Racism? - By Ryan Hoffman, Special Guest Blogger

As many of you know, to day, for halloween, I dressed up as my friend Nathan Epps. Nate happens to be black. So what I did was wear my usual cloths I would any other day, then I painted my face with a brown face paint, to match Nates pigment. Then because my hair is nothing like his, I bought a fake afro to wear. Nothing else, no chains, no "bling", no "pimp" attire, just me, as Nate. I got many odd looks, I looked like I could have been an African American, so most of the looks were a double-take type look. I got a bunch of really positive responses, such as, "man thats soo cool," "you totally look like Nate," and my favorite, "your my hero man." But apparently there was a lot of talk behind my back, by people I thought were my friends. Some people called me racist. I didnt understand this, because I'm not being racist. The dictionary defines racist as, "hatred or intolerance of another race or other races." This is not me, not today, not ever. I do not have a hatred or intolerance for any race, and if I was racist against black people, I would most certainly not have been one for halloween. And I would most certainly not have from moment of getting on campus sought out my "fellow" black students. 

My history teacher Mrs. Brown asked me if I had gotten any negative feedback, like being called racist, I sayed no, because at the time, i was unaware of the back talk about me. She was surprised, then she asked me if I knew who the "black faces" were. I did, but I hadnt thought about it earlier, she then went on to explain how back in the 1920 through 40s white people would paint their selves black and would mock black people. I thought about this for a while. I'm not mocking anyone, I'm not doing anything of a mocking fashion to offend African Americans. Then later, my friend say, "copying is the highest form of flattering" then went on to explain how me being black is equal to me loving or praising them. Then I thought more about it. And came to the conclusion that there are 3 reasons for copying: to mock, to annoy, or to show love. And I most certainly was not mocking anyone. I'm sure I annoyed a few people, but that was by complete accident, plus, if I annoy you, DONT BE AROUND ME! It doesnt help you to be annoyed and it sure doesnt help me, because, I can tell when your annoyed, for the most part. So the last option left is to show love. And unless you think that showing love to someone is racist, then I am not racist. Im quite the opposite.

One last thing I thought was very interesting about all of this, was the only people who said anything about me being racist were... WHITE! woah! All the black people I saw that day thought what I did was awesome, but for some reason the white people got offended. Would a white person be offended if a black person painted his or her skin paler and did something if his or her hair, nothing else, wore their normal cloths and acted the same as usual? Dave Chapple does it all the time, the one difference is he is there to mock, but we dont find that offensive. I dont get offended when I think about Michael Jackson's skin color change.

So really, am I racist, or is it you who is far far over sensitive about things like this, because you live in "Serrano" of "El Dorado Hills," the whitest place on earth. I'm sorry I grew up in Milwaukee were nobody was racist because everyone lived together peacefully. So shut up and suck it!

Extended Bliss - Spring Conference

"There are two events this year that are not in YnG season... Spring Conference...  Incoming freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors are welcome to it"

Of course, there is something wrong with that sentence!

COLLEGE FRESHMEN.

Yes, this year's seniors are given a chance to go to spring conference, only our hopes to fizzle away in the hopes of recruitment.

Yes, recruitment.

I know how ironic it is, considering that my first session ever is spring conference, but really, I already made the decision to join YnG beforehand, Spring Conference or none.  I don't know if from the previous years that people were set to join YnG without Spring Conference or not.

I don't really know how recruiting fits into spring conference considering some of the people from Westchester who have gone there, are mostly returnees, and those who we are supposedly recruiting either didn't feel like it, or joined then quit.

Then again, I am only looking at one delegation's perspective.  Like a statistics concept, there is something called sampling variability where one is greater than the other, and the usual, less than the norm given.  So, I don't really know as I don't have any evidence to back this up outside Westchester's grounds.

Whether it is Governor Blumenfeld's work or not, he (or not possibly him -> continuing to emphasize the point) has opened the doors for those who want to do something earlier, and those who want to leave later.  With that said, if a freshman gets to savor YnG for the first time, then a senior who is leaving for college gets to savor YnG for the last time, even though it was supposed to happen at Sacramento.

