Gavin

[quote name='White][COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]My advice to you, cancer, is to tell her to move out with a couple of her friends. That way she isn't completely on her own, there are people there for support so she can learn the ways of the outside world, and her parents can't treat her like a child. 2007DB said it pretty well, I think.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]Can't really say any more than that, she needs to built up some independence from her over-protective parents while at the same time having somewhere she feels safe as she is assimilated into the wider world. It'll be hard on her at first, given how sheltered she's been, but she'll work through it eventually and be better off because of it.[/SIZE]

[quote name='James][font=arial']Yep, I've always pronounced it as "highlian", if that makes sense.[/font][/quote] [SIZE=1]Same here, just always seemed to make more sense than "hillian" to me.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I suppose the only thing you can say in this case is that it's a needless tragedy, six people dead including a young girl of only fifteen can only be described as such. I guess like Redemption and Sandy the fact that I come from a country where gun ownership is subject to heavy restriction makes these kind of crimes all the more senseless. I mean do people really believe firearms are that necessary that placing limits on what kind of guns can be bought will completely strip away their ability to feel safe ? Do people really need handguns and automatic rifles and pistols to protect themselves and their homes ?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well now, rather than going back and further insulting Adahn on the pointlessness of the original post of this thread, as has been done enough at this stage I think instead I'll answer the title question, though in my case after five and a half years it's more of a why am I [i]still[/i] here. To answer said question I suppose it's a case that OtakuBoards has grown to be such a part of my daily routine that I do it as much out a habit as wanting to remain here. That said I still enjoy participating in discussions in the Lounge, as well as RPGs in the Arena whenever I get the opportunity, added to that many of the people who frequent OB are good friends of mine who's company I would miss if I were permanently offline and you have your reasons Adahn. I will say one thing on your intro though, my cousin is a solicitor (lawyer) and one of his professors in college gave him a particularly apt statement about courtroom speeches. "90% of jurors" he said "are barely educated enough to speak competently, do them a favour and use words they actually have a chance of understanding. Using particularly eloquent speech does not make you look smarter, it makes them feel dumber and they'll take a dislike to you, which will make winning a case more difficult."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Well seeing as nobody has yet bothered to post an actual link to an article about Bob Larson for those of us who are/were ignorant of the man, I think I'll do the honours. [URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Larson[/URL][B]Bob Larson's Wikipedia Article[/B][/url] Anyway, from reading the above article as well as the few very facts espoused so far in this thread, which has mostly been dedicated to an argument, I think very little of this Bob Larson. From what I can see he's just another extremist televangelist who's got a sordid past and goes off performing spiritualistic stunts of television for his own benefit. Is he insane ? No, he just seem pathetic to me in that he can't simply be happy with administering a small flock without going abroad and making a idiot out of himself by insulting people over their choices in life, when by his own past, he's got plenty to answer for. Oh and by the way Sojio people are always entitled to question the validity or bias in any thread that's posted here, it's what comes with the territory. That said Jeremiah, while I do agree that most Christian preachers go about their practices in a decent manner, this fellow does not appear to be one of them.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. I used to have very bad self-image issues when I was younger, spanning from the fact I was very over-weight up until a few years ago. I got the usual torture treatment, name-calling, exclusion and whatever other stupidity small children inflict on those that are different to them. It went about half way through to high school and because I had such a low opinion of myself I, like Adahn, never really saw that some girls were interested in me for my mind rather than my appearance. I'd pretty much worked it into my head that I wasn't worth anything to anyone save my family who just had to put up with me. Eventually one girl reached out to me and made me realise I was worth a damn, and a lot more to her. Did I tell my parents ? I didn't have to, I broke down so often from the stress of it that they knew I had problems with self-image and self-esteem, I don't care about admitting that, I was what I was then, a hurt little boy. Honestly for me having my parents tell me that I was this, that and the other didn't really make any difference, I had to work out in my own head that I was worth something, although as I said thanks to a certain girl I realised it a little bit more easily. In the end after a lot of hard work I managed to trim down, but I learned that it's your own damn opinion and the opinion of those who care about you that are worth your time, the rest can go to hell as far as I'm concerned. