<![CDATA[Virtual Pets Forum - Virtualpetlist - Blogs - Cpvr's blog by cpvr]]> http://www.virtualpetlist.com/blog.php/472-Cpvr-s-blog Virtual Pet List is the largest virtual pets forum on the web. Discover new virtual pet sites today! en Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:47:45 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.virtualpetlist.com/images/styles/DeFraction/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[Virtual Pets Forum - Virtualpetlist - Blogs - Cpvr's blog by cpvr]]> http://www.virtualpetlist.com/blog.php/472-Cpvr-s-blog My health scare http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/698-My-health-scare Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:04:57 GMT Last week, I was puking for 48 hours straight. I couldn't hold down any water or any medications. So, I ended up going to the hospital to get checked up on and everything. My potassium was low because I was puking and I also was deydrated because I couldn't hold down any water. So they hooked me up to an IV and started putting fluids back in my body.

A test or two later, they found out I was low on potassium so they hooked me up to another bag of Potassium. I was in this hospital for a few hours before they ended up transfering me to another one. They ran a catscan, an xray and didn't find anything. So at the new hospital, they ordered more blood tests and eventually did a scope(EEG?) of my stomach and bowel. Then, I found out I had two uclers inside me.

Now, the uclers are being treated with the medications that they've given me and I have a follow up with a GI doctor in two weeks.
Needless to say if you ever start puking for 12 hours straight, make sure you go out and get some help because you never know what's truly wrong with your body until the tests come back.

Since I have two uclers inside me, I have to stick with a low fat diet. I can't drink coffee that much anymore, but that's okay because I'll drink more green tea and iced tea. I also have to stay away from spicy foods, but that won't be a problem because I don't like the heart burn.

The medications that they gave me were as followed: Protonix 40 MG which I'll be taking daily for the rest of my life because of my heartburn and Carafate. Which I have to take 30 minutes prior to every meal because it helps with the healing process.

Well, that was a wake up call for me and I'm glad that I have good doctors treating me. ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/698-My-health-scare Our past two years http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/663-Our-past-two-years Fri, 01 Feb 2013 02:33:54 GMT I know this blog is a few days off, but I wanted to write something new on my blog. Two years ago, we brought Virtualpetlist back from the dead.... I know this blog is a few days off, but I wanted to write something new on my blog.

Two years ago, we brought Virtualpetlist back from the dead. We came back in January with a big vengence to show the world what we're capable of doing. We also wanted to show everyone that we still care and had passion for the virtual pets community market.
We knew when we started virtualpetlist, there were people with similar interests to us founders.

EBK and I didn't know right off the bat if we could enter this forum industry. We just figured the idea could be done. So one day, we decided the time was right to introduce VPL to the industry. We've had a few forum setbacks in the past that took a lot of content away from us. Especially members who helped form the community and helped made it thrive.

We couldn't be big a nice and friendly community if our staff members weren't active and had passion, time, loved to be on, and are friendly to the members because they helped made this place a striving, loving and passionate community. Members learn new things here, people inspire and help others. That's a community works, we love and have care for all our

members and we want to see people strive. Sometimes, we do go on mini-rants or blogs about certain sites. This is because we share passion and want to see that pet site do well.We don't mean any harm when we speak up about a pet site, because well, freedom of speech was put in use for us to use it. If you have any issues with a site, we usually discuss it "Such as, this game lack content." and we go onto reasons as to why the site lacks content. Whether its games, dailies, or just overral features for the game. Content is what makes pet sites grow and mature. Without features and art, a pet site isn't whole.

Without quality art or decent art, your site may have a tough time growing because art speaks volumns to a lot of people.
Well, Virtualpetlist is no different than to any other community, we have fights, we have arguements and agreements. This is because we're a community and these things happen on forums sometimes. When drama happens, its healthy for the community because people see the true side of someone. Usually some people tend to stir away from these threads because its not their fortee and they don't like to see arguments.

VPL doesn't have a debate forum, so that means debates may pop-up from time to time on the forums and usually sometimes die
down and other posters get involved. This is good because it shows a community is heathy and can grow past certain things that happen. VPL is a family to me, I feel that I can talk to any member and still receive some type of respect. Ya, sure, its okay to say it, I'm an asshole, jerk, but I'm very passionate and love what I do. I couldn't be success without the work of magic from my members. I say I'm asshole because I may not agree with some things you may have to say.

And isn't good publicity/bad always good? That's what I was told a long time. Be grateful people are making an effort to talk about your game. Some people don't get that type of respect. I don't know why some owners or staff members get so upset when their game is being talked about bad. There's an issue, you should fix any problems that those users may have. Just so you can have a happy and friendly enironment again.

