On a lighter (sparkly) note...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, although late. What with the holidays and all I haven't had time to blog.

In answer to the comments posted on my last rant, I have to admit that I'm curious to watch Twilight too, just to see what all the hubbub is about. -sigh- But I can't admit this to the world because...I would lose any self-respect for myself. XD I kid I kid. But the sparkly vampire thing intrigues me.

A friend of mine at school was giving me a short synopsis of the 2nd and third books. Apparantly Bella goes to a surprise birthday party given by her boyfriend and his sparkly family (I can't let it go D8) and cuts herself opening a gift. Seriously. SHE CUTS HERSELF OPENING A GIFT. ("Hello, this is 911, what's your emergency?" "Uh hey, um, I just CUT MYSELF taking my new Bedazzler from its box") How do you manage to start bleeding from opening presents?? We should start worrying about the health of our children Christmas morning. THE NEW NATIONAL TERROR.

So yeah. And I agree with Marz's comment too, that people don't know where to draw the line.

But, as you can tell, I've been on a social/political rampage and I'm not going to get into this. Taking a break from my maddening flailing over the state of our nation, I'll go on to some happier topics.

The other day I was with my mom in the car and I was switching radio stations. Well, it stopped at 107.9 and "Womanizer" came blasting through. After listening to the chorus for about 30 seconds and laughing, I switched it to prevent my ears from bleeding. A few minutes later, my mom parked the car and we got out. My mom was absent-mindedly getting her stuff out and all of a sudden started absent-mindedly singing "Womanizer, woma-woma, you're a womanizer..." then she stopped, looked up at me, horror in her eyes and said "Oh my gosh, what am I singing?".

"Garbage. Catchy but still garbage."

Truth from the Tube

Take that, mothers everywhere. Take that, I say. I have discovered that you can learn something from television after all. So I have to blog about this before my inspiration goes away. (lol)

Watching the latest episode of Bones, in which a wealthy little girl who goes to a prestigious private school, who shall be known as Billie Mae Ashley Sparkly Tiffany, was discovered by her "manny" (lol that word is hilarious) to be cheating at some school project (probably a research paper on demented homeschoolers) and so she pumped him full of lead. And no, I don't mean that as in Xmen 2, kill Ms. Oh-Look-I'm-Invincible with molten lead. I mean she filled the manny with buckshot from a rifle. So the parents are sitting down with Booth (I'm sorry but that man is beautiful >.>) and Brennan who're like "Hah, your kid is a murderer and mommy is going to jail, sucks for you". Daddy starts blaming everything on Mommy and Ms Sparkly Tiffany sits there looking pretty (Somewhat like the vampire in Twilight, and no, don't worry, I haven't seen the movie. I'm still somewhat sane). Mommy blames everything on her motherly instinct. She had to "protect her daughter". At this point, Brennen leans over and says "It's counter-productive to raise children in a world without consequences".

So let me get this straight. Children should be disciplined? We should be taught that whatever we do has a consequence, moral or legal? Funny, that's not what society seems to think.

Today's culture is plagued by moral relativity and a lack of objective truth. Everyone is ok to "do their own thing" as long as "it makes you feel good". You should be allowed to do whatever is comfortable. Throw out morality, ethics, and every thing that hinders your quest for happiness. There are no consequences for the choices you make. If you feel like doing drugs, that's ok. If you want to sleep around, go ahead, as long as your happy. If you want to fly into town in your fancy jet plane to ask the government for money for your company, while everyone on the bottom of the corporate ladder is losing their home, it's all good. If you want to have someone reach into you and snap your baby's neck with pliers while it's still alive and then suck out all its pieces, it's all fine and dandy as long as that baby in your womb doesn't stop you from doing whatever you want.

I find the lack of ethics in this country disturbing. And its not that I want everyone to be religious and pious. If you want to believe in some other religion, or don't want to believe in anything at all, go ahead. But c'mon people, don't you have any morality? What happened to ethics? What happened to "Treat everyone as you would yourself"? What happened to doing the right thing?

No, but now, moral relativity is the prevalent religion. There is no right or wrong, it's all about whatever you want to believe. Now listen, I'm not about forcing my views on anyone. I'm not saying that I want everyone to believe as I believe. That's not what I mean. What I mean is this:

There is truth. There are facts. Logical, reasonable, rational, facts. And to deny them is to be unrealistic and fanciful.

There is a truth that you cannot deny. There is no "subjective truth". There is only an objective truth.

I can throw a rock at your head, and even if you deny it, even if you believe that the rock did not hit your head, it did. It doesn't matter what you believe, the rock hit your head, and I threw it. Therefore subjective truth cannot exist.

There is a truth. There is a right and a wrong. Society, please, get your facts straight and stop pretending that you don't know one from the other.

I'm rambling now, I know, but this is a way for me to vent whatever I have lodged up in my head.

So this whole rant sprang from one sentence on a tv show. Thank you television, for giving me material to start rambling on about.

Kettles don't like being insulted, Mrs. Pot.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=81556

Begging your pardon, Ma'm, but you want us homeschoolers to get a "regular education" in public school, surrounded by social pressures that hinder my educational progress, forced to accept a meager education taught by teachers that have given up and are only sticking around because the teacher's unions keep caterwauling about being underpaid?

If I got that regular education that you want us homeschoolers to get, I believe I would become a lot like you.

Sure, I was shy when I was younger. I was incredibly shy in fact. I was terrified of asking the secretary at school what time it was. But I was not scared.

