I am a Twilight fan.
I was a Twilight fan before it became the 'in thing'.
The movies... are okay. I like the visuals I created in my head better in may instances, and a few of my more favourite scenes were never produced (who didnt want to see Bella driving that ridiculous 'danger-proof' car!?); however, I still enjoy them and go to see each one in the theatre. I have this way of being able to separate books from their movie companions so that I may enjoy both equally and without disappointment. Its a gift.
Now for the big 'but' of it all. Robert Pattinson. I like the guy. Hes done some good movies, and he is cute... but the ridiculously-good-looking-timeless-Edward, he is not. Especially when I found out who Stephanie Frehner was picturing as Edward as she wrote it! Now he I could see. Me-ow! Stupid aging though, bummer.
Anyways, this is not a rant about the downfall of Edward in the movies. It is actually about the actor himself, sort of - hes just my lead in.
I just watched Remember Me for the first time (and I was in the mood for a silly romantic comedy type of movie! ha.). Robert Pattinson may not be my ideal pick as Edward (and who of you really cares who I think should or should not be Edward), but I truly enjoyed him in this role as Tyler Hawkins.
I must admit, as many of you probably are able as well, I usually see plot twists or endings coming from a mile away. But this one caught me off guard. I never clued in until I saw the date written on the blackboard at the very-near ending. Then, all I could think was a mental jaw-dropped 'no way' as the reveal shock waved my Hollywood-dulled system.
A perfect storytelling. The best way really. 9-11 really did happen like that. Real lives with real people, mundane predictable every day Hollywood stuff, and then, BAM! Nobody saw that coming.
And it wasnt something I saw coming in the movie either. A real life depiction... must have been an indie-film.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
4am *yawn* 0400
It is now 4am and I have been awake for probably an hour now. And I had this sudden need to write. Really I should be writing everyday for at least 5 minutes if I ever plan on finishing one of my books. But this is beside the point.
I wake up at times (more often than not) early in the morning, usually closer to 2am or 5am, this time it was in between. And I delve deep in thought. Always about the most random things. I do my best thinking, problem-solving, and creativity at these times - which is why I really should invest in a bedside lamp so that I may write things down. Anyways, off topic. This mornings dwellings lay on the topic of God and where I stand with the Big Guy.
I am a relatively new New Age Christian, as I like to call myself (I was raised Christian, just never associated myself as one). You are probably wondering what a 'New Age' Christian means.
First, I will explain why I dont just call myself a Christian period. I have always struggled with accepting the 'title', so-to-speak, of Christian because of the criticism that comes with it. The fact is, I know the criticism very well, I am one of its critics. Still am. I did not - still dont - wish to be associated with the hate-filled, prejudiced, so-called 'Christians'. A true Christian is to aspire to be like Jesus. I have a hard time picturing Jesus picketing against abortions and homosexuals, dont you? God is very much about freewill that he has gifted to us - that includes our sex lives and the consequences there-of. Im not saying Jesus would be okay with it, he would just go about it differently. I see him going to individuals directly and separately talking to each one, not getting angry-gangs together yelling at people for their choices in life.
Honestly, who are we to judge what is the bigger sin here on Earth?! Even murderers can get in to Heaven, as long as they have truly accepted Jesus in to their hearts before passing on. So why judge only the select few who are sinning? I dont see a big uproar over infidelity. Or disrespecting our elderly. And those are only two of the ten commandments. Homosexuality and abortions are not even on that list. So why get angry at those two specifically.
Im going to move on, because, honestly, I could go on quite the rant on this topic. So, point of the mini-rant, I am NOT one of those 'Christians', nor am I a pushy-Christian trying to suffocate you with the Almighty God.
So, I am a New Age Christian. Meaning, I am an open-minded, non-judgmental Christian. I dont take peoples twisted views of what it is to be Christian and run with it, I question everything and everyone - just ask my pastor! And I am comfortable with this-said 'title' because who would ever group a New Age Christian with all the poser-Christians. An idiot.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Back to my late-night wanderings.
I realised that there was this one crucial moment in my life that defined my spiritual path and where it has lead.
A moment that could have changed my very-being. Which is why I would not change it for the world. This moment could have pushed me toward God very early on in my life, instead of so much later. But had it been the other path I discovered, I may never have truly found the real 'me' nor have had my daughter. It was one domino that lead a cascade of domino-moments.
