10 Things I Wish Were Still a BIG DEAL.

Hello :),

    So the other day I was scrolling through my timeline on Twitter and I saw the @MSNmemories page. I started smiling ear to ear; It really took me back memory lane and inspired me to think of my top 10 things I wish were still around.


10. BeyBlades- The TV show and the spinning battle tops were every young boys(some girls) infatuation. What I liked most about BeyBlades, they were affordable, all ages could play, and they were genuinely exciting.


9.Video Rental Stores- Before gaming consoles gained immense popularity; going to the video rental store like Blockbuster or Rogers meant quality time spent with friends and family.

8. Sleepovers- These were the best weekends! I mean I still have sleepovers but... They're different type of sleepovers now(keep dirty thoughts to yourself). I mean sleepovers aren't events anymore, they're just used for convenience

7. EATING McDonald's- I know McDonald's has gone through a lot of heat since Supersize Me, but there was a point whereby if you behaved well enough your parents would buy you that beautiful Happy Meal!

6.Meeting up with your friends via BICYCLE- Not only was this extremely exciting, if you had enough of your friends you would look like a bada** biker gang.

5.The original Facebook- The simple wall, I mainly miss the original facebook because it was so easy to creep... Lol, Shutup like you guys don't creep!

4.Birthday Parties- Hoping your crush invites you to her birthday house party, like sleepovers this is just not as big of an event anymore... everyone just goes and celebrates at the same 3 clubs.

3.Saturday Morning Cartoons! I would wake up at 6am just to watch my Power Rangers and all my other favourite shows without a care in the world.

2.The House Phone- Arguably one the most thrilling and sometimes scary ways to communicate. Prior to cell phones you also had to memorise your best friends, crush, crushes best friend, and that smart kid in your classes phone number in order to survive middle school. Thrilling moments such as making sure everyone in your house and your crushes house was fast asleep before you called, but more often or not the dad would pick up saying, 'who is this?' that's when you hang up.

1. MSN Messenger- Before texting, facebook, twitter, instgram, and even skype; MSN Messenger was all these and more. There was a point when someones email address was far more important than their number, this was because of MSN. Many trends die especially in the technological sector but none hurt more than when MSN
was no longer relevant. :(...


Who knows what will be next to go, but I do know we should enjoy all we have today and appreciate it; Everyone have a great week!

WSKJr.

Mama Told Me, "Choose your friends wisely"

Hello Everyone,

    Hope you all had a great weekend/week :)! This article is not really about how you should choose your friends, but more of a tribute and a relateable approach on friendship. 

I have been blessed with many friends all unique and very different in their own ways, I'm going to list them off. I'm sure one of your friends falls under a description or two...

My Best Friend(s): Very hard to pick just one I have three!

The LETS GO friend: Never a dull moment unbelievably, spontaneous.

Your deep friend: Always there for perspective, but sometimes too serious(unless intoxicated)

The friend you've only hung out with once but really like.

The friend that has all the back up in the world: If there's trouble, you know who to call.

The Hi and Bye friend: Never have the urge to hang out with but its okay.

The since diapers friend: Have had numerous fights, tears, and great times.

The friend you always miss untill you see them.

The friend of a friend: Can't always remember their name.

The lets be as weird as possible: IT GETS SO WEIRD lol.

The how did we even meet friend?
The we can't stop laughing uncontrollably at nothing friend.
The when I see you I run and pick you up like We're in a movie: she may be a crush of mine.
The friend you never stop arguing with.
The philanthropist: Always helping others.

The high roller: $$$$$.
The opposite: but still somehow works.
The friend you won't see for years but when you do, its like they never left.
The friend that gives the best hugs.
The friend you look up too.

I LOVE MY FRIENDS <3

Everyone have a great week! and if you're in the Winnipeg area on Saturday March 29, 2014 is the annual Bison Sports Brown and Gold Social! It's going to be epic tweet at me or contact me for tickets!

Sincerely

WSKJr.

how to find SUCCESS in failure?!?

Yo!
      Sorry for the delay, I've decided I will be writing at-least once a week; if you think I forgot TWEET @Wsamking. Be like, "HEY YOU DIDN'T BLOG WILFRED!"


Anyways lets get right into it! My 2013-2014 Indoor Track and Field season  came to an end last weekend at the 2014 CIS National Championships. Needless to say, I have/had high expectations for myself; unfortunately I didn't meet most of them this season. Questions such as:

Why?

