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EmperorWhenua

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Blog Entries posted by EmperorWhenua

  3. EmperorWhenua

    My Biggest Weakness

    By EmperorWhenua,

    Something of a confession here.
     
     
    I've gradually become a relatively respected figure in real life, garnering a favorable reputation with adults and other people. In Scouting, I'll agree that I do have my merits, knowing the method of the BSA inside and out and getting along well with administrative officers, and I am of course a leading figure in my troop for a reason, having much knowledge in the fields of survival and other outdoor skills (though no match for CJ's, I'm sure xD). However, I am facing the realization that I was almost given these positions and the respect that I have by pretending.
     
    I, like many others, have heroes, people that I look up to for what they did and usually draw comparisons between myself and they. General Charles George Gordon, a man of no fear and great courage who protected the Sudan and the Nile despite all odds and killed in battle (presumably) is one of such people. J. Michael Fay, a naturalist explorer who marched across 2,000 miles of African jungle in the name of observational science is another. But one man in history almost mirrors me. General George B. McClellan, former commander in chief of the Union army during the Civil War is that man.
     
     
    McClellan was a great commander. He turned the shabby Union Army of the Potomac into a wonderful fighting machine, tuned it to perfection and made it the most powerful military force of it's size at the time. With all due respect, he should have been able to win the war on the spot. But within a few months, he would be removed from office in disgrace and replaced by another man. Reason? He was too slow.
     
     
    Before the Battle of Williamsburg, he placed his artillery immaculately to beat a Confederate force. He was instead forced to do battle elsewhere, away from his cannon, and after 'defeating' the Grays, was obliged to press on. He did, but did so with extreme caution and slowness. That was to be his greatest weakness, and became more evident at the Battle of Antietam. Waiting for reinforcements, he instead allowed the Confederates to gain theirs and prepare for battle first. Later, he did beat the Confederates, but did not attack further. He idled and waited for more forces, and by the time he did they were long gone.
     
     
    I, like McClellan, am a brilliant planner. I can make any group spit-and-shine polished, and know exactly what to expect most of the time, and do my best to factor in the delays and problems. But tell me to do something with what I have, and I'll delay. I've had my Eagle project ready for months --it's there, ready, prepared-- but I have not done anything with it. The area remains bare of work, the papers getting buried is books, and the donors are waiting for a signal, but I still have not moved on it. I'm just too cautious and play a defensive game all the time. It's a trait that has saved the back of others and myself, but it is also proving to be my biggest problem.
     
    Am I a pretender? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe those above me really do see something great in me. I'll agree that I have potential energy, but like a fire still struggling to light, I'm hesitant to burst up, almost all of the energy spent on potential.
     
    I must remind myself that I am what others see in me. That's one thing that keeps my content. But then, maybe that, too, is a lie.
     
    ~EW~
  4. EmperorWhenua

    08 In Review

    By EmperorWhenua,

    Year two-thousand and eight (edit: whoops!) proved a wild and yet wonderful year to me.
     
     
    It all started with the Times Square ball dropping nearly a year ago, signaling the start of the year. January was rather boring, to be truthful, though my first time staffing a Boy Scout activity was nice, as I enjoyed warm enchiladas in the snow while others huddled around Cup o' Noodles. What a wonderful Klondike.
     
    February was a droll, though there was a happy moment when Dad found that his bladder cancer was gone. That also marked the very start of my Eagle Project work, meeting with the Myrtle Creek parks commission and brainstorming with them for project ideas.
     
    Most of Spring was nice, sporadic Boy Scout meetings dotting the calendar and a hike to my beloved Cascade Mountains highlighting a weekend. In April, the BSA district had it's annual merit badge fair, where I got two more partials. Yay me.
     
    The doubtlessly largest family trauma affair for '08 was when my dad crashed his darling car into a tree and almost died. I could have requested that his life be let go, but I stubbornly held on and requested that he have life support. After almost a month in Portland's Oregon Health Science University, he was finally let out, with a new nose job and a pocket full of painkillers. This event also advanced his Parkinson's by a virtual year, making him more progressed than we thought possible.
     