I don't understand how everyone seems to have the image that homeschoolers are hermits, residing in the dark caves of their homes and never come out except at night when there's nobody around. I have friends. I'm active at church. I do many activities. Do I look like I'm terrified of other children?

But what do I know, I'm only demented.

"What we have here, is a failure to communicate"

Above quote stolen blatantly from the film Cool Hand Luke.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081108/ap_on_el_pr/palin_clothing

While I might not agree with the GOP for spending thousands on a wardrobe for Mrs. Palin, I'm disgusted by the bias in media these days. Palin defends herself from the revolting flood of unnecessary criticism and BANG, news story.

Not once have I heard anything critical said of Michele Obama, or Biden's wife, or Obama's children. Sure I've heard some dirt being flung around by both sides. But still, I have heard so much unwarranted criticism of Palin over the last few months, I'm sick of it.

Yes, we have the right to free speech and yes we should be allowed to be critical of our politicians. But there is a massive difference between being critical and being downright malicious. Whatever happened to tolerance and respect for the other person and their opinions? Now, if someone happens to disagree with you, does that give you warrant to find every possible excuse to criticize them?

I'm not defending Palin just because she's my Republican homegirl (lol, didn't know I was ghetto, huh?). I'm defending her as a person. If the media were biased and totally trashed Michele Obama or defamed Biden's character needlessly, I would be outrage as well. It's not a party issue. It's an issue of respect.

Why be Democrat, when you can be Right?

Two days after Election Day. It feels as if a storm has just passed over. Even the weather reflects it. It was sunny today.

I helped at the Republican campaign office on Tuesday, making phone calls for McClintock and Yes on Prop 8. After the initial fright of talking to real people over the phone, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not only is the feeling that you've done something to help a great man like Tom McClintock and helping to get the word out on Prop 8 rewarding, but they had free coffee and plenty of food.

I was invited to the Republican after-party where I had the honor of shaking McClintock's hand. He's so awfully sweet in person. ABC news was there, as well as one of their bigshot reporter/journalists Dana Howard. Then there was the cameraman who I'd spoken with before while helping at church with Prop 8 stuff.

And then we watched Barack Hussein Obama elected our 44th president. The silence that filled the room was deathly still and around the room was seen the shaking of heads and grim faces, I suppose in mourning the passing of this great nation. Nalya told me that she met some ladies in the bathroom who were literally crying over this.

It seems to me that Obama has really become a celebrity. People almost worship him, thus justifying my quoting Colbert. It frightens me that people flock to him without even reasoning what he stands for. The same goes for McCain. I'll admit, I prefer McCain over Obama but that does not necessarily mean that I agree with all of McCain's ideas. He's simply the lesser of two evils.

A few articles for my base of non-existant readers to read before I begin ranting:
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=79977
http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-international-socialist-connections/
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=78330

I suppose you can put lipstick on a socialist, but he's still a socialist. And perhaps a little gender confused...

I'm kind of tired of talking politics. Tired of hearing about Obama and the left-wings pointing and laughing and saying "Look who won". Yes thank you, I realize he's our president now.

It saddens me to hear people say that if Obama was assassinated, they would be pretty happy, or at least they wouldn't mind it. That's disgusting. Despite the fact that we right-wing nutjobs disagree with the man's ideas, respect for the office and our nation should overrule it. Yes, I dislike his stance on a number of issues but I will give him the respect he deserves as a man and as our president.

Considering choosing lawyer as a proffession. Not exactly the job I've been dreaming of but the more I get into politics, it doesn't sound so bad. Still not sure as to my vocation, but I know now that the political scene is for me. Now, I've just got to find my exact position in the scheme of things. Might I be so bold as to hold aspirations to the presidency?

Peace out, loves.

Holy Mackeral

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081002/ap_on_sc/wolffish_petition

It's not the fish I'm particularly worried about although I should say, so much for evolution. It seems the pretty creatures are exactly the fittest. Sorry Darwin.

But I'm more concerned about the journalist who wrote this. Who does Mr. Clarke think he is, calling this fish ugly? I mean, what did the fish ever do to you? Why do you have to call him such horrible names. Just because he's born with it? (Maybe it's Maybelline)

The poor fish, his reputation is defamed and now his face is exposed around the internet. How would you like it, Mr. Clarke, if we posted that photo of you in 9th grade with that mop top hair cut and that horrid acne? Are you so superficial that you can't see behind the reather freakish face to see the true beauty inside which is a yummy fillet? Are you so shallow that you judge a fish by its looks rather than its character?! Don't you know that beauty is only skin-deep? And that the true beauty lies within one's soul?? How dare you, Mr. Clarke!

"Although the fish is ugly, it is tasty and can be found at some seafood retailers and on the menus of upscale restaurants, Shelley said."

Is this the fish's only redeeming quality? Is that all you can say in his defense? Is it a habit of yours to insult every non-tetrapod chordate who has gills and fins? Is it?

Well, I hope that everytime you waltz down that aisle in the deli and peer into the empty soulless eys of those catfish which you are to consume later for your dinner, I hope you feel happy. Now that you've insulted and humiliated the fish population, I hope you can sleep easy now.

I hope you're happy, Mr. Clarke.

Boohoo, Not Wahoo.

In an attempt to write something that is not mindless drivel or sentimentalist girlish cooing and return to some level of normality (as if it was even possible), I've taken an interest in the state of our economic affairs.

I wonder just how much money was spent on both McCain's and Obama's campaigns. How many millions are they spending on propaganda? How many millions are they spending that could indeed be invested in aiding our country and paying off our debt?