When VPL went down, a lot of users turned to other VP communities. Well, they weren't VPL and they weren't as passionate about the community like we are. We spent years building our forum and watching it mature. We didn't think it would take us a few months to build a community and become the #1 virtual pet forums on the web. We knew it would take a lot of time, dedication and effort to build a community behind the pet site industry. We figured, we'd have fun doing it and have a lot of different discussions with our wonderful members. They created our community and formed it, we just help built it from the ground up.

Our staff members also share the same ideas, vision and passion that I do. We asked them a lot of questions before they're hired to see if their mind is like ours, in terms of, building and being passionate about the virtual pets niche. It's hard building a community and making it become a sticky forum. It takes a lot of writing from various people to get threads off the ground and replies flowing. Not one person does this, one person does however, lead and show the way for his/her members.

I'm not different, I consider myself the leader of this forum. I consider myself the boss as well but I don't give myself that title. I like being a leader because it shows that I still have to things to learn and to grow bigger with my community. I became a leader through my community, you guys birthed this leader into who is today.

With that being said, I'm thankful and very grateful for all my members here. I love you with my whole heart, mind and soul and I'm glad we've survived two years online thus far and we will continue to embark on our mission of creating the biggest VP forum ever seen. People can also call us a gaming community if we get more threads and discussion flowing in our gaming forum. ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/663-Our-past-two-years My own place http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/658-My-own-place Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:10:33 GMT After over 23 years living with my parents, I recently moved into my own apartment with my girlfriend. So far, I love it because the extra freedom is... After over 23 years living with my parents, I recently moved into my own apartment with my girlfriend. So far, I love it because the extra freedom is amazing and my girl actually cooks for me now. I miss a few things since I don't live with my family anymore and that's my conversations with my mother, siblings and my little brother especially. I'm going to miss them growing up, but I'm going to continue to stay in touch with them and try to see them every so often.

I'm quite proud of myself because nobody else in my life has given me the courage to move out and get my own place. I've lived on my own before but that was when I was in the lowest point of my life and I ended up getting locked up and moving back to my parents after that.

This is good for me because I'm Bipolar and I always wanted someone there to watch over me. My mom did this for a while, and I love her for that especially for raising me to become a man. Can't forget about my dad either, he taught me how to manage money next to my mom and to work hard for things that I believe.

Well, mom and dad, you two raised me right and now I'm trying to live on my own. I know it won't be easy, but you two taught me to never give up on anything in life, and I won't. I won't fail you guys nor anyone else. I believe that this is just a new beginning for Angel and I, and I'm all for it.

Just thought I'd get these things off my chest and write a blog about it because it's how I'm currently feeling.

Oh, and if you haven't seen a picture of my living room yet. Here it is, we don't have any furniture in it yet, but we'll be getting some later in the week along with a kitchen table and chairs.
]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/658-My-own-place Even though my friend will never receive an appeal http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/635-Even-though-my-friend-will-never-receive-an-appeal Mon, 03 Dec 2012 00:23:59 GMT A few days ago one of my buddies from jail contacted me. I asked him if he would be receiving an appeal in a few years. He told me that there's no appeal. That really sucks because he's doing 20 years. He made a mistake that cost him his whole life and that's the sad part.

The worst part about this and that he has two younger daughters that don't get the chance to see their dad anymore. That sucks because we used to all hang out out the park with our kids and now we can't do that anymore. My buddy is still my friend no matter what and I'll try my best to keep him in my prayers and write him as much as possible.

It just sucks that he'll have to do all the 20 years without having a second chance to get out. That's why the legal system sometimes sucks. Because he could come out on Parole or probation and serve the rest of his time with that.

It just breaks my heart because all the memories we had are just well, memories we can't relive and make new ones. But, I'll still be there the day he gets released because my friendship with him will never change.

Well, with that being said I felt like getting this off my chest because I miss my friend, and I know deep down he'll be okay in the long run. Mistakes happen and we sometimes have to receive a hard lesson to learn. ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/635-Even-though-my-friend-will-never-receive-an-appeal 23 years ago, I was born http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/620-23-years-ago-I-was-born Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:01:23 GMT 23 years ago, my parents had a baby and it was me. They named me Carlos Andrade Jr, I'm named after my Father. My dad stopped drinking when I was born, he was an alcoholic prior to me being born. He changed for the better. And I'm proud of him for doing that for us.:dance3:


Back in 2007, we went on Vacation, we took a family picture. My mom wasn't in it because she was taking the photo.


