Insightful Susurrous

Yeah I know

dkryelsz — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 05:11:56 +0000

Just a quick update. I know I haven’t really updated too much since my initial surge, but the reason is that I am just enjoying the rest of summer. So I don’t think im really gonna be doing too much blogging until two weeks from now when summer was over so i can reflect and then complain and so forth haha. but word. peace

Ford Field

dkryelsz — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:27:45 +0000

This is a bit random, but I realized recently how awesome Ford Field really is. Its a small little league place near where I live but it has turned out to be one of the best places to just chill. From Kan Jam-ing to watching lightning storms from the roof of the buildings its pretty damn fun.

It all started when Bubba Ryan and I got bored and just went to Ford Field at night. We went through the shed and found random stuff to just take and we climbed on to of the dug outs. Then we played Kan Jam the next time, and more recently JP, Danny, Bubba Ryan and Me jumped from the dugout to roof of a nearby building where just just chilled- we talked about life and just watched as lightning struck from all around. It was pretty amazing and it brought up a lot of good thoughts and stuff. Like we discussed, you gotta live life with no regrets. there is no point on dwelling on the past because you might just miss the present. I mean honestly, everything kinda happens for a reason so we might as well come to terms with things. We also thought about the whole relationship idea. People in them don’t want them, and people not in them want them. I guess its just that there is a lure to things that you know you can’t have it. Well I guess thats just human nature- I’m not really sure.

The end of the night was pretty epic- JP vowed to never forget it and put out a cigar on his arm that left a wicked scar for remembrance. I think we are gonna go there more often, I mean it would be pretty sweet to get a group of kids to just launch fireworks or just hang out there. Even stargazing with a lady friend would be pretty sweet.

NSLC

dkryelsz — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:40:22 +0000

Damn. Where do I start? NSLC was a lot more than a simple medical-leadership-nerd camp. I guess I’ll start the day before my flight. In an excellent display of preparation, I went to the airport a day early. I walked up to the check-in counter and the lady stared at me and said, “Son, I’m afraid your flight is tomorrow.” After pondering why she was scared, I told my dad and went home to get ready for the actual flight. But hey, at least I got a test run before my first time traveling alone right? Regardless, it wasn’t the best start to my first extended time away from home…My actual flight to SFO really wasn’t that bad. The first leg, from my home to JFK was great. I had a whole three seats to myself. The flight from JFK to SFO, was more crowded but I still had a good time listening to music and watching TV/ America slip by beneath me. When I finally got to UC Berkeley, after an awkward bus ride with just one other person from the airport to the school, I was pretty excited to meet my roommate. Although he was really shy at first, my roommate, Chee, from South Korea, turned out to be an awesome guy. I knew, however, that the first few days were going to take some adjusting. At first I didn’t really like my TA group or the people in it and I didn’t really have many people to talk to. By the end this all changed (Alex, Vivek and I ended up spending an entire TA session laughing).

My room became the congregation spot for the entire floor. Everyone came because Andy, Danny, Chee, and I were simply put the best suite on the floor. After a few days we all became friends and people would stay up late telling stories or just hanging out in the room. We started late night poker games using soap bars for chips and I remember winning almost all of the games. I’d have to say my highlight was playing guitar to Under the Bridge and having 10 kids sing along. Either that or the hour me and Ian spent telling completely insensitive jokes like dead baby jokes. Regardless, these people became my good friends, and I regret not being able to keep in touch with all of them.

Although the medical/leadership seminars were fun, the best part was hanging out with the people. Shimmy and Vivek from my TA group turned out to be two awesome people that I hope I keep in touch with. Even though she probably hated me, I also remember Ashley (Jiapeng) because she would always call me Hilal. The social events were fun, from karaoke to game night (where I really came out of my shell). I also really enjoyed the ropes course because I was the first one to do every challenge in my group. Anyways, I find it surprising how quickly you can make friends at a camp like this. I met Athena on the second to last day, but now its safe to say she’s one of my good friends that I can easily be open with. I think thats ultimately the most amazing part of the experience- the ability and chance to meet new people and make great friends. I definitely feel I got that out of the program. I could say more, but there is no point in recapping the whole trip. All I really have to say is that it was amazing and I hope everyone gets the chance to do something similar.

Spare Some Change?

dkryelsz — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:39:56 +0000

I always hear the saying, “People never change,” but I have a hard time believing it. I guess maybe some things like morals or basic nature are quite deeply rooted, but even then I think those change. Looking back on the past few years, I see it in myself.