To me, it is really heartbreaking to see jaws drop out of Westchester Delegation seniors when they heard this, since some of them were so excited to hang a hammock on the same spot that they have been hanging it on for three or four years, and the melted ice cream on the grass, or the idea of the slide and a pool on a hot day.  

If Spring Conference is truly a recruiting ploy, then it has not worked.  Finally came up with my evidence:  Most (yes, MOST) of Westchester's new delegates did not attend Spring Conference.

Names?  Sure.

Elizabeth Kaczor? Nope.

Drew Hancock? Nope.

Laira Martin, Nope.

Jacklynn Morris, Nope.

Tanner Webb, Nope.

Ellie Hernandez, Nope

Nina Benton, Nope.

Natalie Friedricks, Nope.

Rebecca Rosen, Nope.

Christian Collins, Bob Heutmaker, Jimmy Cipiti -> Nope, Nope, and Nope.

The list eventually ends, and most of them did not experience spring conference (which I personally hope they do this year)

This simply proves that Spring Conference is, for seniors at least, an extension of a goodbye, and for freshmen, it's simply a new beginning.  For the people in the middle (including the people with the new beginning and the extension of a goodbye), it's simply a party.

A party that we can't miss.

Lost In Translation.

Let's face it, people have to express themselves from time to time.

Much like food, the execution of a speech, a sentence, a phrase, or anything (pun intended) LIT(lost in translation)erary, matters, or else, it comes out not exactly the way you want it to be meant.

Take for instance, someone who's really friendly trying to get to know someone through forms of communication, whatever it maybe for the obvious reasons that they don't hang out too much (excuses flow everywhere, etc., but I simply refuse to list them).  This type of personality turns off someone, especially for a rather quick assumption that this friendly person has taken a liking to the other person.

Shit happens.  That's all I have to say.

I'll admit that I'm one of those people who don't really think about what they say, since, well, it's pointless to a degree.  I believe that whatever I say has some relevance to the conversation, and IT. JUST. COMES. OUT. WRONG.

That's like, someone wanting fried chicken when you gave them a grilled one... It's chicken, but it's not the texture that they wanted it to be.

Okay, I'm just going around my points.

It's simply saying that even the most eloquent men have their own mistakes.  Hey, President Obama messed up the oath.  

With that, I think I could sleep happy and move on to a new day tomorrow.  I still got to remember myself to do the statistics homework.  Yay, Statistics.

The Dream That Had To End - YnG Experiences

A couple days before I went to Sacramento on Wednesday, I had a dream (or a nightmare) that I missed my flight to Sacramento... on Thursday (note that I had to leave on Wednesday because I was a Commission Chair).   I was running, running, heaving, huffing, puffing (or whatever else the wolf did to try and blow down the pig's house).  In all seriousness, I woke up, four in the morning, teary-eyed, watching my dog sleeping beside me, and whispered "God, fuck".

I believe that something won't happen, if one thing didn't happen.  It's like having a domino link lined up, with no catalyst for that domino link:  The hand that plunks that domino effect itself.

Think about it.  The hand is the decisions that we make in life, where the dominoes are events . Our decisions create a chain of events, creating an image, a memory that will last forever in our minds, only for one to be simply amazed by it, or for someone to criticize it (after all, everyone's a critic to a degree)

I wouldn't have known about the Youth and Government Program itself, if Nathan or Nik didn't tell me about it.  I would not have known Nathan or Nik, if I didn't come here.  See what I mean?  It's a domino effect.

These two weeks have been emotionally draining for me, from coming in Sacramento really excited, to living out this weekend wishing I was still at Sacramento.  It is so bad that when Nathan said "Peace, Love, and Statistics", I thought of Sarah Colgate, who is in the NCDM delegation.

Speaking of which, before I continue, a happy birthday to Sarah, in case I forget (I probably won't, but there's Murphy's law... damn you, Murphy).