One thing that I've grown to love over the years is the fact the I have a lot of family members and a community that cares about me. I've gone through a lot in my life, such as, being diagnosed with Bipolar at the age of 15. I also moved from Brockton, MA to Texas then.


Holy shit that was a wake up call for me because I went through a lot of relapses and I didn't take care of myself, but for the past two years, I haven't had a relapse and I'm never looking back. It's not any fun being sick, and quite frankly, I'm a lot stronger than I was in the past.

I've learned a lot, I don't have any regrets because everything I've done, I've learned from it. I tryto do my best at anything. Sure, I live under my parent's roof, but I'm allowed to do a lot of things and they allow me to go out and have fun, as long as I respect the household.

It's been a while since I wrote a blog post, and today is a special day for me. It's great that I can celebrate my Birthday in Fashion. Last year, my buddies and I went to the bar, then the club. I was out all night and the next day I had a crazy hangover. But, it was all worth it because I had fun, and enjoyed my time out.

Here's a picture from when I was 16.


This was taken last year, my girlfriend and I at the Lil Wayne concert.


Now, that I'm 23, I look back. I became a Father at the age of 18. My daughter was born, she's 4 now. It's amazing that I'm a dad, a community owner, and also "big homie" to a lot of people in this world. I love telling my stories, I love meeting new people. Could that be because I'm a Scorpio and I enjoy all the company?

Could be, but it doesn't matter to me because I was raised to love, and respect everyone no matter what their skin color is.

I'm mixed, my mom is white, and my dad is Black(Creole) and he's from Africa. If my dad never moved out to the United States, I'd probably wouldn't be born today, or as strong as I am today. My dad taught me a lot growing up, especially "Never give up".


But, anyways, I love being mixed because I have two different cultures that we live off of. Different foods to eat, and different people to meet. My family is huge, I have family all across the United States and in Africa. It's crazy though because some family members I haven't seen in years, but my spirit is strong and I know we'll meet again.

So, with that being said, I'm 23 now and I'm looking forward to my next year here on Earth. My daughter turns 5 in March. And, wow, time sure has flown by.

And, on that note, its amazing that I've been the owner of Virtualpetlist since 2004. We've been online for 8 years now if you don't include all the downtime we've faced and the hackings that we've had to go through.

But, one thing is for certain, we're here to stay, and I'm never leaving. We will never sell out either, there's no point in that at all.

So, I think I'm done talking, and I'm hoping things get better for my girlfriend and I in the next few months because right now we don't have a car, but we're still surviving. Things will get better, I know it. :)


With all that being said, it feels good to be 23. I'm getting older, and wiser. There's no doubt about that.
]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/620-23-years-ago-I-was-born Why venting is good for you http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/519-Why-venting-is-good-for-you Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:50:56 GMT Well, there are a few times when I don't know what to do, just vent. It helps me express my feelings without hurting anyone else, and I like to vent out my thoughts because it helps me get rid of the burden of holding things inside. Sure, I love to hold my emotions back as well and not say anything to anybody.

But, that's not the way to do it because the more I hold in, the more my emotions build up. So, it could break me down if I allowed it to do so. So, I vent and not let my emotions build up in my mind. Surely, sometimes I don't worry about what my venting means to anyone else - because its just that.

I'm expressing myself the best way I know how by venting and letting go of all my burdens. Is it really a good idea to do so? I believe so because the more you hold things back, the harder things get for you. Like, see myself, I deal with a disorder on a daily basic and my medications take care of me just fine.

But that doesn't mean I don't have any problems - and when I do, I want to fight people. I want to be violent, but why...

Why do all that when I can just write and vent away? It's a lot more powerful and sometimes you don't know what other people will think about your venting, but its all good, right? It helps you clear your mind, and I believe that venting is good for anyone.

My therapist even told me in the past, "It's good to let your emotions flow, and vent", which really means, its good to talk out your problems with someone else, so hopefully they can help you as well. There's nothin wrong with venting and writing to yourself, or going public with your rants because it shows people that you actually have a heart, and do care.

We all have times in our life where we just want to boil down and cry out our emotions - that's good to, its like venting because it's allowing you to release the pain that's inside of you.

Especially if you're going through issues, you never know who might be able to relate to you and help you out with your problems.

So, the moral of this blog post is don't be afraid to speak up on things that's bothering you on the inside - write about it, vent out all your problems, because when your emotions are all locked inside you, you never know what crazy things you might do, or might not do.

