Second time became the charm.

Long ago, Dad took me to the drag races when I was twelve. Felt like the worst place to be. Reasons for that was:

• Outdoor
• Cold
• Strange smells involving foods and gasoline
• Incredibly loud noises
• Vibrations of the race cars as they speed by

Was a beautiful nightmare. I say beautiful because that trip has taught me something very important that I will get to in a little bit.

I had everything in attempt to make it a better experience. Earplugs, headphones, and layered coats; Still didn't work! Even when things got quieter on the race track, I just never knew when the next time the cars roar on the racetrack; Always anticipating the next loud sound that even with the earplugs and the headphones, I still felt like I needed to cover my ears and my head.

Lots of backlash for Dad. People would think that he was trying to hurt me in the drag races because of the whole autism thing, but Dad did this because of a very fascinating reason.

The reason why was this....

The girls had open arms,  but I thought they just wanted two high fives, but they came up to me and gave me a big hug. This happened a lot, and almost every time I was very surprised and  would just freeze. I knew they they were just being friendly and kind, but it was very uncomfortable for me.

I was used to receiving hugs from family members and that was pretty much it, but hugs from other people? “WHAT IS GOING ON?!” I said in my head. Being touched was a huge thing growing up. There were rules that I needed to follow. It was strictly forbidden because it’s not appropriate, and I needed to keep my hands to myself unless I’m introducing myself and shaking their hand. That was it. Those were the rules. So when someone I didn’t know gave me a hug, I wanted to be kind and not reject the offer, matter of fact I welcomed it.

But in my head it just felt very weird and odd and I didn’t  want to break the rule because it’s not...

Repeating footage and/or sound over and over again. Why?

Here were some of the reasons for my part in terms of footage like videos.

• Facial and body expressions in certain moments that spark interest
• Part of the footage where there's a neat musical part even if it's short
• Wanting to catch something thinking it was abnormal
• A line of dialogue that sounds noteworthy for real life situations
• Certain patches of color or lack of that is worth seeing again
• A funny or cool moment

Here were some of the reasons for my part in terms of sounds including music.

• Sound effects that involves a fat beat that sounds neat like a heartbeat
• Sounds become so addictive in a way during a game that it's hard to move on
• Parts of music that become calm all of a sudden after some energy
• Music in itself calms and relaxes the mind
• Hard to expand on music when the same song is being played over and oever
• A part of the lyrics that feel most appropriate depending on what's going on

I would repeat VHS tapes and...

Would you believe me when I say that partying is a skill to master? May not have been hard for many, in fact, so many people are looking forward for another social gathering involving food, drinks, and entertainment. I... wasn't so much way back in the day.

When parties would come up as a topic of choice, I would get so scared and nervous of the thought of parties. Why was that? For my case, it was:

• Crowded areas
• Loud music
• Interacting with others
• Confetti

Oh the confetti! That was the worst! I remembered one kid threw a bunch of confetti at me and just wanted to go home. Were we against parties when I was little? Nope; Mom and Dad knew some things can be challenging for parties, but that has been the idea of the challenges in the first place. To be challenged to better myself, because they know I can be better then what I was currently.

In a way, we learned how to celebrate properly; And there have been so many things to celebrate about. However we celebrated; Small ones like...

What do you think? Do animals help children with autism? Why do animals tend to be a fascinating topic for me when it comes to the subject of autism? To me, it's because there are times where I can relate to them.

• Quiet
• Curious
• Mysterious
• Pretty to look at
• Fearless
• Calm
• Relaxed

Some examples of a cat, and I do tend to like cats. Dogs too, but cats can be a bit more quieter at times. Many of these animals can relate in some way, even if it's a bear. I don't encourage others to have bears for pets, but thinking out loud, if I were to be sitting by a river stream and a bear comes up close to me, I would remain calm, look at the bear for a moment, and keep watching the stream. Not causing any harm, no cubs in the area, not catching any fish, just sitting there. Not a bear expert by any means, but that's what I think I would do. The way I kind of see animals is that it is neat to talk like them too. Talking to them without making a single sound; So relaxed body movements, eye contacts,...