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. It's actually kind of worrying how many of us have had to have had surgery because of medical stupidity. I had my appendix removed about two years ago after developing a wickedly bad pain in the side during a visit to my cousins I was brought to my local GP the following day who told me if the pain remained after a day to go to the hospital, he also told me it was either a kidney stone or appendicitis. After about the standard two hour wait in the hospital I was admitted, given and enema (weirdest feeling ever) and an IV drip because I was dehydrated. I had several blood samples taken and was given both X-rays and ultrasounds to determine what exactly was wrong. After all those tests I was wheeled up to a bed and given a while to rest, a few hours later I met the consultant surgeon who told me they were still unsure of what the problem was, but were going to remove my appendix just to be on the safe side. Inspiring isn't it... Following day I was operated on, had my appendix removed, was put on more IV drips, I'd had about six or seven at that stage and told they believed/hoped that would solve the problem. Either way I was released two days later, the pain gone, and told for my trouble that the IV drips might have flushed the stone out of my kidneys if it was small enough. Since then I've avoided hospitals where possible. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Revelation][size=1][color=#4B5B5B][There you happy? I posted so you can get on with it. =P][/size'][/color][/quote] [SIZE=1]Damn Rev you beat me to it. Oh well, consider this a double order then Mike, get on with the story and don't go and do a DW and leave us hanging in suspense.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. As has already been said, popularity of some members waxes and wanes with time, where as the cult of celebrity developed by certain members remains eternal. Anyway time to get to the ever pointless naming of people who already know I think very highly/the world of them for the benefit of people who I'll likely never directly interact with. [b]Shy/Josh[/b] He's the J-man and that ought to be enough for anyone who's been here longer than six seconds. A highly accomplished Event Master, a veteran Arena participant and a down-right great person. No need to go any further. [b]Annie/Athena[/b] My sweet-pea is back and again like Josh if you know her even vaguely than I do need to go on. For the benefit of those who've not had the pleasure of her companionship, Annie is a wonderful, wonderful person, caring, witty, intelligent, sexy all over and a brilliant writer whom I've had the fortune of being able to work with. I could write on and on about who great she is and it would be all true, Annie is the big sister everyone wishes they had. [b]Teh Zeke/Jamie[/b] Zeke reminds me of a lot of people I've know, but at the same time she's completely unique and irreplaceable to me and everyone else. She matured so quickly as a writer here on OB it was scary, especially for those of us who'd been here a few years at that stage and seen her just shine in terms of the quality of her work. On a personal level Jamie is sublime, I know it's a weird choice of adjective, but I really can't think of a word that completely defines her, she's compassionate, a great listener, a wise young woman and like Annie, very sexy. She makes my day good whenever I have the luck to talk to her. [b]The Boss/Mike[/b] His username is a highly apt choice, Mike is The Boss and there can be no denial of his Boss-ness... if that could even be considered a word. Mike like Jamie came to the Arena right when it needed them, to give a shot of fresh quality blood into the system. He's an exceptionally talented writer, particularly in one area I have failed to ever become skilled in, fight scenes, any writer here knows how difficult it is to write believable fight scenes than people can visualise and yet Mike does it every time. The Hit is simply another in a long list of examples of how skilled Mike is, taking the usual OB fan-fic and twisting it into something to rival Bikini Bandits or even Enter the Net as a piece of Anthology gold. [B]Andrew and Jokopoko/Bill[/b] I'm putting these two together because I consider them to be great friends for the same reasons. I've known them both years at this stage, it must be five at this stage. They're both great writers whom I had the luck to work for a long time as we became older and wiser over the Versions of OB, and they love Dragonball Z, which makes them extra cool in my book. They are also very, very good friends who like Annie were there for me when my life went to hell three years ago and I appreciate that more than I can put into words. You guys rock, that's all there is to it. Finally a few people whom I thought very much of but don't seem to be around any more/were banned: Alex [Siren/Papa Smurf], Dave [Boba Fett], D'Ann [Neuvoxraiha], Corey [The one and only] and Yoda [Craig].