I will admit now that I am not an economics person. I enjoy my Algebra 2 class. It's logical and straightforward and I love that. But economics does not register in my head and seeing numbers and figures taxes my brain. So I cannot but admit that I am no expert on the subject nor do I pretend to know anything about anything.

But I would like to know what gives government the right to tack on more taxes to the American people for something that is no fault of theirs. What do these men think, these lawmakers, these bank owners? Can't they see the plight of the average Joe, the harsh brutality thrust upon their fellow men, their neighbors? Or are they so elite, so rich, so powerful, that they walk about with their head in the clouds and cannot bend their neck to see the less-fortunate on the bottom.

It's not as if it comes as a shock to me, but I am rather melancholic to hear of men who no longer care for morals. What has happened to our culture, that we no longer feel anything, are desensitized to the slightest emotion?

I feel like I'm rambling now, so I'll stop. Can't afford a soapbox nowadays.

What's the story, morning glory?

"’T is beauty calls, and glory shows the way." - Nathanial Lee

Sense and Non-Sensibility

What is it about teenage girls, that we just adore chick flicks? I mean, sure I love my share of action movies and yes, I enjoy explosions in the movies. But whenever I watch a chick flick I swoon and can't help but make the age-old sound that women make whenever they find something adorable. "Awwwww..."

Is it our hormones at this stage in our life? Or is it our femininity breaking through? But what is it that makes me smile whenever I watch some old Jane Austen-y movie, where the women look like women in their voluptuous dresses and impeccable charm and manners and the men are complete gentlemen and actually maintain their masculinity without turning into cads? Is it just me or is it that the whole of the female population enjoys this?

And it's this exact notion of ours that annoys the male population so much. My brother cannot believe how I can enjoy movies like this. My dad is sick of me singing Phantom of the Opera. Every other guy I know stands in awkward silence whenever my friends and I giggle impishly when we mention guys.

Lately I've been feeling the urge to watch Persuasion, the Jane Austen story. (Alright, alright, I admit I'm watching it partly because the actor who plays Captain Wentworth is unbelievably handsome) But still, there's something about the movie that endears you to the characters and makes you wish that you were a part of it.

*Heartstring Number 52 is tugged*

I love watching the interaction between Ann and Wentworth. It's the age-old struggle that has plagued men and women, the struggle of Ann's "I rejected you because of stupid reasons, however you're hot so I still love you despite the fact that your flirting with every woman in the room, so I love you and I hate you" and Wentworth's "My male ego demands that I be angry with you because you rejected my hotness, so I will torture you with flirting with every chick in the room however I still love you but I pretend to hate you."

And the whole time I'm glued to the screen, unable to look away.

Contentment

"Sleep sweetly, tender heart, in peace!
Sleep, holy spirit, blessed soul,
While the stars burn, the moons increase,
And the great ages onward roll."

-Alfred Tennyson

Have you ever had those moments when you simply sat down in the quiet solitude and enjoyed it, feeling absolutely nothing but contentment and joy. Everything is quiet and still and the sound of such silence fills your soul with a million quiet thoughts and your heart and mind are at peace and you could wish nothing more than to sit in this moment for a long time. Those moments when you sit in a lovely patch of sunshine and the world is bright and warm and yet not so bright as to be brilliant. Just a soft warm glow that warms you. There are no worries, nothing to rush you, nothing to bother you. And in this warm quiet solitude, you're happy. No, not just happy. Content. Content and at peace and you wish that nothing could disrupt this moment.

Do you know the Music Man?

In Algebra 2 today, we were doing our work and then someone asked Mr. McClung something and he went up to the board to explain it. Now, let me tell you Mr. McClung has the driest humor ever but he is funny like you cannot imagine. Oh and he's famous for calling number puppies or babies or stuff like that. For example, "And then you multiply those puppies and get your answer". So, he's talking about slope and intercept and all that jazz and when he finishes working out the formula he says triumphantly "Then you slope that baby."

And then later, this guy Ben randomly announced that he and his mom had had songs from the Music Man stuck in their heads all week and he started singing. And now he has the song (Beatles version of course) stuck in my head. And now I will sing it to you in a shrilly shrieky voice.

"Til There Was You"

There were bells on a hill
But I never heard them ringing
No I never heard them at all
Till there was you

There were birds in the sky
But I never sarr them winging
No I never sarr them at all
Till there was you

Then there was music and wonderful roses
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn, and you

There was love all around
But I never heard it singing
No I never heard it at all
Till there was you

Then there was music and wonderful roses
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn, and you

There was love all around
But I never heard it singing
No I never heard it at all
Till there was you

Till there was you

A moment of contemplation...

I believe holding hands is one of the greatest expressions of love and care ever to exist.

Looking at such an action superficially proves that it means nothing. Two limbs grasping each other. That's all. We do it all the time, to hold on to someone when we fall, when we shake each other's hands. But do we really take in the deeper meaning of such a simple gesture?

Imagine those with leprosy, with horrid skin conditions, who can never be touched. They will never feel the warmth of another's arms, the gentle steadiness of another's shoulder, the firm grip of another's hands, the gentle caresses of fingers. I cannot help but feel compassion for them, for touch is not only an important sense, it is a transmitter of our thoughts.

I've taken touch for granted. After all, every day we touch things and it's no big deal. But the feeling of a hug, no not just a quick meaningless hug, I mean a real warm emotional hug that somehow gives word to the deepest thoughts, those hugs are so beautiful. A simple hug tells so many things, yet without the clumsy interruption of words. It's a physical expression of our deepest sincerest feeling.

The same goes for holding hands.