In other words, venting is powerful and is good for you. Don't let anyone tell you that venting isn't good because it sure is.:D ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/519-Why-venting-is-good-for-you <![CDATA[Sometimes I just don't understand why things happen]]> http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/448-Sometimes-I-just-don-t-understand-why-things-happen Fri, 17 Aug 2012 17:08:47 GMT I'm really crushed this morning as I received news yesterday that one of my friends passed away - after going the wrong way on the street. She ended up crashing into a bigger car, and destroyed her car. She passed away after the crash, but why was she on the wrong side of the road? Just why? Something inside me really wants me to say, this happened for a reason.


And by the accident, it took her life. Her son who is 3 wasn't in the car, luckily. But the pain is still felt because she was a great friend to a lot of people, and she was my friend as well. Even though we haven't talked in a while. She still has a place in my heart. I just don't get it, why are so many young people leaving this world? Does God need more angels? That's what it seems like to me, he wanted her, so she could get away from the things she was doing, right?

Maybe so, maybe that's the real reason, it just was her time to go. It's not a good thing to think about, but apart of me wishes it never happened, but who are we to say? Who are we to judge? Nobody, so therefore, I can't assume anything about the accident. I can't say, she was fucked up, she was under the influence. I just can't. She got into a bad car wreck that took her life. That's really all you can say, right? Really??


My friend and her son:


So sad to see someone pass away like this. Accidents really suck and it seems like a lot of young people are passing from accidents these days more than anything. I wish it wasn't like this, but its true if you look at the news and what's going on. Taylor will be missed greatly, she was always full of life and there's no doubt about that. But I know God will take good care of her. We all know that, so R.I.P Taylor. You're everyone's guardian angel!


When I called one of my buddies about it yesterday, he told me that she could have been under the influence and wrecked. I believe it because when you're under the influence, accidents happen, people die, and people get hurt. So, therefore, if that's the cause, the state/police department should be releasing the autopsy on her eventually, and we'll have an answer to why this happen.(but this may not be the reason, so I'm not assuming)

I just hope and pray that nobody else from my old school, or people that I know remain safe, don't get hurt, and continue to life. This is a huge wake up call for my community because she was loved all around. So many people knew her, loved her, and cared about her. Now her son is going to be raised without his mommy. It's so sad, and I hope he lives a good life. He's only 3 but he might notice that she's gone, but he won't fully understand until he's older.

The accident can be found Montgomery county police report, accident FM1488

Her car:


I just wanted to let my words flow through this blog, and quite frankly, I'll leave you with this song:



Well, R.I.P to all my fallen friends - may we meet again someday. ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/448-Sometimes-I-just-don-t-understand-why-things-happen Obstacles that come into our lives http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/436-Obstacles-that-come-into-our-lives Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:02:16 GMT All my life, I taught myself, no obstacle can destroy you Carlos, none can break you. But, I've had a few situations that I thought would break that barrier of "Strength" if that's the right word for this. I've noticed that it it was a relationship problem going on, its an obstacle and I try my best to defeat it, and make things better.

One thing that I don't get though is those strong ass forces that pull you to do wrong. I totally understand it because some thoughts/forces sometimes make us do things that we don't want to do. Such as, someone talking shit? Box me and I promise you won't win. Where did this strength come from? I'm not a preacher, but I do believe in God. And I totally believe that sometimes he throws obstacles at us, to test us, to see where we're going to go.

So, really, one obstacle I'm facing now, is the fact that my weight doesn't want to drop as fast as I'd like it to, so my point of this is to do more exercising, and stop screwing around. Get serious again, and prove to the world that obstacles won't broke you, only if you allow it to do so.

My weight goal of 100 pounds is still my main goal and obstacle, and who's going to stop me from reaching this goal? Nobody, only the forces that tell me to eat fatty foods, drink the wrong drinks, and not staying focus.

My clear objection, and goal is set, from my weight to drop even more, I need to up the endurance on the machine that I use, and also start increasing the amount of time I put in for cardio. It's nothin to me because music is my main motivation when I'm in the gym, and also, being surrounded by people just like me.

But, I wanted to clear my mind I bit with this blog post. As, I received word earlier that my girlfriend's car[and mine], the AC will cost a wooping $1k to get fixed. Wow, scratch that idea. I'm not paying that, nor will we. I'd prefer to find a cheaper car, and sell the old one. At least, that's an obstacle we've been facing all summer - no AC. It's a material thing, so why should I be mad about it?

Because, its sort of my main fault why the car is fucked up so to say. I crashed it a few months and busted up a few things. No biggie, right? We got those repairs fixed, and then a month later, poof... AC is dead in the water. It's just an obstacle though, we'll get pass it though. Soon enough.