[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Like Rachmaninoff said, getting in under your parents' insurance is usually a handy way of lowering the cost of it, though in Ireland being a named driver if it's the same thing won't lower your own premium as much as it would if you were driving under your own. Maybe it's different though where you are. Getting your full license as opposed to applying with a provisional or learners license if another way to do it, if you haven't already, usually knocks at least 20% off a quote. Certain insurance companies are willing to lower the premium if you attend a training course of theirs, I'm not sure what the cost is, although I'm pretty sure that it's lower than $500 as that would negate any point in attending. Of course then you're stuck with that company until other premiums lower enough to offer an alternative. One little thing though, neither your insurance, nor the insurance of anyone who's replied here is even remotely [i]high[/i] compared to the rip-off going on in Ireland. Most quotes I've got for a full licensed male driver of nineteen with a small 1.2 litre car have been over ?1500, which is near enough $2000.[/SIZE]

[COLOR=White][LEFT][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]He could still get that acrid stench of charred flesh, it wasn't something you ever forgot or got used to unfortunately. He tilted back the over-priced glasses his girlfriend had insisted they bought and allowed the amber liquid within to flow gently down his throat. This was Edward Quinn, an alcoholic sorcerer extraordinaire, who happened to deal with more paranormal **** over the course of one week than most of his peers did in a year, and it wasn't a quality he was particularly fond of. The smooth lines of her face came into view through his drunken haze, she stroked one of his greasy blond locks from across the side of his face and leaned into to press her lips against his. "[b]I missed you. Bad day at work ?[/b]"He didn't really want to talk about it, in fact that was putting it very mildly. [i]Succubus[/i], a "sex demon" as they were known in the biz has been his latest encounter. He'd known what she was from the second they'd made eye contact in the bar, he wondered if she had too... probably not, she'd never have agreed so easily to a quick liaison if she knew what he was. Magician, wizard, sorcerer, spell-caster, there were dozens of names for people like Edward, and he didn't really identify with the usual description, but then not many of the remaining mages were high strung English guys who were masters of the "Arcanum"... unless of course you happened to be a fictional character attending a school named after a swine and a sexually transmitted disease. He'd walked the succubus into one of the alleys near the bar and made "friendly" gestures with her, before she even knew what was going on, he'd broken her neck with a sickeningly quick snap and fallen loosely into his open arms. "[b]Eddie what's wrong ?[/b]" She was the only one to call him '[i]Eddie[/i]' and she knew he hated it, it was a way of getting his attention and worked every time, his sharp blue eyes locked into hers and he exhaled sharply. "[b]I don't really want to talk about it Marie, just another ****** day at work.[/b]" He chuckled half-heartedly. "[b]I swear if the money doesn't start getting better, I'm just going to have to go and do something like... teaching... it can't be that hard right ?[/b]" She punched him mockingly in the arm, as a high school English teacher he'd often heard her complain how saving the world was likely easier than grading papers on Shakespeare, He'd pretty much incinerated the body, with a lighter and a bottle of Jack he probably could have done a similar job, but vaporising the corpse with a single stream of green flame had been far quicker and easier. However common fire manipulators were among the remaining wizards, it was still extremely useful in the right circumstances. Despite the outward appearance of a nihilist and alcoholic, Quinn was well known by the White Council to be a particularly capable wizard, not only as a pyromancer but as alchemist as well. He grunted slightly as she rubbed against the grain of his five o'clock shadow, before carrying her twenty three year old frame off the couch and towards the bedroom. It was hard to believe that his 24th birthday was only six short days away...[/LEFT] [CENTER]||||||||||[/CENTER] [LEFT]Hope that's all OK Phil, looks like an interesting RPG.[/LEFT][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]