It's kind of funny, but I've never been one of those people who hugs everyone and tells them sweet things. Sure, I love my friends, but my character is not one of those aformentioned. I've always found it awkward to just go up and give someone a hug or hold onto them or tell them constantly that I love them or other such things. It's just not me. I'll gladly give you anything, do anything for you, give up something for you. And that's how I express my love. I take it that because I call you my friend that you'll already know that I love you more than you can ever know.

I've learned better though. I've learned that even the smallest touch of fingers together can send the most frighteningly amazing tingles of excitement up your spine. Even just a touch between friends makes all the difference.

Oh, how we take such things for granted. We bump into one another in the street and think it a bothersome thing. We shake hands with a new acquaintance but our hands are limp and cold. We hug a dear one but pull away almost immediately.

We don't understand how touch affects us. A simple hug or holding hands can makes us the happiest person in the world and get us higher than any medication or sharpie. And that's why I want you to remember,

Hugs, not drugs.

Catch you later, luvs.

"Tell me your politik..."

"Just open up your eyes" - Politik by Coldplay

Well I'm a little late on this but it doesn't matter. So I intern at this place CRI (http://capitolresource.org) and I love it there because the staff is just so crazy awesome. And I do mean crazy and awesome.

So Karen comes running up to me and says "Paola! Paola! Come and see this!" So I run after her to Meredith's office where she has this big ol' screen where she watches the assembly and stuff. So as many of you know, they've been discussing the California budget for a while. Every signle republican voted against it. Not only that but two democrats voted against it too. And one of those democrats happened to be Assemblywoman Parra. So as a punishment for "betraying" her party, the speaker of the house orders Parra to completely remove herself and all her staff and all her books and every single little thing in her office and move it all to an office across the street from the Capitol. Right before my eyes, the speaker did this.

Meredith turned and explained to me that yes, the speaker has this power.

Is this what our politics have come to? Squabbling assemblymembers punishing their own for voting (or not voting) for what she believes in? Don't they have better things to do?

Just for voting against her party, Parra was forced to move from her offices that she had worked in for six years. Imagine, six years of stuff in an office and she had to move it in two hours.

Our politicians can be the most idiotic fools at times.

My name is Paola, and I approve this message.

Simplicity

A cup in the sink filled with soapy water.

I took a whole couple of minutes from my busy day to gaze at this miracle.

My Triumphant Return to the World of Blogging

Well, it's certainly been a while since I've seen the familiar sight of my blog. Ah, how I've missed this outlet into which I can spew all the nonsensical garbage that collects in my head. So let's begin.

So the Olympics have started. I stayed up until midnight watching the parade of countries file in and I thought that it was kind of nice. I have some comments about it but those will come in a later post because I don't feel like barraging you with my criticisms over the Olympics at this moment. I've been drowned with the buzz of the olympics every single day by the media and frankly, I'm tired of hearing about the Olympics. Alright, it's a big competition of seeing who swims faster, who flips higher, who can stick the landing. Got it. What else is on tv?

So I was thinking of getting contacts because the dorky glasses that I own happen to not befit my face at all. At one point I was thinking of getting colored contacts. But then I stopped and thought, as I am in the habit of doing.

Why the heck do I want to change the color of my eyes? My eyes, though not extraordinary or stunning, are a deep brown and while it's a common color, I think they're not that bad. So why do I want to make my eyes green or blue? Then, maybe people would compliment me, and say "oh what pretty eyes you have". But I'll always know that they're not real. It's a sham, an illusion that I have created and it's not me that people are complimenting, it'll be the tiny piece of plastic on my eyeballs that they're complimenting. Not me. And when this thought transcends into the bigger scheme of things, you realize that lots of people do the same, including myself. We add stuff, we pretend to be stuff, that really is not us at all. And for what? So that we may please others? So that we may gain a sense of importance, that we have something no one else has? So that we might be appreciated and admired?

Back to the contacts. To change something about yourself means that you dislike whatever you change and that you're admitting you're not perfect. Well, of course we're not perfect. But sometimes things like this are taken to a superficial extreme. My eyes are perfectly normal. There is nothing wrong with them and I like them. Now why would I change something so grand that God has given me? I see no reason why I should change the color of my eyes just so I can strive to attain a perfection that is in fact only subjective. If everyone had blue eyes wouldn't the few with brown eyes be considered strange and wonderful?

Or maybe I'm rambling. Catch you later.

lol lmao lyk ttly

Just to let you know (as if you cared anyway) I'm not dead nor have I been shot down by Blackwater or tossed into Gitmo. Apparently, the government has not tapped into my phone calls yet. Anyway, I've escaped from my imprisonment in that cursed institution where powerful leaders keep us locked up in little rooms for five to seven hours a day in small groups and force into mindnumbing exercises created to torture. Our education system is a beautiful thing. But lo and behold, summer, that grand fiery scorching savior has come upon us and freed us from our prisons. Now instead of being stuck all day at school, I'm stuck all day in my house.

So with all this extra time I have to attach my cerebellum to the life-giving device known as the internet, I've recently become aware of a dangerous disease that is gripping the nation and todays pop culture. I have named it "lolitis" (because it's deadly symptoms simply make you lol) and it's symptoms are the loss of ability to speak and write proper english, forgetting pronunciation, deleting semi-colons from our writing, and dumbing down our society. It's an epedemic, I tell you.

I'm sure we've all seen the effects of lolitis. Perhaps we have also acquired a mild form of it. I certainly have, for even in my most eloquent emails I have myself typed those dreaded and filthy acronyms such as "rofl", "lmao", and "omg". Yes, I hang my head in shame in acknowledgment of this terrible habit. But this is what happens when you enter American society.

