Ever since I was wee-lad I loved a good scar.  I guess everyone has their little fetishes in life; for me it’s scars.   To a certain degree they symbolize the beauty and perfection of the human body.  The more strain and pressure that the human body endures, the stronger and more durable it becomes; a feat no man made machine will ever accomplish.  It is a marvel to me that a broken bone heals stronger; a gash in the skin becomes tougher; and that the only way to strengthen a muscle is to tear away at it with exercise.  I have definitely had my share of scars in life, and they all have a story to be told: stories of pain, tears, defeat, endurance, pleasure and victory.  I found a beautiful quote in Paulo Coelho’s book Warrior of the light; a quote by John Bunyan which explained to me perfectly why I love for scars.                                                                                                           “Although I have been through all that I have, I do not regret the many hardships I met, because it was they who brought me to the place I wished to reach.  Now all I have is this sword and I give it to whoever wishes to continue his pilgrimage.  I carry with me the marks and scars of battles-they are the witnesses of what I suffered and the rewards of what I conquered.  These are the beloved marks and scars that will open the gates of Paradise to me.  There was a time when I used to listen to tales of bravery.  There was a time when I lived only because I needed to live.  But now I live because I am a Warrior and because I wish one day to be in the company of Him for whom I have fought so hard”                                                                                                                                                               By John Bunyan                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 These four photos were taken form my trip to Costa Rica.  The first two are from surfing, the rookie surfer in front of me didn’t properly hold on to his Long-board while trying battle through the oncoming waves.  The board shot up in the air six feet before crashing down on me from above.  Luckily, I saw it just in time to put my arm up and block it.  The pain was excruciating; I sat on my board for a half hour with my arm completely numb contemplating whether or not to keep surfing.  The old football saying that, “pain is temporary and pride is forever”, kept me surfing the rest of the day.  The third photo is from my drunken exit of a still moving cab to escape what I thought was a potential kidnapping.  The fourth and final picture is from one very aggressive spider that must have loved the taste of Guaro (moonshine) in my blood one night; he proceeded to bite me over 50 times while I was passed out.  One of my friends joked that it looked a bit of like leprosy.  This all occurred in my first week in Tamarindo.