[SIZE=1]Congrats to everyone who made Nifty this year, I know the surprise that comes with it as one of the winners from last year. Hopefully we'll see plenty of nifty things over the course of this year to get votes in the next incarnation of the NF. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]I honestly saw that coming, I kind of figured after the battle between those two that Crusader would be watching over Mike, like some kind of lethal guardian angel. I'm just wondering now whether he did Zeke in while she was unable to defend herself, I hope not, it just doesn't seem honourable enough for him. BTW you never answered my question about Des. ;)[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=DaSilva][FONT=Courier New][B]To Gavin:[/B] I have a big history of loss, and whenever it happens I don?t even talk to my friends about it. They didn?t know the person, so I shouldn?t drag them down with me just because I?m feeling blue. However, when they do eventually find out, I want them to treat me equally ?cold? as you put it. [B]The General Public:[/B] That would be a general conversation. None of this has happened recently. Just events over time have caused me to question the way I reason. I apologize for not being clear at the beginning of my post.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]That's fair enough, I took up what you had said wrong. I've lost plenty of relations too, and while I don't go talking to my friends about it, they usually offer their sympathies and support. However if you don't want your friends to, then that's different and I'm sorry if I seemed harsh. Like most other people I thought your friend's relative had died recently and I formed my response from there. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Allamorph][FONT=Arial']There are also such little things called Public Access Computers, found in libraries and other various locations. (^_^)[/FONT][/quote] [SIZE=1]A fair point, I hadn't actually considered it as my local library charges for internet usage.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Mythologicly']No you dont get it. I diddn't go to curch and on top of that I diddn't know about any and frist you would have to know about a charity to go to it. And even if I did how was i going to get there drive in the car we diddn't have or should I use money to ride the bus but isnt that the money for dinner so we can eat.[/quote] [SIZE=1]Mythologicly I am seriously questioning the nature of your situation here if you claim your friend or you (the story seems to vary) is in so dire a situation they/you were unaware about aid provided by charities or churches. On top of that, unless your local bus service charges an absolute fortune for it's usage, I'm pretty sure it's going to cost significantly less than the cost of dinner. On top of all of that, if it is you who are in this situation, as you seem to indicate from the above quote, then what the hell are you doing running up your phone bill using the internet ? There are such little things called priorities. [/SIZE]

[quote name='Dragon Warrior][size=1']I have to admit, this is like watching a movie.[/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]It is isn't it ? You get one small snippet of the overall plot that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat waiting for the next serving of action and story. Mike keep it up and let's see what happened between you and Zeke. By the way Mike, Des doesn't happen to look like David Carradine by any chance does he ?[/SIZE]

[quote name='Ikillion][COLOR=#0e1030][SIZE=1][FONT=Trebuchet MS]Is it just me, or is anyone else feeling that this is Marilyn Monroe take 2?[/FONT][/SIZE'][/COLOR][/quote] [SIZE=1]I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw that connection. Seems that Wiki now suggests that her death might not be as open and shut as it seemed originally seemed for any conspiracy nuts out there. [url]http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/09/smith.dies/index.html[/url][/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Aaryanna_Mom]You're not suppose to care about the person who died, especially since it's usually someone you don't know. What you [I]are[/I] supposed to care about is your friend who is affected by the loss. You've missed the whole point in even feeling sorry about the situation in the first place. If you really feel nothing or could care less that your friends lost someone they love, then they are correct you are heartless. Realistically it's not possible to really care for someone you don't know dying. It[I] is[/I] realistic to feel bad for your friend and to offer them your condolences for [I]their[/I] loss. Telling them you couldn't care less or why should you care just shows how much you don't care for [I]them[/I], not the person who died.[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Nothing more I can really add to this, A_M has really summed it up to a tee. If the grandmother or God-forbid parent or sibling of a friend of mine died, while I'm mightn't be in mourning for that person, I would sure as hell tell my friend I was sorry for his/her loss and be there for him/her. Would you expect your own friends to be equally cold if you lost someone you cared about DaSilva ?[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Mythologicly]Wait a minuite i box and now i\I'm learning a bit of wrestling but i just wanted to say that cause I beat the the team captain in a match :animesmil that will teach him to take my GF. But any way if we fought not that i want to no offence but if you did a kick to my head I could most likly block it and if not that dodge and then why your of balance come up with a combo of powerful haymakers with some quick jabs.