This moment was back in the 90s and I was probably about nine years old. I grew up in a tiny town (village) so small that you cannot find data on it individually, other than its location, if you Googled it. The closest you can get is the Township of East Hawkesbury, which has a grand total population of 3400 people and made up of 22 communities. You get the idea.
Every year to celebrate Victoria Day, there was the May Festival. The main street in Vankleek Hill (the neighbouring town to mine and also one of the 22 communities) was closed down for the festivities. One of the attractions along the street was a Kids Bible Story Trailer. Kids went inside, saw a puppet show, and left. I stayed behind.
I had a question to ask, so I stayed back to ask. Who better to ask than the person in the Kids Bible Story Trailer, right? Wrong.
I asked the man (I dont remember if he was a pastor or parishioner), 'How do you know that God is real?'. Not an easy question to answer. But his response was overly simplified and lacked actual information for my young inquisitive mind. 'You just believe.' was his response. This did not answer my question, it just produced more; such as, 'why should I believe?' and 'how do I know that what Im believing is real?'... oh, wait, theres a shocker. The same question, different attire.
Needless to say, I left that trailer not knowing why I should believe or how to know He was even real.
And that was a crucial moment in my spiritual development. It would take years (14 to be exact) before I started to explore what my spirituality even was, and longer for me to re-examine the question of the reality 'God'.
I wake up at times (more often than not) early in the morning, usually closer to 2am or 5am, this time it was in between. And I delve deep in thought. Always about the most random things. I do my best thinking, problem-solving, and creativity at these times - which is why I really should invest in a bedside lamp so that I may write things down. Anyways, off topic. This mornings dwellings lay on the topic of God and where I stand with the Big Guy.
I am a relatively new New Age Christian, as I like to call myself (I was raised Christian, just never associated myself as one). You are probably wondering what a 'New Age' Christian means.
First, I will explain why I dont just call myself a Christian period. I have always struggled with accepting the 'title', so-to-speak, of Christian because of the criticism that comes with it. The fact is, I know the criticism very well, I am one of its critics. Still am. I did not - still dont - wish to be associated with the hate-filled, prejudiced, so-called 'Christians'. A true Christian is to aspire to be like Jesus. I have a hard time picturing Jesus picketing against abortions and homosexuals, dont you? God is very much about freewill that he has gifted to us - that includes our sex lives and the consequences there-of. Im not saying Jesus would be okay with it, he would just go about it differently. I see him going to individuals directly and separately talking to each one, not getting angry-gangs together yelling at people for their choices in life.
Honestly, who are we to judge what is the bigger sin here on Earth?! Even murderers can get in to Heaven, as long as they have truly accepted Jesus in to their hearts before passing on. So why judge only the select few who are sinning? I dont see a big uproar over infidelity. Or disrespecting our elderly. And those are only two of the ten commandments. Homosexuality and abortions are not even on that list. So why get angry at those two specifically.
Im going to move on, because, honestly, I could go on quite the rant on this topic. So, point of the mini-rant, I am NOT one of those 'Christians', nor am I a pushy-Christian trying to suffocate you with the Almighty God.
So, I am a New Age Christian. Meaning, I am an open-minded, non-judgmental Christian. I dont take peoples twisted views of what it is to be Christian and run with it, I question everything and everyone - just ask my pastor! And I am comfortable with this-said 'title' because who would ever group a New Age Christian with all the poser-Christians. An idiot.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Back to my late-night wanderings.
I realised that there was this one crucial moment in my life that defined my spiritual path and where it has lead.
A moment that could have changed my very-being. Which is why I would not change it for the world. This moment could have pushed me toward God very early on in my life, instead of so much later. But had it been the other path I discovered, I may never have truly found the real 'me' nor have had my daughter. It was one domino that lead a cascade of domino-moments.
This moment was back in the 90s and I was probably about nine years old. I grew up in a tiny town (village) so small that you cannot find data on it individually, other than its location, if you Googled it. The closest you can get is the Township of East Hawkesbury, which has a grand total population of 3400 people and made up of 22 communities. You get the idea.
Every year to celebrate Victoria Day, there was the May Festival. The main street in Vankleek Hill (the neighbouring town to mine and also one of the 22 communities) was closed down for the festivities. One of the attractions along the street was a Kids Bible Story Trailer. Kids went inside, saw a puppet show, and left. I stayed behind.
I had a question to ask, so I stayed back to ask. Who better to ask than the person in the Kids Bible Story Trailer, right? Wrong.