So, really, when obstacles are trying to break you down in all kinds of ways, stay strong, and keep pushing, because eventually things will get better. I know for one, I stand tall, I keep it pushing like I'm a trainer teaching people how to do the proper things to lose weight. It doesn't really worry me that we may have to fork up a lot of money to get a new or used car, its the fact, it shouldn't have happened that way. But, life doesn't usually go the way we want it to.

Basically, I have to remain strong no matter what, as a community leader, as a father, and a friend to a lot of people. I know my last blog post was pretty hectic, but in the end, the truth will come out, and eventually everything will be over with.

I pray for my daughter though that's she okay emotionally throughout this whole ordeal. ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/436-Obstacles-that-come-into-our-lives Yesterday was an awful day, no lie http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/432-Yesterday-was-an-awful-day-no-lie Sun, 29 Jul 2012 06:21:01 GMT Well, we have my daughter for the week, we received her on Friday, and she told us some awful news. I don't know what the heck to think about it, but we took her to the hospital today, filed a police report, and the detectives + Child protection services will be contacting us soon.

What happened? Well, my daughter told my mom, who then told me, that her "uncle" was touching her while she was visiting her other grandma's house, her uncle is only about 12-14 years old, and he touched my daughter in awful ways, my daughter told us everything. We knew something was wrong because she wouldn't hold that information from us, and quite frankly, I'm saddening that someone has touched my little girl.

I never thought I'd hear something like this, and truthfully, we believe my little girl because why would she lie about it? If it does come out that he did touch her in the wrong ways, then I hope law enforcement allows us to fully charge him even though he's young because no matter what, you should not put touch someone in the wrong ways. No matter how old you are, or who you are. And with him being her uncle, it makes matters even worse.

One of the officers that were at the hospital told my daughter's mom that if she brings her back to her "mom's house", well my daughter's grandparents house, she will be charged with a felony of "child endangerment", and really her mom was heart-broken because she won't be able to see her granddaughter until this situation is over with.

Kids should learn that its not okay to fool around like that, I don't care about my baby mama's brother at all, I truthfully don't because you don't do that to my little girl, you just don't. If I had it my way, I'd go to his house and beat the shit out of him, but for what? It wouldn't make a huge difference and would only get me into shit, so I'll leave it up to the law enforcement and CPS to handle this.
There could be a chance that it isn't true, but we'll leave that up to law enforcement to decide.
I was pissed off all day because of this, I didn't know what to do, but I kept my cool because I didn't want my daughter to know that daddy was really hurting inside, I remained strong, the cops asked me questions, and I told them everything that I knew.

We knew something was going on because my daughter is only 4 and she talks about sex, like who the fuck is teaching her this shit? I don't know, but only they now. My baby mama stated that she knows shit like this because she hangs out with older people, so why isn't this dumbass lady putting my daughter in daycare where she would be more safe and be able to be around kids her age so she doesn't pick up bad things?

I hope though that my daughter was right and truthful in everything that she told us, because if its true, her uncle deserves to go down hard. It doesn't matter how old he is because if he's doing it now, its obvious he'll do it when he's older as well.

Well, I'm glad I vented this out and got it off my chest because it's been hurting me since I heard about it. ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/432-Yesterday-was-an-awful-day-no-lie Quit, fired, the act of talking about the company/site http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/411-Quit-fired-the-act-of-talking-about-the-company-site Wed, 11 Jul 2012 17:19:36 GMT One thing I've noticed, and I'm guilty of doing this because I did in the past on a previous site that I worked for. But, one thing that I've learned, venting is good because it allows you to get your anger and frustrations out without worrying.

But, one thing that I don't get is when if you quit at your own free will, why try to tarnish a site's brand? Why not just go out like a true soldier and say "Fuck it, time to move in, and do better". That's what I did when I quit working for a certain pet site years ago. Sure, I vented, and attacked people who I thought were responsible for my firing, but I took it in stride.

I tried my best, and my best wasn't good enough for them, so venting was my way of telling people what happened - and really, its wrong because if you worked there for a while, its obvious you were happy for a while.

No this isn't directed at anyone, I'm speaking in general.

Like here's another incident - Wal mart used to have problems paying their employees[they might still do] and their employees did everything in their power to let everyone else know about the mistreatment - and it was a wake up for that company.

So, this, people quit, interests changes, things like that, but if a company/site was supporting you in everything that you were doing for them, why launch hate blogs, or hate threads about them? Why not keep moving forward, improve your self as a person, and improve your ability to get work done?