[/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Go pick a fight with a purple belt or higher Mythologicly and see if you can block a seriously intended shot to the head. One of the guys in my school is going for his first black belt in about three months and despite the fact this guy is no taller than 5'5" he can kick nearly [I]six and a half[/I] feet high hard. You might be able to dodge a shot if you're quick enough, but wrestling is completely different to Tae-Kwon-Do.[/SIZE] [quote name='The Boss][size=1][COLOR=DarkRed]Also, not all martial arts schools are equal. Example, I went to my first tournament as a red belt and it soon dawned on me that I could easily defeat the majority of the black belts at the school who hosted the tournament. The funniest thing was, that each of them boasted about how they have "amazing defense" or "unpredictable kicks" and yet none of them sparred and their form techniques were awful and lazy.[/COLOR'][/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]I love when that happens, it really is one of the funniest things ever. I was at a tournament supporting my brother's "dojo" for the lack of a better word, and the so called "best trained school in Ireland" the Black Dragons were absolutely beaten off the floor. Most of these guys had black or orange belts (though the grading system varies from dojo to dojo) and they lost to whites and yellows in most of their matches. Belts don't necessarily mean you're any good at fighting, or hell even katas if you've got a lazy enough master.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Farto the Magic][FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=DarkGreen]In my limited experience, tae-kwon-do hasn't proven itself an effective fighting style on its own. Coupled with judo, its owwie, but the idea of kicking someone is flawed, as one could easily grab the other person's leg and twist to get them on the ground. Is my observation correct, or do people learn amazing moves as they get more experienced?[/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote] [SIZE=1]I know what you're getting at Farto, and most people would imagine they could catch a kick before it impacts, but in all reality, the better trained guys could kick you in the head before you've even realised it. [/SIZE]

[QUOTE=Swordsaint][SIZE=1]This brings up a few points for me that I agree and disagree with, to a point anyways. I said before that there really haven't been to many actual fights that I've been in or that I've witnessed. However, yeah Gavin's right, it is funny when somebody that's gotten their higher belts in a martial arts class start acting like they've gone a few rounds in a UFC cage. To me that says whoever is teaching these people isn't really so much concerned about teaching their students discipline and restraint, the instructors are concerned with churning out tournament machines and nothing else, big egos and martial arts tend to not mix well in a fight. Mainly because no one style is superior or inferior, it is the person themselves that is superior or inferior to another fighter.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [SIZE=1]Tell me about it, I'm well aware that there are plenty of martial artists, my brother being one of the best examples, who epitomise the discipline and restraint of his art. But sadly in my own experience, too many just train in a style to improve their odds in a fight, and once having learned to fight sufficiently well enough to do damage go and pick fights just to see how good they are. As for whether it's down to the master, well I know my local Karate sensei (a former World IKA champion) and my local Judo instructor (under whom I trained for a few years) both pretty well and I can say with near certainty neither of them train their students for cage fighting and would probably beat the stuffing out of any who used their training for such a purpose.[/SIZE] [QUOTE=Swordsaint][SIZE=1]With that said, I can't say I agree with not going for face shots in a fight, though I do applaud you Gavin for being able to do so and win it says a lot towards your character and ability. I was taught that a fight is a fight and the only time there are rules is if you have enough friends to match the other guys. Especially since there's always the offhand chance that someone has a knife or brass knuckles on them. I live in western Montana and just about all the people out here go hunting or live on/near a ranch and knives are common and useful tools, so the possibility is very real. If someone wants to start a fight and wont listen to reason, then they will know they've been in a fight. But then again, there are so many possibilities out there that can determine just how much you hold back or not. For example: I wouldn't go full out on my brother if he were drunk and starting a tussle with me, I'd want to go as far as simply restraining him. But again, you wouldn't want to go so easy on some dude that jumped out of an alleyway at you with a knife wanting your wallet, if you wanted to go rounds with them at all. In all though Gavin, I have to say I can appreciate and see the validity of what it is your saying and again, I applaud you for being able to put a person down more gently than I can, it is a reflection of your abilities.