A lot has happened to me since joining Youth and Government.  I remember Spring Conference, where I had absolutely no clue what to do, I was stuck on NIC, not knowing what it is, wanting to be in Senate or Assembly because it was the social norm.  I remember that spring conference where I had to defend this proposal regarding Uranium, not knowing what it is, what argument to come up with it, etc.  I got through second round, and this dude named Justin McKone(or at least, that's what his name was) shot down my proposal, and me as a whole (then again, I lacked confidence at the time).  It sucked.  Trend went on Sacramento (This time, I tried taking my shots against McKone, but as usual, I was unsuccessful).  That was the end of me and him (like lowkey).

Ironically, I became an NIC brat.  NIC in Sacramento last year, NIC in Sacramento this year.  Spring conference doesn't count.  This moron (me) confused my s's with my t's... therefore, I was a committee chair, instead of a commission chair.  Still legit though, as I witnessed what I would love to call a Westchester dominated Senate session, where useless statistics were used, and pecs were moved, and the best speakers discouraged.  Yes, I'm talking about you, Arielle Pardes. <3

Being an NIC chair truly has been a privilege and an honor.  It was a privilege to chair a crop of people who I know are now my friends.  I met amazing people, who I know I can always share memories with such as Ryan Hoffman and I doing our best drive thru impressions, or me and Jen Francis having to retake a couple pictures because I looked shitty on one of them.  

Also, a song quote comes to mind, when thinking about YnG:  "Unsinkable ships sink, Unbreakable Walls Break" -> I said that every delegation, even those who are considered premier, or mighty have their own flaws.  I will stick to that statement, but I totally missed my whole point.  During the friendship service, guys who I never thought would see cry cried.  People such as Nathan, Dakota, Robert, Tanner, Charles, or even Hassan, who I usually see in school who act so badass, that I thought never see them break down.  But they did.  Some of them gave their testimonies as to how this program helped their grades improve, or stay away from drugs.  During these friendship services, people are always humbled, where they are often reminded that these guys are our friends; people who have emotions like the rest of us who store it, and live life their way until given their chance to show or tell those who they trust, or like as to how they really feel about something specific.  

Straying away from the metaphor, it is also amazing what a friendship service does to all of us.  It bonds us, makes us cry, makes us realize, makes us want to do certain things, with an assurance that those people have our support.  It bonds us in a way, where if you haven't cried, and see two siblings cry together, as one is leaving for college and both know that they'll miss each other despite their brotherly  moments.  It makes us realize that we all have each other's backs, and it makes us realize that the investment and the sacrifices that our parents made for us to get here is so worth the money.

Despite my low points in Sacramento such as not being called in General Assembly or missing my turn for karaoke (one song short!), there is no amount of sadness that can surmount the amount of happiness that is Sacramento or Youth and Government feeling in general, the feeling of making new friends, the feeling of debating about something you are passionate about, the feeling of the raindrops in your head, the feeling in your legs for those miles that you walked (or those that you ran to catch the bus if the stop was near you).

There is a quote that goes "All great things must come to an end". Grayson Phillips, Triunfo President, and fellow Commission Chair told me, that this was his last Sacramento and he has done everything that he wanted to do, and he had nothing else to prove.  It is like anyone having their last supper, where if they find it to be satisfactory, or way above standard, they will die happy.

But seriously, I want you to give this a thought.  If you are passionate about something, it will never end.  It will pester you to a degree.  Always remember that something is always there for you, no matter what your distance is.  I want you to think about that IHOP commercial, where the dude who ate the pancakes was open-eyed when he saw that the slice of the pancake that he took regenerated.  YnG is like that.  You can always come back as an intern, or as an advisor, or even a staff member.  I know that at one point, some of our advisors were just like us delegates, as they had to face the reality of them leaving YnG, only to come back as advisors creating new memories AND reliving the past.

With that, I end with a rhyme.

It is a known fact that there is always a start and an end

Therefore, make your entrances and exits both grand

For Seniors, let's be proud with our heads held high walking away

For the rest of you, don't take for granted of your continued on YnG Stay

Don't ever say never

Because YnG only sets you up for forever.

I know I don't have flow and rhyme

But I figured out that this is the proper time

To give it a go 

and let my emotion flow.

Seriously, If I don't end this,

This blog won't cease to increase.

Therefore I bid you goodnight,

and don't let any bed bugs bite.