If you pause your busy Starbucks-fueled, commercialistic lives for a moment, you will probably notice that illiteracy in America has become a real threat. In fact, sometimes when I talk to fellow adolescents these days, I'll use big works like "gobsmacked" and "defenestrate" and "capacious" and "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" or even "antidisestablishmentarianism" and the only response I get is a "Whut?" and a blank stare. And then I have to simplify my statement and use little words. Ex. "Walmart is the spawn of Satan and it's executives are capricious sadistic pricks who feel schadenfreude and are parsimonious monsters who are bent on monopolizing our economy and our country" turns into "The dudes who run Walmart are morons". With a sigh and a heavy heart, I realize that todays culture has disposed of our beateous language and substituted it with a slothful dialect.

It is only with relief that I find, at times, pockets of incredibly literate and loquacious adolescents grouped together on the internet. It is with pleasant surprise that I applaud these brave individuals who dedicate themselves to preserving the English language which has been described as a language that "follows other languages into dark alleys and mugs, rifling through their pockets for spare words."

Rock on, Macduff, rock on

Here I am, finishing homework, and I need some background noise to entertain me. However, instead of listening to my favorite classic rock like Queen or the Beatles or even something more...rockish...like some sweet Breaking Benjamin or Artic Monkeys (excuse my wierd tastes), today I choose to listen to some Beethoven.

You know, this modern culture of teenagers does not appreciate classical music as they should. I mean, just listen to Fur Elise or some Vivaldi and wow, you cannot help but marvel at the musical genius that existed in those bygone times. I mean, they had real talent. I struggle just to learn to read music. Beethoven and Vivaldi and Bach, now they were geniuses.

And while I enjoy being cool and rocking out to some wicked little electric guitar solos and turn up the bass when "We Will Rock You" comes on the radio, there are times, such as now, when soul and body are tired and need respite from the chaos and turbulent mess of the world. It's times like these when I reject my usual diet of rock and roll and reach for a good old-fashioned can of classical. It's so soothing and calming, especially the piano as it rises and falls in a delicate pattern of sweet harmony that seems to hit just the write notes to appease my tired ears.

I also fail to understand those people who live with their earphones jammed into their ears and have their ipods eternally playing a steady rythm of harsh cacophonic noise such as metal rock or the like. Sure, some of the the songs sound great. Maybe it's just me, though, but I cannot listen to that all day long. There comes a time when it seems to strike my very soul and darken my mood. I need something a little lighter now and then.

Which is why I not only keep a provisional stock of classical, but I also download other genres such as swing and big band, or musicals, or old jazz. There are times when nothing sounds better than Frank Sinatra. Alright, so maybe my tastes are old-fashioned. You'll have to blame my parents for that. But there's something about music of old that holds a certain charm to it. It's nothing like the cheap commercialized onslaught of noise that we are bombarded with these days. And it seems that we must accept and even like this junk we are fed today if we want to be considered cool. What's up with that? Sure, "Sexyback" has a funky beat and I can't help but bob my head when it comes on the radio. But I'm proud to say I haven't fallen into the superficial trap of pop and rap music that seems to have taken over the airwaves. Thank you very much, but I'll take Old Blue Eyes over Justin Timberlake anyday.

Music of old seems to have a lot more class than today's hits. The majority of today's music is trashy and cheap. Rap is filled with swear words and vulgarities that would make your grandfather blush, which dissapoints me because I enjoy the rythms and the beats of many of the songs, such as "Cyclone" or "Low". Rap artists are musical genuises in their own rights for having created such wonderful rhymes and music. However, I cannot agree with the lyrics and for that reason alone I refuse to listen to it. Pop music is almost the same, however not as bad.

So when it comes to music, as in all things, I am very picky. But, see, I'd rather have quality over quantity. While everyone is reading Seventeen and Cosmopoliton (which is also trash) I'll be stuck in the corner, with 2-inch glasses being all nerdy and geeky, reading Shakespeare. Call me old-fashioned or whatever, but personally, when it comes to music, I'd rather stick to classics.

COOKIE COOKIE

Haha, I was just remembering the times when I was so obssesed with Pokemon. I seriously could name a couple hundred of them (and probably still can). I now watch the show and think to myself, what the heck was that all about? The show is so lame and the game, well the game was a great idea. It was fun while it lasted.

I remember there was this crab-like pokemon that would waddle around saying "cookie cookie" or something like that. I can't believe I ever fell for that nonsensical drivel and ever thought it was cool. You should have seen how many cards I had collected. Now I've given them all away to the next generation of Poke-fans.

Sometimes, I wish I could return to those simpler days, when life was uncomplicated. Don't you remember those days? Yeah, those were the greatest times, when you could dress however you wanted and didn't have to worry about the latest fashions, when you could say the stupidest things and everyone found it funny, when the most important things to worry about were not missing that new episode of your favorite cartoon. Remember when you could spend the entire Saturday morning watching cartoons or going to a soccer game, or when you could play with your toys and create the most fantastic stories and not have to worry about looking foolish? Or when crushes on boys were so innocent? Or when happinness was an ice cream cone on a hot summer day or a hug from your best friend?

Those were the days. What a pity that we have to grow up.

Get it through your thick head...