And here's another example. When I held down a job for an oil company, I was sick of doing all the repair work on the products, so I told my lead-man why don't you tell your friends to do it? That was my downfall I knew how to do it right, fast, and be reliable, but sending the work to them actually made me look bad with the upper management. I wasn't so sure it was a good decision on my part, so I left it alone, but I eventually lost in my mind on how to do repairs, so I went back to painting and power-washing the products.

That was my fault, but it was also my lead-man's fault for relying on me so much and exhausting me out.

So, what I'm trying to say here is when you work somewhere and you quit, keep on moving further. You got the chance to experience working there for a reason, and if someone mistreated you while working for them, that is their loss, not yours. Your pride will keep you going and more people will want to hire you based around your past experiences.

Experience runs a marathon in this world, and the more experience you have, the more chances you may have at working at bigger places.

So, if you have been mistreated in a work force before, how did you re-act? Did you fight them every chance you got, or did you continue on your own path and basically saying "Screw them" without any else[besides your friends, maybe?] hearing it?

And also, if you didn't want to do something for that job - did you tell one of your co-workers to do it for you?

In another note, if you didn't like working for them, why continue on? Passion is what you're born with, you can't really force your passion onto someone else. It's okay to disagree with a co-worker or two, but I don't really see how its okay to go lashing out publically[but if you do it, good for you, let me know how it works!]

So, let's talk about talking about the company and/or site you've worked for, how was it? When did things start going wrong? It's okay if you don't want to mention any names. ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/411-Quit-fired-the-act-of-talking-about-the-company-site <![CDATA[Even though I'm bipolar, it didn't break me.]]> http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/388-Even-though-I-m-bipolar-it-didn-t-break-me Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:17:36 GMT Since I was diagnosed with bipolar at the age of 15, I've had multiple relapses, and they were my own fault. I got off my medications and tried to self-medicate with various things. I won't mention those things because its not so fitting, and I'm not quite pleased at those decisions that I made, but I don't have any regrets.

So flash back about a year and a half ago: I had my last relapse. I was full-blown manic with depression, and a lot of other issues, but it took a long time for me to fully recover from this relapse. I was rambling and had racing thoughts. But that didn't stop me from doing anything because a month or two later, all those problems were gone because my medications were fully in my system and were knocking out the racing thoughts and rambling.

So thus I don't use my disorder as an excuse in my life, because I continue on with everything I've planned and want to do. But, since I have this medical condition, I can't work, and my doctor/the government have me on social security. That was the best decision for them to make for me because when I worked before it was really hard for me to remain stable.

But, then again, it was also a learning process: learning how to cope, and fighting the disorder head on. I remember what a therapist told me in the hospital, and it really hit home. "Carlos, you can't keep coming off your medications! You need to stay on them so that you don't have problems ever again!"

He was right. Because when I was off my medications before, I ran into a lot of problems with the law, and I now have three cases on my record because of it. I had to sit in jail for 3 and a half months back in 2010, and that was my fault because I wasn't paying attention to my health, and it was a major scare. It was a wake up call for me because I couldn't continue on that path, which was, basically, self-destruction.

So, my point in this blog post is, no matter what you're going through, there is always hope, there is always faith to get well, and get back on your feet. I remember when I was still in the healing process, I was involved and chatting with a lot of other people like me, and made me feel so warm inside that others are suffering like me.

But, I wouldn't really call it suffering unless you're not taking your medications and not seeing your doctor when you're supposed to. I know what it's like to be depressed because when I was relapsed, I was crying for hours on end because my depression was at an all-time high, and everything was hitting me hard.

Like when my daughter's mom and I broke up, and I couldn't see my daughter. It brought on major depression, and compounded by not taking my medications, it was really a tough road for me. But then again, she left me for a reason. So when I got well, I looked at everything as a learning experience. I vowed to myself to never relapse again because I don't want my family, friends, nor community to go through the troubling experiences that I was going through.

Also, when you have a mental illness, it's best to treat it with medications or quality foods that are prone to help you. If you're stressing, take a break. If you're depressed, chill out, and try to get as much rest as possible: go for walks, clear your mind. I totally understand the pain and emotions behind being sick. It is tough, but as long as you stay strong, you can beat it.

It's just an obstacle in life, and when it happens, its best not to let it break you down, or make you gave up.


So, I just wanted to write this and express what was on my mind, and to say, I thank everyone for fully supporting me throughout my medical problems. And for those with medical issues currently, stay strong, the sun is always brighter than the dark side!!

