probably take me four or five posts in all just to cover it! Well, I only have half an hour left on the computer until I have to get off for the night and I have lots to do, so bye!

Signing Off (for now)...

Hi everybody,

I've got some bad news. I got in trouble earlier today and am now grounded from the computer for a whole month after this post. So, I won't be blogging, e-mailing or TOUCHING any computer AT ALL until December 1st. You can still leave a comment on my blog but I won't be able to respond 0r publish untill then. I'm also not allowed to play Club Penguin until further notice. It really sucks.

Without going into too much detail, I gave away online log in information and passwords that I shouldn't have because they could have been tied to my parents' credit card. On top of that, I did it without telling my parents first. That was NOT a good idea. As you can imagine, my mom flipped. My dad would've flipped even more but, luckily, my mom made some calls (before he got home) and straightened things out before anything really bad happened. Good thing because otherwise I'd probably be grounded until New Year's. I always saw those signs that say "Never give away your password! Not even to your best friend!" or "Don't give it away, it's yours" and I didn't really think much of them at all--until now. My parents made it clear and I see now why it was so wrong. Belive me, I learned the hard way.

So guys, don't EVER, under ANY circumstances, share your password with ANYONE. I promise you that you will get yourself into more trouble than you think. Well, I'll post when I'm un-grounded! Signing off (for now)...

...And Crash Goes the Kite!

We took our parafoil kite that our friends gave us out to the beach today because we thought the wind was strong. We did get it up but then...just take a look at these pictures:

This is a picture of the kite. It's a nice 2' x by 2' . The tail is super long. Our friends gave it to us on my younger brother's birthday so he likes to tell everyone that it's his.

This is my Dad and my younger brother on the beach flying the kite. That looks nice.

I took a lot more pictures but all of them show me or my family up close so I can't show them. I also made a video of the kite doing big loops then crashing but Blogger says that there was an error so I can't upload it. But belive me, it crashed. Anyway, I'll see if I can post more tomorrow! Bye!

Update!

Well, my Grandpa and I are getting over a cold or fever or something. I'm feeling pretty good today but I still have rustling in my lungs. My Grandpa is not feeling well. He jokingly said,"I came all the way up here just to feel horrible!" He'll be here untill Saturday and is enjoying it even though he feels kinda' sick. He thinks he probably picked it up on the plane.

Today my Lolo, Lola, and Tita (that's grandpa, grandma, and aunt in the Tagolog--or Philippine--language) came up to visit for the day. Unfortunately, it was overcast on the Cape. Here are some pictures of what it looked like today.

This is a picture of the house from the beach. You can only see the roof beyond the deck because it sits protected behind the sand dune.

This is a view from the deck stairs looking out at the ocean. I thought it was cool. It looks like a picture postcard to me, no? Okay, nevermind.

These waves don't look big but for Cape Cod, they're HUGE! Usually, the waves here are the size of ripples that form when you throw a rock.

You wouldn't belive how long I was squating on the beach snapping pictures just to get this one! I wanted to get a picture of a big wave cresting but every time I thought I had it, it crashed. Anyway, I got one!

Here's a video of the waves. They still don't look big. But, belive me, they're big!

Here are some pictures from the other day when it was sunny and nice.

Doesn't that look like classic Cape Cod?

My brothers and I playing at sunset. I'm the one in black.

This is what the house looks like on a sunny day. I think it's nice.

Well, that's all I have for now! I have to go get some more wood for the fireplace so, talk to you later!

We're back!!!

We came to this beach house, opened the door, and saw a huge basket of AMERICAN junkfood. Then, as our friend instructed, we walked straight through the house, out the back door, up the stairs, across the wooden patio, and onto the beach! It was beautiful! It was sunset and the waves were lapping gently. We looked to the left and it was all sand out to the big jeti. We looked to the right and all it was was beach houses lining the long sandy beach. Can you imaging that? We said to ourselves,"Now this is the kind of sand that we like to see!"

No one could sleep last night because it was freezing. Everyone is jetlagged except for me. My Mom and Dad ended up waking up at 3 o'clock and went to get more firewood and Duncan Donuts donuts! Do you know how long it's been since I've had a REAL Duncan Donuts donut? It's been a year! No, no, it's been more than a year! It's been forever! Ahhhhhhh! Ok, sorry about that. I was just happy to have an American donut at 4 o'clock in the morning.

I want to take pictures and show you but I'm not allowed to take the camera out to the beach. I'll post pictures later today if I'm lucky.

Well, I gotta go! I'll post more now because I'm in a beach house and I want to share with my viewers! Hope to see all you guys soon! Bye!

iPod

Right now I'm waiting to see if I have won the iPod that I'm bidding on on eBay. It's a black 8GB 3rd generation iPod Nano. I want this one because hopefully it supports my Lego video files--then I'll be able to carry my Lego movies around with me! That's so cool! I can also downlaod my favorite pictures and all my music. Up to 7,000 pictures! Currently, I have to wait 15 hours and 45 miniutes. AHHHHHHH! I'm going nuts!