What Happened?

Explain it?
Was your blog distracting?

Started circling my mind after my 4*200 meter relay leg, because at that moment I knew my 4th Track&Field CIS season had concluded. There was a bitter taste in my mouth; metaphorically and physically, I was sad... a little angry... upset; with no one to blame but myself. That's the beauty of an individual sport, you get all the glory and/or all disappointment. 3 ways I try to find success in failure.

I felt as if I failed, but even in failure you can find success.

1. Reflect 

    It may be painful to think about what you did wrong or what went wrong, but this may be the most constructive step. What is most difficult about this step? It is sometimes unclear where to start. Always start at the Beginning? In life and this may be defined as the point where you first set your goals, or when you started working towards those goals. Continue through your timeline( NOT TWITTER OR FACEBOOK), but rather your timeline of events in your life. Most people focus too heavily on the conclusion and fail to see the foreshadowing of their actions, I call this Conclusion Based Reflection. Two examples of Conclusion Based Reflection (yup made my own mini theory) are when people talk about the Palestine & Israel disputes that stretch back to Biblical times, as though the issues are new or they had just aroused. The Russian & Ukraine dispute currently on/in every major print source can stretch back to old Soviet Union times. Reflect, you may find it was a combination of  situation that led to missing your goals.

2. separate EMOTIONS from FACTS 

    This is the most difficult step for me, and I'm sure it would be for anyone who is very passionate about anything. Sometimes the line between emotions and facts merge... (No they don't! you say). Emotions and facts merge when speaking about the outcome but do not merge when referring solely to performance result. (Wilfred what are you talking about?) The fact may be you performed poorly e.g in a race, if you lost... You would not be able to appeal the that you were nervous or thinking about something else when the gun went off. Emotions are excuses, VALID excuses when used constructively, but have no validity when used as reason for result based performance. Don't use emotions as an excuse, be in control of them and channel them to help you reach your goals.

3. Move.......On

   

Don't dwell on what cannot be changed, but don't be ignorant to the fact you will fail again. Finding SUCCESS in failure is not about masking your failure, its about triumphing from that failure. There is always another opportunity! It may not always be the way you expect but be open minded e.g great athletes that never win championships, but end up coaching multiple teams to multiple championships.

Failure is determined by self, influenced by others, triumphed by Success.

Triumph

WSKJr. 

3 ways to be POSITIVE ...without being annoying

Hello Everyone,

    I just wanted to say it's going to be a good week! 
Before I go into my own psyche to reveal how I think and present it for you in text, I want to say I HAVE MANY FLAWS. Although I have many flaws I am constantly working on them to better myself, therefore I am not judging  nor saying everyone should think or act as I do. Now that we have that disclaimer out of the way, LETS GO!

 
    Positivity often viewed as... well a very good thing (obviously you say) but there are some who are bothered by high or constant levels of positivity. Do you know what I say to them?... "God Bless You." I'm not talking about those two hour infomercials whereby the woman or man looks to be on a very strong drug and ceases to blink during the entire length of the add. That would definitely go under the category of annoying. I'm referring to the people that bring hope, inspire, and motivate others. Here are the 3 ways I believe those people spread positivity!

1. Be Happy With Who You Are!

    As simple as it may sound, this may be the most difficult for some. With the entire world on a health craze about eating, looking, and living a certain way it has become overwhelming for many to have comfort in their physical appearance; which usually leads to emotional insecurities( I'm no PHD, but I'm sure we all learnt that in first year Psychology). How to overcome the world and media pressures about looking a certain way? Simple instead of looking in the mirror and seeing flaws, look in the mirror and see your beautiful features. Perhaps a birth mark, a smile, eyebrows, legs, toes(lol), I mean literally anything.
DON'T SAY! I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING I LIKE! Even if it's just one feature, use it, and build on it. Be Happy With Who You Are

2. Do Not Compare Yourself to Others!

    This to me is one of if not the most important ways to be positive. The grass is always greener on the other side and envy leads to jealousy, we often hear these quotes but never think deeper into them(Well some of us have). It's is okay to be competitive; I'm pretty sure competitive stems off from compare in Latin or something(Once again I'm not a PHD,you can correct me in the comments section).Goal setting is also very healthy but has to be done in the right way; don't set goals according to others achievements, set them according to what you want to gain. By comparing yourself to others in a negative light, you are actually cutting yourself down, putting yourself below that person, and questioning your worth. Do not compare yourself to others, it does more harm than good.

