Vacation time

Going on a vacation often brings up thoughts of events that take place over the course of the vacation time or of just vegging out at home and not doing much of anything. But sometimes, going on a vacation means meeting up with old friends and not really planning much other than how to spend time with those friends to catch up on things that have happened since the last time you met or chatted.

Such is the case with me during the weekend of June 24^th 2011. For many years I have played games. The love for gaming started as a kid with an Atari 2600. Things just evolved from there to where I am today, playing online games. Playing a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (known as a MMORPG) is how I spend most of my gaming time and it has been that way since roughly 2001.

Over the course of 10 years, I have met a lot of people around the world and many of them I see as friends of mine. Some of them are not a friend that you could sit and talk to about life and things of that nature, but someone you enjoy playing a game with. Then there are the people that you really connect with. These are the people that you know on a level that is hard to put into words.

There have a few of those in my life and every single one of them I still talk to today. But when you meet one of those people, that you felt a connection with online, face-to-face for the first time, you can feel a connection stronger than you first thought. Almost like you have known each other for so long that you don’t have to sit and talk for hours to get to know them better because you already do know them. In the same sense though, you are disappointed that you didn’t take advantage of the time with that person to sit and talk about things you have wanted to talk about but only in a face-to-face atmosphere.

This leads me to my point of this blog today. As I stated above, the weekend of the 24 June 2011 was a wonderful weekend. I got to meet some people I have played games with online for years in person. Everyone was way better in person than the way I have known them in game. Having a common ground to which we could all speak kept us even closer as a group than some blood relatives get at their family reunions.

We had all sorts of different people there; some old timers of the “family” and some new faces that have only just joined us over the past year or so. Everyone seemed to hit it off nicely the affair was a great time to be had by all. Usually at this point there is a “but” thrown into the conversation, however, this time there is not. The only thing that was bad about it all was that it had to end. (At least for now.) I say at least for now because we try to have these get-togethers twice a year. The first we have in Florida in June and the other we have in Arizona in October.

This was the first one I have attended and I plan to attend as many more as possible as long as they are being held. The two days that we spent together were some of the most fun times I have had in a long time. Having two more days later in the year only enhances that time and builds anticipation for the next meeting.

Reading back at what I have written to this point, I notice that I have left out activities. I am pretty sure that you, as the reader, have noticed as well. This is purely intentional because those events were more of a gathering of friends and not meant for the general public to have intimate knowledge about. Everyone in attendance knows what went on, and each person has their own view on the events. While I could probably write a book on what transpired, I won’t do that. Instead, I will simply state that I had the best time I have had since I can remember and feel that I am much closer to everyone that was in attendance.

In closing, I will leave you with this little tidbit. When you are with close friends and family, always ensure they know how you feel about them because you never know when it will be the last time you see them.

I love you all. GH4LIFE!

Shiyan out!

Summertime

Been a while since I made a blog post so I thought I would throw one out and talk about summertime for a moment.

The summer brings many things to light. Bicycling, running, swimming, yard work, and bar-b-ques. But it also brings heat. In the winter we spend most of our time indoors to stay warm and safe and dream of summer. When it finally gets here, we do nothing but sit indoors to stay cool and dream of cooler weather. So what you end up doing is spending all of your time indoors.

I live in the great state of Colorado. Some of the most beautiful land in the world. There are so many things to see and do here that I can't even begin to name them all. But I have to say the one thing I love to do is mountain bike. Sure it kicks me in the tail pretty hard but it is so much fun at the same time. Every single time I get on the bike I feel ready to take on anything. The wind rushing around me as I ride. The heart and blood pumping through my extremities. It is a feeling like no other. If you put a mountain in front of me, I will attack it. Now I don't always win that fight but it sure is fun trying.

My advise for everyone is to find what you love to do and get out and do it. Sitting inside makes us lazy and content with our world. We were not meant to live like that.

End of a year

Well the end of 2008 is upon us and it brings to an end times that have been both good and not so good. We always tend to dwell on the good but often we find we are unable to do so and we end up dwelling on the bad more than the good. 

This year brought to me the most wonderful gift I have ever recieved. The birth of my son. He is a healthy baby boy and was born on April 13th, 2008 at 5:08 a.m. in Colorado Springs, CO. When I look at him, I see such potential in life and I see a chance that the world will be a better place when he is older. Too many times I have picked up a newspaper or turned on the evening news or even just looked at a news website and seen how someone has killed their children and shown no remorse. These people infuriate me in ways that I simply cannot put into words. Hurting my kids is the last thing I ever wish to do and if anyone were to attempt to do them harm they would have the wrath of one they do not ever wish to see brought upon them.

Other happenings this year was the completion of my first college degree. In September, I was awarded an Associates of Science in Electronics Technology. This achievement is huge to me and the only thing it will pale in comparison to is the day I receive my Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. As of the end of 2008, I have 15 months to go and the latter will be achieved.

My final thought on this year is the United States Presidential Election. While many view this as a moment in history that is so monumental that anything else that has happened is miniscule in comparison, I see this moment in history as something that could possibly ruin us as a nation. Mind you, I certainly hope that he proves me wrong but I have a very strong feeling that he won't and we are in for a wakening that makes WWII seem like childs play. Only time will tell.

Me

Most people that will read this pretty much know about me but some more than likely do not. So I will tell you all a bit about Shiyan and who he is.

A Name:

What is in a name? Many have asked me where the name Shiyan comes from. Well the answer is really simple, especially if you know about the man behind the screen name. For many years, I trained in Kung Fu, Northern Praying Mantis Long Fist to be exact. This "obsession" became part of me in ways I never knew possible. Anything to do with Chinese history and philosophy interested me to the point that I would rather read up or watch something on the subjects than hang out with friends or members of the opposite sex. 

But this turned into more than just an obsession. It eventually turned into a lifestyle of sorts. Meaning that I made my decisions on the philosophies of all life. However, there was/is a massive downside to this lifestyle, you eventually lose yourself in things that, while may seem harmless, can be detrimental to your place in life as well as your overall health. Elaboration on this matter is a subject in itself and I may, one day, expand more on it. For now, we will leave it as already stated. 

The origin of the name (what was meant to be the main subject matter of this) comes from a Shaolin Monk who defected to the United States in the early 1990's. His name is Shi Yan Ming, a 34th generation fighting monk from the Songshan Mountains of China. Due to gaming restrictions, I could not use three parts of a name like he has his so I chose to combine the first two parts and form Shiyan (pronounced She-yaan). Since it was a semi-original screen name, every website I went too I was able to use that name. However, after years of using it, I have noticed a few people have picked it up as their own and are now using it. To me, that is a form of flattery when one person likes your name so much they decide to use for their own.

Now that you know the story behind the name, I will share with you some of the workings behind the man as well. But you will have to wait till next time.

Shiyan sends.

First

This is just a first blog that I am posting today. Many things will be said here and I am sure that some are useless and some may be useful. Only time will tell.