shiny & satisfying

did you ever win any amazing & exciting awards/trophies in your youth? i'm pretty sure this trophy was from Upward church-league basketball back in... '96-'97? i was horrible, and didn't add much to that team's dynamic... but hey.. i tried, right? and WHAM! got a trophy in the end. sure it was plastic... but it was a shiny reward nonetheless. sometimes it's these "everybody's a winner" awards that go that extra mile... or those congratulatory words for putting forth the effort, no matter the result... or a blue ribbon... or a high five.. or a scratch & sniff sticker on a B+ spelling quiz.

reach for the gold, but don't let it be the end of the world if you get silver or bronze... cuz maybe your bronze is somebody else's gold. at least you won something, at all.


(i really just intended on posting a ridiculous web-cam picture... the rest of the blog just came to me after posting the pic. maybe it makes some sense... or maybe it's 3-ish a.m. nonsense.... oh well, hope it was enjoyable!)

act a fool

The Norva - April 18th, 2009

*watch it in full, but prepare your mind for when I make my entrance



When in doubt, let loose on a stage in front of the unprepared masses

random blurbs

*As you may realize, I love sunny mid-70s weather. This weekend was yet another one of those amazing weekends of perfect beautiful weather. Plenty of outdoor time does J-Holla good

*Last night, I (along with Josh Hazel & Adam Covell) walked from the Barnes & Noble / Chick-Fil-A area on Jefferson to City Center. We soon realized that it was the perfect solution when you have those "what do we do now?" moments as a night seems to be winding down.. but you don't want it to end just yet. It felt great outside, it was a relaxing stroll, and many laughs were had. What else could we need?

*Oh... and after leaving City Center and making a 7-11 pit-stop, we cheated and got a ride back to our cars. (slightly unintentional, a friend called to see where we were.. and how could we say no to the offer?)

*Twitter is yet another internet addiction.... and I dig it. It's amusing seeing what friends find important enough to post a "tweet" about.... from what the exact moment is that they woke up, to what they're currently eating, to being proud of posting an update while brushing their teeth.... it's just fun. Also, reading the twitter-convos back & forth between celebs is quite entertaining as well

* ahem.... twitter.com/jakeholla (yay for shameless plugs)

*Speaking of what I'm currently eating/drinking.... I just had 2 Coastal Cooler Capri Suns and a pack of Sunkist gummies. Snack-tastic, I must say.

*21 days until the Toronto mission trip w/ the college group. Pushing the anxiety about financial-help aside, because God will provide if it's meant to work out. Plus... I wanna see Niagara Falls!

*12 days (?) until X-Men Origins : Wolverine. Still holding out against watching the unfinished version that leaked onto the internet. I refuse!

*Applying for loans and maneuvering thru all the steps & forms of LU financial stuff = alot to handle. Ready to be done with "financial check-in" once I lock down my off-campus housing & registering for classes. It'll be a huge sigh of relief.

*Remember that music video I was in? (read this post if not) Well it's still coming out... they're just timing it along with more music being completed. Anyways! The point of bringing this up is... the group, the Silverust, was in a battle of the bands 2nite @ the Norva, and I made my on-stage debut wearing those infamous lil red shorts. They were awesome and they won. 'Nuff said. I'll keep you posted on more related upcoming hijinks

*that's all for now. g'nite!

blankity blank blank

(fill in the blanks)

Hi my name is _____. My favorite thing about warmer weather is ________. I can't wait to _________ once summer arrives. Summer movie season makes me very ______.

make life more interesting

life can be so run-of-the-mill sometimes.... the same monotonous daily routines... growing content with the mundane & expected stuff. psssshhhh.... i live to cancel out that whole mentality. in fact, i just yawned right now thinking about how boring that is.

what's one of the main things i miss about everyone being back home from school, on winter break or even moreso during the summer??

pulling stunts like this



the city center frozen-in-place stunt we pulled last year was AMAZING... can't wait for more.

now go do something unexpected... something random & exciting & completely out of your normal routine.

you'll thank me for it, i promise.

sponsored by : sunshine

i'd like to thank the glorious sunny weather this weekend for the enjoyable relaxation, the time spent with friends, the much-needed outdoor time..... and last but not least....

this picture.


















enjoy it while it lasts today.... word on the street is that rain is making a comeback tomorrow =/

evening randomness

*the sunny weather yesterday & today truly made this weekend all-the-better... being indoors was kicked to the curb as an option for how to spend my time (if i had a choice)

*i wish i was in San Diego with the youth on their mission trip... oh CA, how i miss you (sometimes)

*frisbee "tournament" today... played a couple high-energy games, then went for an epic catch in game 3 and jacked up my right thumb. woo hoo! crazy-swollen.. jammed.. hopefully not broken. swollen thumbs up!