A couple years ago I was over-analytical, over-sarcastic, and simply unpleasant. I wasn’t one to joke around or make new friends. Now I like to think I’ve changed. I’m still shy, but I open up a lot easier and can have a good time with people I never knew before. NSLC is a perfect example of how I changed because I was able to put myself out there and meet new people. I’m still pretty sarcastic, but its all lighthearted and I don’t take too many things seriously. Simply put, I don’t give a shit. Well I do. I care a lot about my friends and family and can never bring myself to intentionally hurt them. Some people say its almost a weakness that I care to much about other people but I don’t know how true that really is. Now the question here is, what was your first impression of me? (if you know me) and what is your impression now? I don’t like when people aren’t forward with their problems, so if there is anything that I am doing that you are in disagreement with, please come talk to me so I can try and change. So I ask you, how have you changed in the past few years?

New Amp!

dkryelsz — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:38:51 +0000

The other day was a great day because I got a brand new amp. Its a black Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and it is one of my greatest purchases ever. When I say “my greatest purchase” I mean my impulse spending of my dad’s money. But yeah, it was worth it.

The Story, Review and more after the break.Okay, so my friend Danny recently got a nice new Laguna bass that was worth 800 dollars for an outstanding low price of 300 dollars. Unfortunately, he is new to the bass scene and he doesn’t have an amp. We set out to go look at amps at guitar center and while walking around we ran into Jon and Ananth, two kids that I haven’t seen in years. Well anyways, I mentioned that I was thinking of getting a tube amp and Jon just jumped up and said get the Deluxe. After looking around, it turns out they had a used one for 450 that was in mint condition so I knew I had to leave the store with an amp (I ended up getting a new one for 600, my dad wanted a new one cuz it has the warranty, pedal etc). The funny thing is that Dan never actually got an amp, just a couple picks for his guitar.

The amp its self is simply outstanding. I didn’t really think a tube amp would be that much different then my old amp, but I was definitely wrong. Not only does it go ALOT louder, but damn it sounds crystal clear. In fact it makes me sound better and has motivated me to play more/ learn new styles. On top of that I had a jam with Bubba, Andrew, henry, Jon and Ananth that really made me appreciate music even more. Basically though, the amp sounds great and I love it. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to get a high quality amp for their guitar. I don’t think I could go back to my old solid state.

My Gear

dkryelsz — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:34:04 +0000

I figure I’d start by listing out what I actually have. So, here goes. For guitars I have a Mexican Fender Stratocaster which actually sounds amazing and an Ovation acoustic electric. I have a solid state crate amp that came with the guitar, but more importantly I just got an amazing Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. One of the most important things though is my capo. I love that thing. But thats about it. I can’t start posting songs until I actually record them, but I’ll get to that soon…

For drums, I honestly couldn’t tell you EXACTLY what I have, but either way I got a great deal on it and all my drummer friends are amazed by the quality of the set. Its a Yamaha set, and Im pretty sure its a Custom Noveaou. Right now I only have three toms, 10 12 and 14, a ride, crash, then obviously a snare, kick and high hat. The good thing is that the kick drum is beautiful. Its like a freaking cannon. I love it. Oh and I should definitely not leave this out– my good friend Henry is the reason I have this amazing set. He found it for me, it was cheap and he even helped me set up and everything (by help i mean he did it)

A Formal Introduction

dkryelsz — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:42:34 +0000

Alright, so today I was sitting around doing absolutely nothing again when I decided that maybe I should use blogging to kill some time.I’d like to credit part of this blogging-urge to Athena; she showed me her blog, in which she really let out a lot and she is one of the many good friends I made from NSLC (I’ll probably designate a post to NSLC later). But back to blogging as a whole- people say its almost therapeutic; its a great way to let out emotions and talk about random crap. Now I’ve come to terms with that fact that most people don’t really give a shit about what I have to say, but the beauty of blogging is that I can pretend like there are people reading it. Unfortunately, WordPress tells me how many visits my blog has, effectively lifting my cloud of ignorance and proving that no one is actually reading this stuff, but whatever, I really don’t care.

So, to really begin this blog, I am going to start with a general introduction (you can find it a bit more detailed on the About Me page). My name is Hamza and I am going to be a Senior in high school; I play guitar and drums, but to be honest, I’m not really great at either. I’m on student council and Secretariat for Model UN. I love Manchester United and I have been a fan as far back as I can remember so don’t try and give me that bandwagon crap. I’m also a Packers fan, and I can safely attribute that one to my brother, Harris, and his friend, Ibi. Aside from those few facts, I appear to be a pretty regular guy so this stuff isn’t to special. The next post will probably be on to the good stuff. The emotional stuff. Well not really, but you know.

PS. As you’ll soon notice, I’m not too into this whole proper grammar and punctuation scene, I only did it to indulge you for this first post. So from here on out please excuse and bad grammar or other pointless mistakes. You know the things that don’t matter. Oh and excuse the language, I foresee my self getting a bit carried away.

PPS. This blog isn’t going to be limited to a single thing, like emotions, or myself. I’m gonna talk about whatever random shit pops into my head, like music, sports and more so don’t worry about the quick changes in pace.