-Cpvr ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/388-Even-though-I-m-bipolar-it-didn-t-break-me Leading a pack of wolves http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/364-Leading-a-pack-of-wolves Tue, 12 Jun 2012 01:13:15 GMT Well, I've been meaning to write up a new blog post for a few days now, and really, when you're a leader, you lead by example - you teach others, and give out advice on various things.

Especially if you're a teacher - teaching students on various subjects, without teachers, a lot of people wouldn't be as educated as they are today - and without teachers, we wouldn't have great students.

So basically, when you lead by example, you're leading others into believing things that you do - such as, let's take an example. Google is leading the search engine game[wow right?] and nobody else in the industry as tapped the search engine market like Google has, so thus, they're leading by example, and others want to follow in their foot steps, well, they really can't because Google is the best at doing what they do best.

I'm not quite sure why there's a lot of people across the internet - that claim to be leaders, when they haven't lead anything, especially in terms of the SEO[search engine industry], you see a lot of newbies claiming to be experts in the field, when they barely know jack shit, and it makes other people in the industry look bad. So basically, if you're trying to lead, then learn how to lead, learn how to be a boss, and learn how to listen to your community.

A true leader motivates their users, but they also keep themselves motivated Without a good leader, a site will have a tough time succeeding.

Now, let's take Neopets for example, they sparked a ton of interest in the virtual pets community, which means, a lot of players decided they wanted to create their own pet game, thus, using Neopets as an example - they're the leader in this community because they have the most features, a lot of staff, and are owned by a multi-media company. Thus, a lot of pet sites try to mimic off their success - either by creating things similar to them, or try to advertise and target their members.

And that's a good thing right? Of course, because when you try to tackle a leader in an industry, you have to learn what has made them successful, and why so many players enjoy their site.

Also, Apple is one of the leaders in the mobile industry - their iPhone, iPad, iPods are one of the best things that has ever happened to the mobile industry, so thus, other phone companies try to mimic their products - whether its right or wrong, they still do it, because they want to generate money like Apple does, and sell as many products on them.

So, basically, what I'm saying here is if you want to be better than someone, then try to lead by example. If you want to be better than a certain pet site, then knuckle down and tackle them at all costs - surely, there's a lot of great minds on the internet, and players across the globe, so if you market correctly, your site's potential depends on your ideas, your users, and your community.


We all know that Subeta is the second biggest pet site on the internet - compared to Neopets, Marapets, and Powerpets, and you know why? It's because they have a wonderful leader leading the pack of wolves[their users], and plus, they're the only one truly making an impact in the virtual pets community, and I can honestly say they're in a league of their world - because there isn't another site, pushing their product like they are - and also, that means, they're the only one who can truly compete against Neopets on all grounds - because they have a wonderful staff team, and a group of players that go all out to refer.

Aywas is the fourth pet site leading the pack of wolves, and really, they're on the same ground of Subeta - in terms of having an active user base, and having a great leader. We all know how much success is determined by a true leader, and basically, Aywas will someday surpass Marapets in terms of - active users online, because Marapets' leader doesn't really update so frequently anymore, so thus, players are leaving and getting fed up..

But, let's say Ian did actually work on Marapets full time, like a true business owner should, Marapets probably would be a lot bigger than it is today, and it probably wouldn't have a lot of community problems - why? Problems occur on the community when things aren't getting done, and that is a problem.

So, the moral of this blog post is "Leading a pack of wolves" is like leading a whole community, and quite frankly, when you're a leader, you also motivate your users to go above and beyond, a true leader is defined by his/her personality, and how he/she can handle things in certain situations.

A leader doesn't back down by anything, a leader carries his team, like he's a big bad wolf. ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/364-Leading-a-pack-of-wolves <![CDATA[If you're not going to invest, time, money into your game, then what's the point?]]> http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/350-If-you-re-not-going-to-invest-time-money-into-your-game-then-what-s-the-point Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:54:58 GMT Starting a game is hardwork, what's even harder, is getting the foundation started, and getting things going. Good things take time to be built, we all know that Rome wasn't built in a day, and companies aren't built in one day, it takes time.

So, what's the point behind this? The point is if you're not going to invest the time, money and passion into your game, then you will have a time tough getting off the ground and getting a game going.

Programmers cost money? Ya, so hire them and have them get the foundation built, then comes the art, if you have the scripts ready, then back those scripts up with some quality art.