I asked the man (I dont remember if he was a pastor or parishioner), 'How do you know that God is real?'. Not an easy question to answer. But his response was overly simplified and lacked actual information for my young inquisitive mind. 'You just believe.' was his response. This did not answer my question, it just produced more; such as, 'why should I believe?' and 'how do I know that what Im believing is real?'... oh, wait, theres a shocker. The same question, different attire.
Needless to say, I left that trailer not knowing why I should believe or how to know He was even real.
And that was a crucial moment in my spiritual development. It would take years (14 to be exact) before I started to explore what my spirituality even was, and longer for me to re-examine the question of the reality 'God'.
Monday, October 24, 2011
To All Those Who Judge A Book By Its Cover:
I am an avid reader of babble.com, they have some amazing articles ranging from everything to anything. And I just finished reading one and had to comment a little.
Mattel has created a pink-haired, tattooed Barbie. This is not what I wish to comment on, although she is very cool - even if her cactus-dressed pet is a little odd. What I wish to put out there is the sadness and hurt I feel over the negative reactions some parents had to her. Barbie has been controversial right from the start, people love to bring up her disproportionate body features, which I can understand the concern parents have in an already media frenzied, 'need-to-be-thin' society. However, this new doll - meant to be a collectors item and children were not the intended target audience - has brought up a whole new hoopla.
First, a little background info about myself. I am a 26 year old single mom (not my ideal) to a beautiful 9 month old baby girl. I am still in the process of exploring my spiritual beliefs, but to call myself a Christian would not be far fetched. I have had numerous piercings in my life, but I only now have two piercings in my one ear and one other above my lip (also known as the Marilyn). I have four tattoos, all of my own design with three others lying in wait. I am not perfect. But I do try whole heartily not to judge people, especially by appearance or sexual orientation. The most I do is shake my head at some and their behaviour towards others. I am also a future psychologist in the making (It requires a Doctorate in most of Canada, which takes a while to achieve).
Now that I have introduced myself, I will approach the disturbing revelation of some peoples ignorance and judgmental selves. I know that tattoos were frowned upon not that long ago (even though they have existed longer than technology has), but today, you see tattoos everywhere! From seniors in high school to grandmas and grandpas living in retirement homes, tattoos have become an everyday occurrence. At least, so I thought.
This does not apply just to tattoos and piercings, but to homosexuals, unwed mothers, and different races and religions. These judgmental people point fingers when those fingers should be pointing in a mirror. Jesus taught Grace and Truth, not Judge and Judge. Unless you have a direct link to God and He is telling you to judge people for Him, I suggest you learn to love all of Gods children, not just the ones you see fit.
It is 'Christian' people like this that cause me to hesitate and pause in my fully accepting and proclaiming myself as a Christian.
Mattel has created a pink-haired, tattooed Barbie. This is not what I wish to comment on, although she is very cool - even if her cactus-dressed pet is a little odd. What I wish to put out there is the sadness and hurt I feel over the negative reactions some parents had to her. Barbie has been controversial right from the start, people love to bring up her disproportionate body features, which I can understand the concern parents have in an already media frenzied, 'need-to-be-thin' society. However, this new doll - meant to be a collectors item and children were not the intended target audience - has brought up a whole new hoopla.
First, a little background info about myself. I am a 26 year old single mom (not my ideal) to a beautiful 9 month old baby girl. I am still in the process of exploring my spiritual beliefs, but to call myself a Christian would not be far fetched. I have had numerous piercings in my life, but I only now have two piercings in my one ear and one other above my lip (also known as the Marilyn). I have four tattoos, all of my own design with three others lying in wait. I am not perfect. But I do try whole heartily not to judge people, especially by appearance or sexual orientation. The most I do is shake my head at some and their behaviour towards others. I am also a future psychologist in the making (It requires a Doctorate in most of Canada, which takes a while to achieve).
Now that I have introduced myself, I will approach the disturbing revelation of some peoples ignorance and judgmental selves. I know that tattoos were frowned upon not that long ago (even though they have existed longer than technology has), but today, you see tattoos everywhere! From seniors in high school to grandmas and grandpas living in retirement homes, tattoos have become an everyday occurrence. At least, so I thought.