[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [size=1]I can definitely appreciate you not holding back if someone pulls a knife or wears knuckle-dusters to a fight. I've been fortunate enough never to have someone pull a knife on me in a fight and I hope I'm equally fortunate enough that I never will. Most of the fights that I've been in have had ground agreed ground rules beforehand (the high school Fight Club from my previous post) so there?s always a sense of what you can and cannot do. That said in the fights I?ve been in after some jackass shooting his mouth off at my girlfriend or whatever I have found that generally below-the-belt and face shots are unnecessary as they?re too drunk to know what their doing, so really I just fight to put them down quick and let them sleep it off.[/size] [quote name='Siafire']I am in taekwondo but I don't brag about being able to beat anyone. Different styles of fighting work for different people. On the other hand, I hate how everyone seems to think they can beat a person in martial arts because they beat up some whimp that got in their face years ago. I also don't think that being in a fighting sport gives one the right to pick fights. Now that just makes you an egotistical jerk.[/quote] [size=1]I?m definitely aware Siafire that there are martial artists in my school or local area I wouldn?t have a hope in hell of beating in a fight, and as I already said, it?s usually the martial artists who pick the fights. This isn?t an intended as an insult to you or anyone else who practices Tae-kwon-do but it?s been my experience that it?s their students and Thai-boxers who are some of the worst for picking fights in school, or at least bragging their could beat the hell out of anyone else.[/size]

[quote name='visualkei']Well, I didn't know Gavin was in high school! I assumed you were some college student or graduate, I forgot what gave me that idea.[/quote] [SIZE=1]Yeah, I'm repeating my last two years in high school again after dropping out three years ago, so I actually would be a college student if I hadn't. Though I guess this is completely off-topic.[/SIZE] [quote name='Boo][size=1']Well, I can understand that someone would not care for a person's every day life - heck, we've got our own lives to live anyway. Until today I hardly even knew her. The thing that bothers me, is that this whole case gets all over the news. Yay, someone died! Quite a sensation, wouldn't you say? The suffering in the world lost it's touch, let's pull out the shiny artillery![/size][/quote] [SIZE=1]You've got a point Boo but you're forgetting that news is built on celebrity controversy and Anna Nicole Smith was never far from it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting. Off the top of my head I can't really count the number of fights I've been in, though I'd be nearly certain it's more than forty. My younger brother is a purple belt in karate so we spar quite often, mostly before competitions, that said I don't consider those sessions to be fights as such because we never aim to injure one another. I suppose I "learned" how to fight so to speak in school growing up, they were pretty common and you just have to learn how to defend yourself. After [b]Fight Club[/b] was released, it just got a whole lot more serious in the empty classrooms at lunch. Personally I really do enjoy it when martial artists get into your face about how they've got a high belt in Karate/Judo/Tae Kwon Do/whatever as the cocky little roosters always end up regretting it in the first thirty or so seconds. I'm just over six feet tall and weigh nearly 80 kilos, most of it pure muscle, so when the fight starts I just grapple and put a hurting on them. I rarely go for face shots, I just see them and belt shots as being the sign of someone who can't fight properly, I don't kick much either, mostly because I broke a guys ribs once with a roundhouse, and it's something I'd prefer not to repeat. Regardless of how angry I am with someone else, I never fight to really badly injure someone, just to put them down. How many fights have I seen, well as I said with my schools old "Fight Club" at lunch it stands at well over a hundred, though given that we were in school most of them never really went worse than black eyes or a broken fingers. Outside pubs and clubs I've seen them as well, but I don't exactly stand around waiting to see who wins.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.[/SIZE] [quote name='Matt']Of course, her mother thinks it was drugs. How original.[/quote] [SIZE=1]Her mother and nearly every person, myself included who discussed it today in my high school. From what I've read on Wikipedia, quoted [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Nicole_Smith#Death][B]here[/B][/url], it seems likely that a drug-related death was the likely cause. I suppose it's sad after everything she went through.[/SIZE]