Have you ever considered just what thoughts are and how they are created? I mean, if you really think about it, all you've got in your head is a large heavy lump of flesh, floating in some fluid. How is it possible that this lump of meat has the ability to create a complex thought or to create a beautiful poem. Where do these thoughts "fit" in your brain? How does a mass of meat simply create even a word? I was thinking about this the other day when I noticed how easy it was to say a sentence fluidly. How is it that the brain thinks of the next word to say and tranmits this message to your mouth in so much less than a second. It's mind-blowing to think of.

You know, there are a lot of people who say they're stupid. There are girls in my class that say they're stupid and don't know anything. Well, if you were really stupid, you wouldn't be able to think of anything, you wouldn't be able to do anything. Who defines stupid? Do you compare yourself to some other person? See, it's all just relative.

The brain is such an amazing and complex organ that I am simply breathtaken, even gobsmacked at what it can do and how it can do it. How can anyone say that there is no God when here you have living proof of his ability. How could such a complex organ simply spring up out of nowhere or evolve from something so simple. It's like finding a watch on a deserted island. You know that someone has to have been there, for a watch is too complicated to have just evolved from a plant or a rock. It must have been created by someone more intelligent.

That lump of flesh in your head is a beautiful thing.

The Governator

Arnold Schwarzeneger is overrated. But still a necessary asset. Who else has a mockable accent?

In computer class, we were watching a video on robots. There's this freaky awesome robot that can "see" a ball in your hand and catch it. Something to do with cameras and sensors. Imagine, if we created a robot in the 80s (yeah, the vid was that old) that can accurately catch a rubber ball that you throw at it, then today, with our super-advanced technology, we can create a robot that can "see" people and kill them. We could create an Assasin-Robot. With a built-in Ipod.

I told my friend Paola all this and she shook her heard, claiming that I watched too many Sci-Fi films. Well, Pao, when robots begin to dominate the world and destroy all the humans, making some slaves and constructing their own form of society in which robots are the supreme race, don't come complaining to me. And don't hire Arnie to protect you.

He's dead, Jim

I have no idea what this fascination is, but I can't help being in love with Star Trek. Mind you, I've only been able to watch the original series, but I am totally in love with it. I don't understand this obssession at times. It's hard to understand what's so appealing about it, but I adore it. Especially the characters.

I have a hard time choosing my favorite character. At times, Kirk stands out, with his overinflated ego and his overly-dramaticness. I am enamored with Spock and his logic and his witty sarcasm. And I can't help but love McCoy in all his pessimistic negativity.

What's the appeal of Star Trek and geeks? Why are geeks automatically associated with Star Trek and Star Wars and any sci-fi show that begins with Star. Is it the advanced technology, the complicated plots, the unfamiliarity of alien worlds? Or is it only the characters and the story that make it interesting. I mean, seriously, it would be such an intriguing study for a sociologist to research this hidden link. I myself cannot explain this naturally occuring phenomenon. But I can sum it all up in a word, a direct quote from Spock himself:

"Fascinating"

I'm so fat, I make sumo wrestlers look anorexic.

Want to know why anorexia is so common these days?

Look at the media and listen to how much garbage is being shoved down the throats of teens and people in general. The most idiotic superficial of shows are the most popular, shows like America's Next Top Model. The media and pop culture today is emphasizing the ideal of perfection, that everyone must be the ideal and if you're not, then you're an outcast.

Every single one of the girls in my class says they're fat and they need to lose weight. They're already so skinny, with a perfect figure. Why the heck do you want to lose weight? Oh, but they insist they're fat, they need to lose weight. My gosh, look in the mirror! I am perfectly happy with accepting my body weight. I weigh about 115 to 120 pounds. I'm tall so the fat doesn't show very much, but I haven't been doing much exercise so I've got some flub on me. But I'm ok with it. Sure, I'd like to turn that extra fat into muscle and have a perfect hourglass figure, but I'm not going to obssess over it like the majority of girls today. I love my body, even with the flub. I'm happy not being perfect and never reaching the ideal.

And that's just one of the many things wrong with society today. We're so obssesed with ourselves, with our image, with our bodies, with our own lives. We're so completely immersed in ourselves. We have become selfish egocentric maniacs. Stop obssessing over the extra fat. If you lost any more pounds, you'd be weighing the same as you did when you were born. Seriously.

"We can be heroes..."

"...just for one day." "Heroes" by David Bowie

Seriously, I don't believe any of this "democracy" junk the media's been feeding us. I don't really believe that we have invaded Iraq just to make the country democratic. I'm sorry, but I just don't believe that the country with one of the best economies is going to spend billions of dollars and hundreds of people's lives on making some country on the other side of the world democratic. Call me a pessimist but I doubt we are such good Samaritans these days.

Besides, even if we did intend to convert Iraq to democracy, wouldn't the big shots leading this country be intelligent enough to think of a much better way? How about dropping propaganda about the country, convincing the people to revolt against their opressive government? Or what about ceasing all trade with Iraq? Or making them dependent on our imports and bribing them in this way?

I don't claim to know anything about anything, especially about this war. But sometimes, it's just common sense. That's something more people should get a hold of.

A real Martha Stewart...

I just remembered a whole experience with bagels today...

Some months ago, I woke up on a Saturday morning before everyone else and being stupid, I didn't go back to sleep. So I skipped down the hall and to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast. I took along my favorite book. Well, I had my nose stuck in the book all the time while I pulled the bagels from the freezer (my mother keeps them there so they won't get spoiled...). I was totally distracted while I put one in the microwave to defrost them and instead of 3 minutes I put 30 minutes. So I sat down and waited to hear the horrendously noisy beeping that came when the microwaving was done. Well, some minutes passed by and I was completely immersed in my book. Too immersed. But I was interrupted in my reading when the stench of burning food met my nose. I looked up and saw smoke flooding out into the kitchen. I ran to the microwave and yanked it open, staring at the charred lump of unrecognizable appearance.