*watch this video (Will Ferrell crashing the set of a talk show lol)

*Adam and Bealer are currently jamming to some No Doubt via Rock Band. I shall join them soon, since the vocals don't require usage of my thumb =)

*I realize the hypocrisy in being inside watching friends play a video game.. after just stating how lame being indoors was with such nice weather..... but calm down, I was outside from 2 until 7ish. Boo yah!

*also watch this video (this guy beatboxes the "in the jungle, the mighty jungle" song)

*got my Busch pass today!! I'm extremely excited to go soon... I miss riding the coasters, after going without a pass last summer. who's comin with me??

*back to Adam & Bealer // now they're playing a Spongebob song on Rock Band (!!!)

*my stomach just made a noise, and I'm pretty sure it's pleading for Wawa. time to persuade the guys to put down the guitar & drumsticks, and venture outwards for some deliciousness.

bite my tongue

the tongue..... such a small but powerful part of us. the topic of the night in my small group was, as you may have guessed, on our words.

James 3:8-10
"But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God’s image. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters."

it's always a recurring topic... because it's such an important one. you may have better control over what you say, or maybe you're a hothead who has no filter when you speak... lashing out at others with verbal attacks. words hurt, whether you realize it or not. mere words can tear friends apart... even families. churches crumble and split over words. but in the same light, words can bring people together. form a tighter bond between friends. strengthen relationships & marriages. uplift people going through a rough patch. bring joy & utter happiness to anybody you encounter. it's all in how you use that unruly tongue of yours, which can only be tamed & controlled with God's help.

it's especially hard knowing if/when you should speak up in terms of confrontation and/or accountability with friends. do you have the right motives? are you doing so for their benefit? how will they react?

for me.. personally.. i always have a million things on my mind, and it's particularly hard to filter out the negative/selfish/unnecessary words when i'm trying to talk sense to someone... and being able to choose those uplifting/positive things to say, and not the rest. it doesn't help that i'm not the best at confrontation, in the first place... but i'm getting better at it.

my old habits of worrying/overthinking also sneak back around & overwhelm me when I least expect it, and that can ultimately effect my words.... and I hate it. for all the joy & positivity I surround myself with, it's very frustrating to let such ridiculous & insignificant junk to take over & determine my moods & how my day goes.

in closing, this song came to mind during the discussion... yet again, much respect for Relient K & their amazing lyrics

"Sometimes I say things that
I wish that I could take back
Then the smartest thing to say is to tell myself

To keep quiet, quiet
Don't let it all come undone
Cause if I dare open my mouth
It'll just be to bite my tongue
Yeah, I gotta keep quiet, quiet
And listen to your voice
Because the power of your words
Can repair all that I've destroyed

And when I finally do
Let it come from you
The peace of understanding grips my soul
You're the reason I've
Found meaning in this life
So I'll swallow up my pride and give you control
Give it to you"

it's about time

I had been following this for awhile.... but had forgotten in recent weeks to keep up with any developments.... so read the good news below


"Monday, March 9, marked the day Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia signed legislation banning smoking in Virginia's bars and restaurants. Identical House and Senate bills HB1703 and SB1105 will ban smoking in nearly all of Virginia's restaurants, allowing exceptions for private clubs and restaurants with a designated smoking room that is physically separated and independently ventilated from non-smoking dining areas.

The ban, which goes into effect on December 1, 2009, includes strong protections for both workers and patrons. Proprietors cannot require wait or bus staff to work in any area of the restaurant where smoking may be permitted. Additionally, restaurants that choose to have a separated structure for smoking must ensure that at least one public entrance to the restaurant is in a smoke-free area. Local health departments will inspect for compliance with the smoking prohibitions when completing other routine inspections."


I don't know about you... but for me, that's very exciting. I hate smelling like cigarrette smoke after being in a restaurant, or even having to walk through it to get anywhere. I realize alot of people won't be too particularly happy when this goes into effect in December... but hey, tough cookies. I'm a fan of clean(er) oxygen.. in fact, if smoke-free oxygen were a sports team, I'd be a cheerleader for that team. Poms poms, choreographed cheers, cheesy smiles... the works.

Now please excuse me while I cough, due to 2nd-hand smoke exposure.