Video sharing can be pretty sweet!

I have been familiar with the camera stuff. Used to do some video stuff with some older friends that involved a green screen; Was never really good at "acting" with the amateurs. Boy, they know how to do comedy. Used to be MustBeAmateurHour but now go by the channel, Group Picture Time. 

Later on when it comes to the camera, I get to be in front of a camera. Used to be so camera shy to be honest with you. Strange because I'm more comfortable with large groups; So I took a college class that involves acting in front of the camera. Sure acting is optional, but the main reason why I did it was so I wouldn't be so nervous about being in front of the camera. It worked, and I'm all right with it.

A team worked on the edits to some of the featured video presentations for the site; to me, it looked really cool and decided to try something like that myself. Got ideas and wanted to share; There's no real major theme to my channel to whatever is...

In the most recent keynote event I have attended to, I have been contact by teachers in Pullman, Washington. It's way out in the East close to the state of Idaho.

I got so excited to go! Sometimes it's nice to take a break from the trees in the West of Washington and enjoy some of the desert areas. The trip was nice, and I took a lot of pictures. The ones up above are a few of my favorites. Dad took that one of me when I was speaking.

This was a high school that I went. Teachers wanted me to speak about autism and I delivered. Main theme of the three separate talks was about "what I wished my teachers knew then about me" when I was going through school. Sort of reversed that topic question with a little something of my own. "What I wished I would have said if I had the ability to communicate properly during the beginning years of school." It was a great time talking in front of teachers, and I think some students even came into the room too. Crazy part about it was that in...

I love to perform in front of people. Ever since I was very little. I was never the: "Look at me! Look at me!" kind of kid, and I'm not like that today, I just like to share and to challenge myself when it comes to entertainment and education.

Public speaking in the topic of autism. Honestly, I was very surprised when people want me to go up there and talk about the subject. Autism doesn't really come to mind when it comes to my work and the way I think; But then I learned that not all people who have autism would have the guts to go up and give out keynote speaking engagements. I understand though too; Lots of people looking at you, have to be social and engaging, and in a way expect what they came to see oftentimes.

I would do these little segments that involve questions and answers, and I really enjoy those parts! It feels like an interview when people ask questions and I get to answer; Challenging too, and I love a good challenge! Do my very best to answer whatever question is...

The pinball machines! For those not so familiar with what a pinball machine is, I’ll do my best to explain. A pinball machine is a table that involves a little metal ball and a pair (or how many there are in the table) of flippers in the table. The object of the game for the pinball machine is to keep the little metal ball from going all the way down on the tilted table. Use the flippers to keep the ball from going all the way down. Pinball machines are all different, all containing different themes and they can be either slow paced or fast paced depending on how the table is tilted. The other object of the game for those who want to become really competitive for glory, the object is to get the high score! Rank up the points and have that metal ball bump into all sorts of cool things!

I used to hate pinball back then. Wasn’t because I wasn’t good at it, but the main reason why was because those tables are so loud and noisy! Think the first arcade experiences...

What is the One World Observatory?

The One World Observatory, also known as the One World Trade Center is the tallest skyscraper in the western hemisphere. The building became the successor to the Twin Towers after they were destroyed. The Observatory is located in New York City, New York. For being the tallest building, it's easy to identify when traveling to New York.

New York. I have always wanted to go to that state ever since I was four years old. I remember Dad talking about New York back then and then one day Mom and I decided to go. Nice time too because of the new building being the One World.

When Mom was married to Dad, Mom would tell me that they used to be up at the Twin Towers; told me that it was almost like being on top of the world! It was an experience for sure being on top of two tall buildings. I am aware about what happened in September 11th, 2001, but I won't get too into that. Though I will say that Dad almost told me what was going on but Mom suggested that...