Along with the iPod I want to get a clear case. I want to protect it and be able to show off a scratchless iPod. I mean, what fun is it to have a dinged and scratched up iPod? It's going to be cool.

I'm getting it real cheap on eBay for 10 bucks plus 10 more for shipping. Hopefully, it's the real deal. Knock-offs look like an iPod, feel like an iPod, and sound like an iPod but you can't download music from iTunes.

I'm going nuts! I need a time machine. Hmmmmm. Do any of you know how to build a time machine? Hey! Can I get a shout out for a time machine!?! Okay, sorry, I'm weirding out.

Shita!

Don't worry, I didn't say what you think I said. It means "rain" in arabic. Well, maybe it should be shita shwai, which means "little rain". Okay, maybe it's not REAL shita, but for me, it is. Take a look at some pictures from the five miniute rain sprinkle we had.

This is a picture of the street right in front of our apartment. This is as wet as it gets. Only once has it rained more than this since we've been here. Guess what? We took a five minute walk to the mini snack-shop in the neighborhoo. On the way home we got stuck in the rain! What a "coincidence".

Here's a picture from my parents rear window. The sky doesn't look like this often. I hope it rains for real when we get back to the States.


This is the view from our kitchen window. It's the view in between our building and the building next to us. It looks pretty wet from here! But...it's not.

This is another picture from my parents window. I just zoomed in on the sky. Pretty foggy. Spooooooooky!

Well, that's what it looks like in Jordan when it's wet! I'll be back in the US soon so I can see REAL shita.

Mayhem

Well, right now my whole family is getting ready to head back to the States from Jordan. Pretty neat, eh? I think so except for the whole packing in ONE week thing. I mean, really, one week? It does get a bit stressful at times but we have Arlene, our housekeeper, to help us pack. She helps a lot.

Sadly, all my Legos are packed. :-( That really bums me out. I had so many Lego movies planned out and ready to go! All we have left are the two laptops--which isn't that bad, I guess. But still...

I'll post when I can while we move but it might be three to four weeks before we get settled and I can write regularly. It's always a big move when we go international.

So untill next time here is a collection of videos from my Lego friend SirSquid.


SirSquid says: I think there should be a flame thrower accessorie in LEGO Universe, it would be extreamly powerful close up, but it does not have a very long range. I would love to use this in LU!

SirSquid says: A movie showing my creature for LEGO Universe Mr. Munchy fighting my minifigure Elite Commander Glew.

SirSquid says: Voolekcore are aliens that look like minifig heads with rocket boosters, unlike all other LEGO creatures the Voolkcore can't have fun, so they must drain fun out of other LEGO people to live. They can teleport within a short range of there location if no one can see them, and they can move very fast, making them a deadly foe. The video shows my minifig Lord Electron hunting down some of them. NOTE: No minifigs were harmed in the making of this video.

All of these movies can be found in the Lego Universe Creation Lab. Enjoy!

Uh Oh

Well, guess what? Remember my post called "More on the Lego Movies"? If not, scroll down for a refresher. Well, it seems the method of putting on the sound effects while the music is playing is not working. I'm having trouble. Maybe it's just my computer because I did exactly what the original website told me to do. If you know a better way to add sound effects, PLEASE TELL ME!

My friend LegoAlienGuy894 told me a different way to do it. Here is what he said:

To add music while sound FX are playing, it is kinda' complicated so I will explain the best I can. Well first, add the sound FX and save it to your computer on the highest memory. Then, after it is saved, tell it to do a new project. Add the one with sound FX into your new project as video. (Click import video and find it). After you have added the movie with the sound FX into the new project as video, add the music! Thats all there is to it. Oh yeah, when you are saving it to your computer again, make sure it is not over 5 MB. (4 is good) And now for one final tip: when you are uploading you movie to Lego, upload it into one of the little view boxes below the main picture.

Between his method and mine, guess where I've gotten? Not far. That's where. Heh heh.

Like I said, I don't really understand it. Maybe you can experiment with the program according to what he is saying. If a little light bulb goes on in your head and you get it, please tell me. I'm confused. Can you help? I know it should work, but I'm obviously missing something. I know it's possible because LegoAlienGuy894's video had it all worked out. I'll keep messing around with it to see if I can figure it out.

Meanwhile...watch these videos from my Lego friends.

Here's a rockin' video from my friend LegoAlienGuy894. I like the music on it. The drummer is the coolest part of the whole thing. In my opinion, this is one of the best on the Lego website.

This is a really neat video from another friend. It's about an alligator that comes to attack a minifigure. It's actually pretty funny.

This is a really weird one. It really has no point at all but it's still pretty interesting. It's just kinda' random. I don't know what they were thinking when the kids who did this made it.

All of these videos can be found in my sidebar link to Lego Universe. Enjoy!

Zit Fit

I woke up this morning with two things on my face. As you can probably guess, they were zits. My brothers now have, as my mom would say, a zit-ster. I have one just above my right temple and one on my right cheek. I'm now getting a greasy nose and skin. I guess it's all part of getting older but I'm still waiting for that growth spurt!