3.Don't Be Judgmental

    We all think differently which means, we all act differently but that doesn't mean everything and anything will be socially accepted(cough cough Miley Cyrus). Even with Miley though(Yes we are on first name basis) she has never been this popular or successful, and she definitely stands-out from other pop artists now. We may never know why people act the way they do or do the things they do, but in an attempt to understand we have to keep an open mind. No one wants to be reminded of their mistakes. Don't be Judgmental!







This entry was inspired by my two great friends Django Miles Lovett from Langley British Columbia Canada and Michelle Young from Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada! Both have overcome many personal endeavours and have stayed positive throughout. Yeah I love them :)!

God Bless You :)

WSKJr.

5 Races 2 Days! Canada West Track and Field Championship Recap

Hello all!

    Unfortunately this weekend I didn't have enough down time to keep you informed on my happenings, but HERE WE GO! First and foremost I'd like to thank everyone who is actually reading this, it is very comforting to know people care :)! 

5 RACES 2 Days

Friday February 21st 2014(Oh my as if it's 2014...) was day one of competition for me featuring the 60 meter high hurdles, 42inches to be exact or 1.07 meters. I was extremely nervous to say the least; especially because I'm coming off an achilles tendinitis injury. My injury was on my left achilles which is my take off leg, meaning its the leg I plant with going into the hurdles(for you non-hurdlers). Due to my injury I have not been able to do much training especially over the hurdles, in fact Friday was the first day in over a month and half that I had gone over hurdles. Thank GOD though, I made it through the heats ranked 5th going into the finals. In the finals I was given lane 8 the outside lane, which is usually unwanted in a sprint event because you can't see your competitors. In a hurdles race though, because there is so much going on it is sometimes (Crashes, Falls, Hurdle Chunks Flying Everywhere, and Babies Crying...) better to just run your own race. I finished third in the finals, ecstatic with my team mates signalling third with their fingers. TURN UP!!!! I had figured out the results system, whereby a volunteer would take the heat sheets to a long string with a clip, which would then be pulled up by the results crew and then posted online and on the results wall. I decided to intercept the volunteer to confirm I had come third! As I approached her(I actually frightened her unintentionally) I saw that I had been DQ'd... I immediately found my head coach Claude Berube and my personal coach Rory McIntyre, told them I had been DQ'd. They told me to calm down and wait for the results to be posted... Results  were posted and sure enough beside my name was a big "DQ." I had been charged with intentionally kicking over the first two hurdles... Anyone who has seen me hurdle knows I am not the cleanest over-top, but my coaches immediately told me to go find video footage of the race. My training partner and I Eric Guy went on a mission fortunately a friend from Calgary named Kwaku had actually filmed my race from the start line, he sent me the video, Claude wrote and appeal, and I GOT MY MEDAL! Great team work! The Bisons had a great day 1, with 5 other medals! Everyone definitely had the winning mindset.

Saturday February 22nd 2014

    Saturday was a disappointing day, with two 4th place finishes in the 60 meter sprint and the 4*200 meter relay. I ran a seasonal best in both the heats and the finals of the 60 meter, but it wasn't quite good enough :(. There is a great deal of improvement necessary in preparation for CIS National Championships, being held once again in Edmonton in just under 2 weeks. I will hopefully be competing in both the 60 meter and 4*200 meter relay! Technically I have 4-6 races left in my season, including our provincial championships Boeing Classic hosted by my club Winnipeg Optimist. I am hungry for success and although my injury put me at a disadvantage, I am only getting faster with each race! The 4*200 meter relay was a huge confidence booster for  me, even though we finished 4th. Saturday was the first day since my initial injury that I have been able to run past 80 meters! I split one of, if not the fastest leg on my team; out of starting blocks and ran smooth with a great hand-off to my team-mate Matthew Fitcowsky (Silver in the 300meter). After the races I let out a sigh of relief, I had completed 5 races in 2 days with minimum pain. THANK YOU LORD!

    

    Following the meet we started preparing for the awards banquet, I got my friend Leah Walkeden to drive me to the hotel where we were staying because I was tired and did not want to walk two blocks... Awards banquet is  definitely one of my favorite parts about Track&Field, Why? Well its like seeing a Pokemon evolve... All weekend everyone's in competition gear definitely not looking their prime...( Well some do) and then BAM! all these pretty girls in dresses, heals, hair done, bathed, and did I mention looking pretty? :).