Moral of the Story: Don't read. It'll save your eyesight and your house.

Leadership doesn't have a gender...

I really cannot stand Hilary Clinton.

I don't know why, just because I'm a woman, I'm expected to support Clinton. Just because of gender?

My aunts are all ecstatic about having a woman as a president. But when you think about it, does it really matter whether the president will be man or woman? Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

I'm not going to vote for someone because they're a woman. That would be idiotic and blind and you would become like every other American, you would become like sheep. I vote for whoever has the best ideas and has the best plans for leading this country. I vote for the person who will best lead this country.

How stupid is it, that people vote for someone just because they are black, or a woman? It makes no sense at all. I don't care if the next hundred presidents are men, as long as they make this country successful and lead it well. Because that's what the position of President is about.

What famous leader are you?

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

....I have no comments at all.

Missions 2008

I've just come back from Challenge Missions in Isleton, California. I must say, it was really impacting on me for a number of reasons.

Reason 1.
I know, a lot of people are extremely irritated by groups who go door-to-door and telling people to convert. I know that I'm irritated by that. But this weekend I became on of them. With my group, I went door-to-door inviting people to come to Easter Mass and to bring their kids to the kid's camps. Let me tell you, I was dissapointed that so many people don't go to church at all. After hours of going to houses where the doors were slammed in our faces, it was so refreshing to find the house of a good Catholic family that would invite us in. I have learned the true goodness of people who offered their homes, their foods, and their showers (blessed showers, never shall I take you for granted!) to us, we who don't know them. Just because we come telling people about Christ.

Reason 2.
Never have I known real generosity until this weekend. There were 14 girls in total and we had some food donated to us. Yet, families donated lots and lots of food. Oh, it was some of the best food I've tasted. And to think, they donated so much without knowing us.

Reason 3.
I was so deeply moved when the other group of girls came back and told us of this man they met. They had come to this house and the man invited them in. They began to chat with him when suddenly his daughter came out and began to yell and swear at him. The girls quickly left but turned back to see him standing outside and sobbing. They returned to him and though at first he refused to talk, he broke down and confided in them that he was miserable. His daughter disrespected him and seemed not to care for him. He was alone in the world and had noone to rely on. They consoled him and talked a while. They invited him to the service that night (Holy Thursday night) though they were sure he would not come. But lo and behold, he did come. One of the girls, Jessica, became closest to him and sat next to him, explaining the whole service to him. At the end, he thanked them all deeply. The next night, Good Friday, he came again and sat through the whole thing, eagerly drinking it all in. He came again and again and the night before he left, he thanked the girls from the bottom of his heart. He felt like he had come home. I watched all this, impressed and touched.

People criticize people like us for being "too religious". Tell me, what is their basis for comparison? What does "too religious" mean? I don't condemn people for believing what they believe. Why should they be angry at us for believing what we believe? All we are doing is inviting people to the Church. We're not shoving our religion down your throats.

I'm Catholic and I love it.

An Artic Tern...

I've heard of the television show Who's Line is it Anyway? but have never seen it until recently when, curious, I searched clips of it on Youtube. I have now found love.

If you cry, I'll smack you...

Do you know what irritates me? People who are too sensitive.

I actually used to be a bit of an over-sensitive person. I used to worry a lot about what other people thought, and if someone critisied me I always took it to heart and sometimes even cried. However, I'm grateful to my mom who always told me, "Take it like a man and toughen up." Now I can withstand almost any barrage of biting comments (or at least I'd like to think so).

Now that I've toughened up, one of the things that angers me the most is overly-sensitive people. I can't even be blunt and say what I think without having to worry about stepping on someone's toes. It irritates me to no end when people get offended by the slightest thing. I know, I know, I shouldn't be one to talk, yet I can't help but be annoyed.

The other day I was talking to a friend, who shall be called A, and she told me that she was incredibly angry at this man who helps at school. He had been working on some strenuous work around the school and had seen my friend A and her friend S sitting and talking on a bench. He passed by and on doing so, told S that he shouldn't sit so much because he would break the bench. He said so jokingly but A and S were so offended that they shunned him.

Alright, maybe the man didn't realize that he would offend them. He was only kidding. Yet it annoyed me when A told me how they were so angry. Almost everyone in school criticizes and makes fun of the poor man and yet they are so offended when he jokes around with them. S's friends say much worse things about S and he never feels offended.

These sort of things make my stomach burn and just hearing this makes me feel angry. Maybe I'm being too tough on people or maybe I'm just stupid, which is always a possibility. But sometimes I wish others would "take it like a man".

Thoreu and T-shirts

“Hard Rain”
by Tony Hoagland

After I heard
It’s a Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
played softly by an accordion quartet
through the ceiling speakers at the Springdale Shopping Mall,

I understood there’s nothing
we can’t pluck the stinger from,
nothing we can’t turn into a soft drink flavor or a t-shirt.
Even serenity can become something horrible
if you make a commercial about it
using smiling, white-haired people
quoting Thoreau to sell retirement homes
in the Everglades, where the swamp has been
drained and bulldozed into a nineteen-hole golf course
with electrified alligator barriers.

You can’t keep beating yourself up, Billy
I heard the therapist say on television
to the teenage murderer,
About all those people you killed—
You just have to be the best person you can be,

one day at a time—and everybody in the audience claps and weeps a little,
because the level of deep feeling has been touched,
and they want to believe that
the power of Forgiveness is greater
than the power of Consequence, or History.