     
    June. I was interviewed for a job at Camp Baker, and the event I presumed would be a big trial for me turned out to cure my phobias of closed-door interviews. My future bosses became close allies in those few moments, and I was hired a couple weeks later. June went by too slowly for me, and I was nervously ecstatic for the late June, when I would be taken to my work. Late June finally came, and I happily (and cautiously) tested myself out at the coastal camp. That July was probably the best month I'd had in years, poking my head out and showing myself exactly what I could do, becoming a trusted missionary for the camp bosses, and having my first taste of real authority and responsibility, where I was put in charge of my own little part in camp and teaching hundreds of fellow Scouts things that I hope they will remember in future years (good things, that is, lol).
     
    I also had my birthday in July, though I was not here to share it with all my fellow BZP'rs.
     
    August through October were fine. I lie. They were not fine. More and more stress on me came after Dad would spend days on the floor in one single position, making messes of both litter and waste, and proving that he either needed real help or face death, or he was a really good pretender. After several return trips to Camp Baker for duties that came and went, duties that helped ease my mind from the heck that was going on at home, I started to realize that I was becoming more and more the man of the house. I had to keep the property running, and started doing my duties with more resolve.
     
    Who could forget the elections in... November? No near, and yet it seems so far. A strange feeling. The great victory of Obummuh vs Mycan will surely be remembered for many years to come.
     
    The year ended with it's scandals, though. The economy crashing actually did something to my family I never though possible: it touched us. Mom became more prudent with spending and we suddenly realized that Dad's seemingly meticulous planning had many, many faults. Thankfully, we never invested in Madoff's company, so we're fine there.
     
     
    On the note of dad's planning, we found it was not as good as we thought. Turned out he never planned for the future. He lived by the moment, hoping everything would be fine. He was a great business man, managing millions of dollars as prudently as Bigfoot manages public appearances, and he could counsel any man on how to spend stuff, and he placed the property as a non-profit group, freeing it from seizure by the government, but his will was never notarized, we have no money to speak of in the bank, no 401K or pension at all, and he even lost the social security checks. We Schillers were also fighting healthcare for what was best for my dad, having him in a nursing home and trying to settle things with senior services. They wanted him in a nursing/foster home, but also demanded a lien on the house, which we adamantly declined. Finally, we were forced to give in, and he is now in a nearby place and we're gunna lose the house someday, when either we sell it or mom dies. Only God knows what's in store for us there.
     
    Time will tell us what we did right and wrong, and will uncover all. Time will also show what the baby year will do to us, how hard it will throw us, how it will cradle us, and what grievances we will mourn, what moments of joy we will live.
     
     
     
    On behalf of the Schiller family, I wish you all a not happy, but fulfilling and joyful year. Even the hardships are for a reason, and if you do what is right, you will receive joy, even if the world is upside down. I lova ya all and would never have been so optimistic if it were not for you.
     
    ~EW~
  6. EmperorWhenua

    What's In A Name?

    By EmperorWhenua,

    What is in a name?
     
    EmperorWhenua. It's pretty full of meaning, depending on your ideas. 'Emperor' can be a sign of great leadership, power and presige. It could be an emblem of greatness, a title of a ruler of a vast realm stretching from Annaba to East London, or even Perth to Freemantle; a royal title. Even as it is defined--

    --it shows some degree of pomp.
     
     
    And then there is 'whenua'.

     
    Earth. A wonderous phenomenon of minerals and reactions. Or even more deep things--

    -- which talk about life and soul.
     
    Perhaps the name means 'Lord of the Planet' or 'Master of Gardening Soil.' 'King of Commons', perhaps? There are so many different interpretations of the name 'EmperorWhenua', and yet even so, it is not surprising to know that the name EmperorWhenua means--
     
     
    --Absolutely nothing at all.
     
    ~EW~
  9. EmperorWhenua

    Bleh

    By EmperorWhenua,

    *sigh*
     
    I realize I've not been at my tops lately. On BZP, I've accidentally posted in [obviously] dupe topics and made a couple posts that got deleted later because they should have been edited into newer posts. In real life, I've just been more sluggish and just accomplished less.
     
    I dunno. Maybe I should take a break? No, I can't do that... BZPs the only interaction I've been getting lately, and if I cut that, I'll get worse. Maybe if I just measure myself better and eat healthier.
     
    So, uh, yeah... I gotta fix a few things. =/
     

    Yes, I admit it.
     