    Well I am back home doing assignments, reading, and working on papers trying to stay ahead and play a little bit of catch up with my school work!

I LOVE WHAT I DO!

Special thank you to the Bison T&F coaching staff especially my coach Rory McIntyre!

WSKJr.

Social Media- Thoughts

    Social Media. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram the BIG 3, we just landed in Edmonton Alberta in preparation for the Canada West Track&Field Championship. As soon as the seat belt lights go off in the cabin of the plane, everyone instantly pulls out their cellular devices. I pulled my phone out hoping for a like, mention, and or retweet. I know... I'm lame, but I know for a fact I was not the only one doing the same thing.

Social media has become reality, a once simple and somewhat blank page; with a baby blue header that was a way to virtually connect with others has evolved. It started with the introduction of the like button, prior to that all we could do is poke the Sh*t out of one another. The "like" has evolved into a way to shun, show love, show interest, acknowledge a sub-post. What is a sub-post? It is when you post something negative or positive about a person group, thing, and or anything without directly revealing who or what you are speaking about. It may seem harmless at first but by posting for the world to see you invite everyone's imagination to wonder. Celebrities on Twitter may sub-tweet their rivals, a network, and or others. Believe it or not though it is not the celebrities that have the most interesting drama, it's your friends, crush, hater, and siblings. As soon as you see a post via Twitter, Instagram, and or Facebook you immediately search for your pipe, trench coat, top hat, and look for Watson. 

OMG OMG THIS GUY TAKING A NAP IN THE AIRPORT JUST RELEASED THE LOUDEST FARTS(I am ashamed to say Amy and I laughed like little 5year olds BUT IT WAS SO LOUD)

Anyways back to the topic at hand; prior to social media confrontation was dealt with via text, phone, mail, and the oh so forgotten IN PERSON. These were all rich channels of communication compared to social media because at least they are direct. Why I say social media is reality or has merged into reality is because the conversation or problems do not end on the screen. Bullying has even more bystanders and your "one true love" is not quite her Instagram photo's in person(Those filters tho...Deceit). Apart from the personal changes in interactions and relationships. Social media has been a tool for those without a voice, find strength in numbers. The greatest example of this was Egypt overthrowing of their corrupt government, Twitter was heavily praised by Egyptians and others across the world for giving the people a voice.

Anyways I'm getting tired... My point to this installment is we all live in an age whereby we have the power to affect the masses negatively or hopefully positively under 140 characters, a click, a double tap, or a simple friend request.

WSKJr.

Who am I

    To whom it may concern, I mean to whomever reads this, I mean... Hello! My name is Wilfred Sam-King Jr. or the second; just kidding. My name is just Wilfred Sam-King Jr. I know what a professional sounding name. I'm taking a crack at this blogging thing, Why? I don't know exactly yet, but i thought it would be a cool idea. I am a 21 year old Sierra Leonian-Canadian  living in the North Pole city of Winnipeg. I was born in Sierra Leone; a small West African country, torn apart by civil war and blood diamonds (Yes the movie Leonardo DiCaprio stared in). I'm a student athlete at the University of Manitoba, majoring in International business and Marketing while competing in Track&Field otherwise known as Athletics everywhere else in the world apart from North America.

    Okay, (Large Exhale) about myself. I'm currently on a plane headed to Edmonton Alberta Canada to compete in our Track&Field Conference Championship sitting beside this weirdo named Amy Graceffo, a sweet but extremely plane phobic friend of mine. She has the brightest blue eyes ever, by the way I LOVE EYES! I'm an eye man... whatever that means, you're thinking.

ME in 10 lines:

1.5'11 1/2 I say I'm 6ft... My friends call me out. (I was 5'3 until grade 9)

2.I like taking off my shirt, whenever the opportunity arises.... My friends call me out
3.I love eyes
4. I'm almost always smiling, but not as much as my friend and team mate Smiles
5. I have many friends, but very few close friends
6. I like girls ;) I'm a flirt. (Whether they like me, is still very debatable)
7.I have one older sister, shes 26. We do not look alike
8. I think biracial babies are the most beautiful babies, all babies are beautiful
9.I want to work for the UN in the future
10. My favorite feature is my smile, mainly because thats what I get the most compliments on