The Road To Greatness - My CONA Essay

(Why the hell is this formatted?)  I simply believe that a really good piece of writing should not be kept away from others who will potentially appreciate it.   Therefore, I put this essay out, as I probably will have a good use for it in the future... or something like that.

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An unknown author once said that “seeing yourself as you want to be is the key to personal growth”, and I couldn’t agree more.  It is my dream to be "The Next Iron Chef", as having this title signifies that I am one of the best in the culinary world, much like a CONA delegate is when representing one of the twenty five best delegates in California’s Youth and Government program. These worlds are parallel to each other in their base concepts, but they become perpendicular when one examines the means to the end of greatness.

The road to greatness begins with speed and artistry: butchering.  To me, breaking down a piece of meat and a proposal share many similarities; they are both complex chunks of material that, to the inexperienced eye, look like a mound of odds and ends. A more experienced individual, like myself, sees not the collective whole as much as the individual parts, parts that I cannot help but scrutinize, one by one.  As a speaker, not only am I very comfortable on the podium, but I am willing to raise my hand and speak on a topic, even when no one else chooses to. This helps showcase the beauty of Youth and Government, the idea that my opinion matters, that even when my opinion gets lost in translation, others opinions and questions can clarify, be their intention to support me or oppose me I believe that my opinionated and talkative personality stimulate my hunger to be in CONA even more, since I know that if my opinions already matter to California, then they should also in forty-nine other states.

The next challenge is dubbed Simplicity, where chefs make six "one bite" dishes, and Innovation, where molecular gastronomy (the use of advanced chemical and physical processes within cooking) is involved, where both challenges require their style of cooking to be applied. I find my life similar to food, where the topic is so broad that there are many variations of it. Since there are many variations of food, it takes something innovative, something unique, to make this a certain variation of a certain dish unique. Variety is the spice of life, and I took my chances seven years ago in coming here to the U.S, to spice things up, and that it did. Despite cultural shocks at certain events, my life has been nothing short of desirable. If variety is the spice of life, I don't want to be stuck in California, or the Phillipines alone:  I want to move around the world, and discover the wonders of the world.  It's what a chef does:  Go to other countries to apply those concepts that they have learned into their style of cooking.  Given that CONA gives it's delegates to travel to a new place, and testimonies from other people that it was the best time of their life, I want to experience it as well.

Another challenge was named “Lead and Inspire”, where the chefs are flown to Paris to create a meal for a party being thrown by the United States Ambassador to France. Each potential Iron chef got a Sous chef, and were forced to simulatenously delegate responsibility while trusting a stranger to be responsible. I know that responsibility increases exponentially with power. As Westchester’s Tennis Team Varsity Captain, I feel a responsibility to be both a strict mentor and a gentle friend with them, going from enforcing drills to telling stories of the multiple mishaps the team has experienced.  By doing this, I inspire these rookies to be more sociable to us veterans, as we were once like them, and can understand what we are going through. By being this brotherly figure, I earn the intangible and irreplacable virtues of respect and trust, which helps creates a powerful bond.  This is the kind of bond that I want to achieve with whoever I meet at CONA, knowing that me and a certain group of people will not be stuck in the past, but will be stuck in a lifetime: the past, the present, and the future.

If an Iron Chef is much like a CONA delegate, then I am the Iron Chef, my heart is the kitchen, and I cannot wait to show off the world what I have to offer: my skills, my flair, and my product.  With these three, I believe that I am a force to be reckoned with as I am ready for anything that comes in my way.

Just For Kicks.

Why did you turn into something that I'd hate so much?

Even though that's the case,

Never did I give up hope in you finding your old personality.

Did you?  

Yeah, I think you did.

Hell hath no fury for

An Arab Scorned

See him rap

See him troll

At a rapid pace

Never mess with a menace

Jams he, on a guitar

Oh boy, he's hyper on chocolate bars

Help, Help, this boy needs an ambulance

Nah, he just needs to dance.

Mark is his name

Arrogant, or assholish he can be.

Really.

Karat gold necklace he wears, can't you see?  

Chill out, 

Heaven is a place without you.

Eh..

Right?

Yeah...

Like really... yeah.