I'm totally having a fit now. I don't, and never did, want a zit, and now I have two! Luckily, I'm busy with school and helping pack for the move so we don't have to go out. Phew!

Well, hopfully they will go away. How long do ya' think they'll be sitting on my face saying,"Don't pop me, I'm not ready yet!"? It really doesn't bother me THAT much. NOT, yes it does! But, it reminds me that I'm finally getting older and bigger. Finally!

More on the Lego Movies

So, since I am moving I can't do many more Lego creations for a while. I can't wait to get my Legos unpacked though! It'll be a few weeks.

My usual technique for making a movie is to just do it. No script, no plan, and no tri-pod. I just do it as I go. I go with the flow. Now, I have decided that it is best to write an entire script and get everything ready before I start shooting a movie.

One of the biggest problems with Windows Movie Maker is that that there is only one audio line. That means music and sound effects can't be added at the same time. Which to me, kinda sucks. There are two ways to get around this though, but they can drive me nuts at times.

I'm itching to use it in my next movie! Okay, I'll tell you even though it's a trade secret. First, drag and drop the pictures or video clips onto the timeline. Then find the music that you want to use and right click on it and hit "Add to timeline." It's easy to place and edit the length of the music by simply putting your cursor at the beginning or end or the music to adjust it. Then go to the video transitions. There, find a suitable transition to use. Make sure not to drag and drop the transition. Just do the same thing that you did with the music. The second that you hit the "Add to timeline" button, a second audio line will appear! Then it's as simple as draging and dropping the effects onto the other timeline. Easy as pie!

Here is my good friend LegoAlienGuy894's Lego movie. I learned a lot of the "Lego-movie-know-how" from him over the internet.



I am planning on making a Christmas Lego movie with a new character never before seen! Anyway, it is going to have full music (gutair I think), full sound effects, steady video--the whole nine yards. I can't start it now because I'm moving but make sure to keep your eyes peeled! I am going to spend a lot of time editing and perfecting it before I release it on my blog and on Lego.com.

I will be looking foward to hearing your comments on my blog and e-mails from everybody!

Lego Stop Motion Movies

If you have read my profile, you'll see that one of my interests is "Lego Stop Motion Animation." You're probably wondering what the heck that is. So I guess I can tell you.

Basically it's just making a set out of Legos, setting up a camera on a tri-pod (on macro), and taking pictures as you move the legos little by little. After you take all the pictures you download them onto a computer then send all the pictures and video to a movie maker program. Once you have it there you can drag and drop them onto the timeline. Make sure that you speed up the pictures with the effects. Then just syncronize music and sound effects with the video. The last step is to save it to your computer.

It's fun to do that because...well, it's just fun! I like to see hours of work all sped up and looking like a movie. I mean, who doesn't like that ? I also like it because I can post all my videos on the official Lego web site. If you've got Legos, a high megapixel camera (I use 10.1), and a movie making program, try it!

Here is the offical Lego web site. It's the branch that allows movies and videos to be posted.

http://us.universe.lego.com//en-us/creationlab/Default.aspx

It might take you a little while to understand what it is all about. If you want to see my FIRST Lego video, and other posts that I have made, search in the "Search for creations" box for the username Profclyde. I hope you like it!

If the video doesn't load from the web site, here it is.

There is one REALLY bad scene. It's really wobbly but other than that I think it's fine.

BB Gun Havoc

Have you ever wanted a BB gun? I definetly have. Actually I have been wanting one for maybe about 2-3 years already. Well, I think I have finally got approval from my dad that I could get one. I think the reason that parents don't let their kids have a BB gun, or any type of projectile shooting gun for that matter, is becauese they are scared of what will happen to you, or anybody or anything around, if you get a gun in your hands. Parents probably don't want to end up getting the family a reputation in the neighborhood for being the 'gun' family.

Really, the only place that you can get hurt with an airsoft gun is in the eye. So you can't really get hurt--unless the BB ends up being a ricochet (is that how you spell that?). Ouch! There goes baseball and all the other sports. So just make sure that you, and everybody around, wears proper eye protection.

Some people say that having a BB gun is a good thing. In some ways it is. It can be a good reason to get outside. While it is also a good training tool for gun saftey, it can also be a good tool for father-son bonding. I mean what dad doesn't like to get out there and shoot at a couple of targets with his son?

It all really depends on the level of responsibility you have. If your parents think you're really responsible and you want one, I say go for it!

Here is a website for BB guns.

http://www.airgunsbbguns.com/

Lets Get the Hang of this Blog thing

So. This is my first blog entry. I don't really know what I'm going to post on this blog in the future. I guess I'm supposed to post anything that I feel like posting. Right? Well, I guess this whole blog thing sounds kinda fun! I think that I'll enjoy doing this. With the support of my followers, my mom, and my nifty new typing skills (30 wpm. Wowie!) I think this will be quite enjoyable!

Kinda lame for a first entry. Huh? If you think it is, just tell me. I can take it.