The point is if you're creating a game, then of course, there are going to be a lot of costs involved in building it in. Don't have the money? Get a job, learn to do something, and get some money flowing because if you don't have any money, then how do you expect the game to be built? I'm not saying you have to be rich by any means, I mean you have to set aside some money to have, for the game itself. You know how Neopets was built? Adam and Donna drew the art for a while, until they were able to get artists to draw for them, Adam was a coder, he developed a lot of the features for Neopets.

So, the fact remains, if you don't want to fork out money, then by all means learn how to draw, or learn how to code, whatever works for you.

There's been a lot of pet-sites that have made announcements "We're still working", okay cool, what are you working on exactly? Any screenshots to show? Any art to show? What do you have to display that "Shows we're working", working means you have something to show, unless you're developing some major shit that takes time.

There's a reason why Apple and other companies display their product months before its released, to build hype, to build suspense, to build a reason for people to join, so the point behind this whole blog post, is to stand behind your product.

You don't want anyone to tell you that your game sucks, do you? Well, then make a product that they like, focus on your users, see what they want. If they make a suggestion - and its good, by all means, get it implemented as soon as possible. There's a reason why users flock to a new pet site, there's a reason why pet sites have wonderful communities, and there's a reason why a lot of modern-day pet sites are so successful.

It's not just because the art is good, it's because the features attract the members to the site.

Also, if you need a lending on your game, then seek out staff members that can help you to your journey of running an online game, people work for sites because they care and for the love of the site. ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/350-If-you-re-not-going-to-invest-time-money-into-your-game-then-what-s-the-point My best friend almost passed away on Saturday http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/346-My-best-friend-almost-passed-away-on-Saturday Wed, 30 May 2012 15:36:43 GMT Well, I received some shocking news the other day. One of my homeboys called me and told me that our friend, Larry was in the ICU at the hospital. I... Well, I received some shocking news the other day. One of my homeboys called me and told me that our friend, Larry was in the ICU at the hospital. I was like "What's going on?" "He always tells me to stay healthy!".

So, we went up to the hospital on Sunday to see what was going on with our friend, Larry. He was with his sugar momma[his girlfriend] on Saturday night and they were drinking. Well, one drink led to another, Larry got drunk, and then his sugar momma kept giving him "Volumes", which is an anti-anxiety medications.

Larry never does pills, no matter what, even he's not in the right state of mind. I was shocked when I saw him hooked up to a bunch of shit at the hospital, he was sound asleep when we got up there because they give him Haldol through his IV.

Well, before he got his medications, it was Saturday night. He stopped breathing, his mom screwed for the nurses, and they had to bring him back to life. Wtf? My best friend can't die like that, he's a soldier, he's a fighter, he's one of my best friends.

When we got to the hospital, it was my buddy Kyle, and I. Larry's mom, dad, and a pastor was at the hospital when we got there. I cried so hard. I never cried that hard in my life[only when I was depressed and/or in pain].

The pastor told me it was okay to cry, let the feelings out. I'm not going to lie, I was afraid for my best friend. It was tough seeing him in the condition that he was in. I received a call yesterday and they said they're going to keep him in the hospital for a few more days.

I hope and pray my best friend can survive this and get back on his feet. It also sucks that he has bipolar and is off his medications, but I'm sure they'll take care of that.

Well, I just wanted to vent and let all my feelings out. ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/346-My-best-friend-almost-passed-away-on-Saturday My goal of losing 100 pounds http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/343-My-goal-of-losing-100-pounds Mon, 28 May 2012 22:55:38 GMT About a month ago, I embarked on a weight lose mission, to drop all these pounds that I've racked on my body over the past few months, and years alone. I wasn't eating too healthy, and I damn sure wasn't working out or giving my body the time to start dropping the weight.

I got a gym membership with my brother and my girlfriend, who are also my main motivation to losing weight. I also want to lose weight for the sake of my health, and to be healthier for my daughter.

Well, I'm already seeing results, but I don't want to speak on those results just yet because I want to have pictures to prove the weight lose, and I think I'll have some pictures ready by July and/or August.

But, one thing is for certain, I do a lot of cardio - at least 30 minutes a day, and then I do some weights, also, sit in the sauna/hot tub. I also do some swimming.

My main goal is to look like I did back in 2006 and that took a lot of my time, but I know in my heart that I can do this again, and I haven't received any help from any trainers because I do a lot of research. I love drinking protein shakes sometimes as well. They help me recover from a deep workout.

But, anyways, my goal is to lose 100 pounds or so and I'll do it.

Does anyone here have any weight goals in mind? How are you doing with your weight lose plan? ]]> cpvr http://www.virtualpetlist.com/entry.php/343-My-goal-of-losing-100-pounds