“Is Mattel crazy? Selling Barbie dolls with tattoos? That was almost as bad as having a pregnant Barbie or Skipper! Is someone on drugs at Mattel??? Can’t really believe this at all! Why don’t they make a suicide Barbie, complete with rope and gun! Maybe that will really do these girls a favor in showing what a role model she is! Parents apparently don’t take such good notice in all this! Shouldn’t have kids if they do allow them to have this kind of doll!”
“Encouraging children that tattoos are cool is wrong, wrong, wrong. Mattel why not put a cigarette and a beer bottle in her hand while you’re at it!”
Quoted from: http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/2011/10/18/so-whats-so-wrong-with-a-tattooed-pink-haired-barbie/
Basically, these two mothers are under the impression that people who have tattoos are suicidal or are 'trailer trash' (sorry to those living in a trailer, Im using the saying but not saying that all who live in trailers are trash). Wow. I had actually forgotten about the outrage towards a pregnant Barbie - isnt pregnancy a natural and beautiful part of life, a miracle and a gift from God??? That was more meant to be rhetorical. Besides these two naive moms, in the comments of the article another mom had something to say that truly struck a nerve."...I don’t have a stick up my butt, but I think the idea of a tattooed Barbie is ridiculous. Let’s all be so accepting of everyone and sit around a fire singing Kumbya with each other. A tattoo is ungodly and the Bible says it is.Piercings are also spoken of and not Biblical. Everyone just does whatever “feels good” and doesn’t have any regard or what the Lord has to say about anything. Everyone is more than welcome to “follow their heart” , but when the time comes, we are all accountable to God for whatever we say AND whatever we do. I am definitely not a perfect person, noone is, but I try hard to follow what is acceptable in the Lord’s eyes. The toy companies will get you to spend your money on anything..."Apparently, being accepting of others - loving thy neighbour, like Jesus preached - is silly. Sure, maybe tattoos and piercings go against the Bible, but so does lying. And everybody lies, even if to spare someones feelings, a lie is still a lie. She is right that we are all accountable to God for everything we say and do, but we are only accountable to Him. He is the only one with the right to judge our choices. And who are we to say which sin is the worst? Who are we to judge others, pointing out their sin(s) and choice(s) saying it is so much worse than our own sin(s)?
This does not apply just to tattoos and piercings, but to homosexuals, unwed mothers, and different races and religions. These judgmental people point fingers when those fingers should be pointing in a mirror. Jesus taught Grace and Truth, not Judge and Judge. Unless you have a direct link to God and He is telling you to judge people for Him, I suggest you learn to love all of Gods children, not just the ones you see fit.
It is 'Christian' people like this that cause me to hesitate and pause in my fully accepting and proclaiming myself as a Christian.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
40 Days
Ive started a 40 day spiritual journey. Im currently on Day 2. This journey is written out in a book, each chapter representing that days lesson or exploration. Its very strange to have to stop at the end of a chapter and wait till the following night to continue on to the next because Im an avid reader and could easily read an entire book in one sitting... well, before I became a mommy I easily could.
So far the journey has been rather easy in the way that I already live in the way the author describes.
Day 1 was: Its not all about you.
I know this, I do have to remind myself here and there, but a refresher never hurts.
Day 2: You are no accident.
Basically, everything happens for a reason (which is one belief I have always had since I was a child). Mind you, I had never applied it to my own conception before. Strange I never thought to do that. My creation was meant to be.
It reminds me of this episode of Angel (you know, the vampire with a soul), where its revealed how these little bits and pieces of their lives (some insignificant, others not so much) all lead up to this final moment, to make it all possible. A grand design.
I whole heartily believe that things happen for a reason, even when you are unable to see that reason yourself. Now I just remember to apply it to not just the now and the close past, but the long ago past as well.
Because, its not all about me.
So far the journey has been rather easy in the way that I already live in the way the author describes.
Day 1 was: Its not all about you.
I know this, I do have to remind myself here and there, but a refresher never hurts.
Day 2: You are no accident.
Basically, everything happens for a reason (which is one belief I have always had since I was a child). Mind you, I had never applied it to my own conception before. Strange I never thought to do that. My creation was meant to be.
It reminds me of this episode of Angel (you know, the vampire with a soul), where its revealed how these little bits and pieces of their lives (some insignificant, others not so much) all lead up to this final moment, to make it all possible. A grand design.
I whole heartily believe that things happen for a reason, even when you are unable to see that reason yourself. Now I just remember to apply it to not just the now and the close past, but the long ago past as well.
Because, its not all about me.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
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