    ~EW~
  11. EmperorWhenua

    Happy Day

    By EmperorWhenua,

    With that day coming fast, I just wanna wish everyone a Merry Turkii Eve. May your days be filled with colored eggy goodness and lots of scary crossdressing goblins down the street and with overweight strangers in your house that your kids just love to see. The moms and dads, with their special times, holding fourleaf clover over their heads as they share a passionate kiss and a box of chocolates, will lead the parade celebrating independance as the crystal ball decends over Times Square.
     
    Ah, yes, my friends, its that time of year again, all over again. ._.
     
    ~EW~
     
    Edit: punctuation errors. >.<
  12. EmperorWhenua

    Positive Attitude

    By EmperorWhenua,

    This is a Scoutmaster Minute that I used at my troop's most recent Court of Honor. I did not make it, rather took it from a Scouting rescourse site and narrated it as I saw fit at the time, but this is the verbatim text from the site.
     

     
    *
     
    A good positive attitude can truly change the way you approach life, and your future. Let me illustrate with a short story.
     
    A few years ago, there was a wildlife organization out west that offered a bounty of $5000 for wolves captured alive.
    Two friends, Sam and Jed, decided to make their fortune. Day and night, they scoured the mountains and forests looking for their valuable prey.
    Exhausted one night, they fell asleep dreaming of their potential fortune.
    Suddenly, Sam woke up a bit startled, and saw that they were surrounded by a huge pack of nearly 70 wolves with searing black eyes, and bared teeth. Low growls rumbling from their throats.
     
    He slowly reached over and nudged his friend and said 'Jed, wake up! I think we're rich!'
     
    Gentlemen, Sam had a positive attitude. I hope you do.
     
    *
     

     
     
     
     
     
    It got a big laugh from the audience. Oh, how I love my job now. xD
     
    ~EW~
  14. EmperorWhenua
    For those who still do not know, Link.
     
     
    I have been trying to get this made for quite a long time. I am very glad to see it finally done, cuz I have felt it a needed part of the community since my joining, almost. In addition to the idea finally being done, I think the people chosen for this position are excellent, and the idea of having the Doll Sisters (Turakii and Macku) together as a daughter/mother team was also much appreciated by me. I could not have thought of better people for it myself.
     
    With every new member, the quality of the members declines because they do not get the same amount of attention. To have a welcoming commitee will fix this problem, as I see. Thus, I always felt that this needed to occur.
     
    I say, let's have a mighty round of applause for this awaited file to the ranks.
     
    ~EW~
  15. EmperorWhenua

    Yaaaaaay

    By EmperorWhenua,

    OMG YAY OBAMA WON!!
     

     
     
     
     
    And due to the fact that elections ended over a week ago, and this is either well-known or you live in a mountain cave with no media access and thusly could not know about this anyways, IMA LOCKIN my ENTRY.
     
     
    ~EW~
  16. EmperorWhenua
    A creme/gray henley
    A solid red T-shirt
    A Yale University sweater
    My digital camera
    My iPod
    One of my books
     
    Estimated monetary loss:
    $350.00
     
    The thing is, I never recall any time when those items could have been lost. The iPod is almost always with me; the camera is it's pouch and in my duffel; the book is understandable and I think I remember where is it, but still...; the sweater I have no clue about; same can be said about the helney and the T-shirt.
     
    On trips, electronics are placed in a small, orange waterproof bag. I have the bag, but it's empty. And what's more: I remember packing the orange bag last and it did include the iPod and camera. But whether I unpacked those things, I do not recall. The cloes just mysteriously dissapeared, and I loved that garb, too.
     
    Here's hoping it will all end up under my bed, equally mysteriously so, too. *shrug*
     
     
    And yes, I have indeed tried looking for the items. I'm not that lazy to expect them to sprout legs and walk to me.
     
    ~EW~
  23. EmperorWhenua
    It's in the AM hours, so I can't really say my writing skills are at their prime right now, but I just felt like making a point here.
     

     
     
    To be honest, I would never have a friend who considers me more important than what is right. Friends are there to help and support friends, to redirect them to do what is right. In a way, you could think of them as bowling bumpers, bumping the ball to the pins. Woe is the friend who does not do what is right.
     
    I appreciate what Kraggh did. Despite the fact that almost everyone considered the last entry to be funny, I do admit it was untasteful, and Kraggh made me realize that best.
     
     
    And remember, in Soviet Russia, blogs like these close YOU!
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