Dear Abby:
My father is a businessman who travels.
Each time he returns from one of his trips,
his shoes and trousersare covered with blood-
but he never forgets to bring me a nice present;
Should I say something?
Signed, America.

I used to think I was not part of this,
that I could mind my own business and get along,
but that was just another songthat had been taught to me since birth—
whose words I was humming under my breath,
as I was walking through the Springdale Mall.

Chew, Chew

Have you ever wondered what exactly is so appealing about gum? What is it that makes people so addicted to it?

I mean, really, if you consider it, all gum is is a piece of soft rubber. It's a piece of rubber you chew on. You can't eat it, you can't derive any nutrition or helpful benefits from it. So why is it so popular?

Sure, it's got great flavors; flavor that eventually disappears. Oh, but we enjoy it while it's here. At the moment, I've got a piece of Juicy Fruit in my mouth and am currently savoring its fruityness. But you know, I can get a piece of fruit and it would taste just as good and possibly even better. And it would kill my hunger.

And then what's the difference between brands? All the brands of gum have the same WinterMint and SweetMint. They all have cinnamon flavored gum. So which one has the better flavor, if they're all the same?

I've even heard that people are able to remember facts better when chewing gum. Is it because they are associating the chewing with this fact? I wonder, I really do.

I wonder what the appeal is to be chewing for a long while on a piece of rubber. Gum. One of the many mysteries of mankind.

Obssesiveness

I've been assigned a research paper to write this week on any subject I chose. And I chose caffeine.

Did you know that caffeine has the very same effects on your brain and nervous system that crack and cocaine do? Who'd believe that a cup of coffee could stimulate your brain just like a dangerous drug could? It blows my mind to know that a can of Pepsi gives you a high just like an illegal drug.

Now just think of those people who become addicted to cups of coffee every single morning to keep them awake. My principal has an addiction to Diet Pepsi and cannot go a single day without at least one bottle. If she doesn't drink one, she goes into withdrawal and cannot survive the day.

I'm not one to judge (though I can't help it sometimes) but I pity those who are held captive by addictions, whether it be drugs, alcohol, or even something as simple as a cup of coffee every morning. It's not that coffee is so terrible, but I tremble to think of myself as held prisoner of an inanimate object. I could never submit myself to such a prison, yet I'm sure that I too do the same. I've been addicted to listening to my mp3 player (I'm too cheap for an Ipod, haha). Yet I recognize it and for Lent, seeing as how I'm Catholic and it's a tradition to give up something during these 40 days, I have given up listening to my mp3.

Now not to boast, but it's been hard to not pick up that music player and rock on to my music. There have been times where I needed to listen to something to ease boredom. But I have triumphed over this attachment. I have actually been able to resist the call of the music and leave the player where it lies.

Of course, I'm not perfect. I know I'll become attached to something else soon. But I thank God that I do not have to keep injecting myself with needles to keep my mind active and alive.

It just makes me sad to know that people do not rise above attachments to material things and cannot see the bigger picture. But then again, we are human.

Now excuse me while I go for another vanilla frappachino.

Wearing Purple and Red

“Warning!”
Jenny Joseph

"When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me,
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple."

When I am old I would like to be one of those old ladies who can go up to a couple of punks and laugh in their faces at their multi-colored harstyles and multiple piercings and freakish clothing. I would like to be one of those old ladies who knows how to dance and is the life of every party, including those filled with cynical bratty teenagers. I would like to be one of those old ladies who never lives a dull moment.

There are times when I consider what my life would be like when I am old and grey, living in a cottage or a little apartment with my old husband. What would I be like then? Would I be old and crotchety? Would I be one of those mean spiteful old women who are crabby and gossipy? Or would I be a frail lady, who's all good and sweet and never says a swear word and never does or says a bad thing? I've considered and I've decided that I want to be like my Grandma Lulu.

Now Grandma Lulu knows how to dance. She can dance like nobody's business. She can fling about a few bad words and not care. She can speak her mind as bluntly as possible. She can play pranks and crack jokes and still keep her dignity. She is possibly the most fun Grandma ever.

And yet, if you could see her and hear her tell her story you'd wonder how she kept herself from becoming a hating spiteful thing. If you'd have seen the tears fall from her eyes, as I did, when she tells you of the struggles she lived through, of the total abject misery and poverty she survived, then you'd know what it is to suffer. And you'd still wonder how she survived without breaking beneath the strain. I think of her at times when I suffer my petty misfortunes and how they hardly compare to hers. She struggled and she fought and noone and nothing could bring her down. My Grandma Lulu is truly an inspiration to me.

She had every excuse to hate and blaspheme God. She had the right to cry out "Why me?". She had the opportunity to crawl within and pity herself and hate the world. But she didn't. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. And I thank her for that.

When I am old, I would like to be one of the old ladies who drives a Harley and can still wear two-inch heels.

"Words are..."

"of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."
- Rudyard Kipling

Hey there, welcome to my little corner of the Internet. It's my space where I can babble on about God knows what and no one can shut me up. Free speech is beautiful, isn't it? I can go on and on and on and on and on without end about me, my life, my stuff. This thing certainly feeds your ego.

If your reading this, you obviously haven't got a life. Who would spend their time finding out what goes through somebody elses head? Isn't that certainly a waste of time? Hey, you could be using the past few minutes to finish that award-winning novel that you've been planning to write. You could be finding the cure for the common cold. You could be doing homework (gasp) or intellectually stimulating your mind. But no. You're here reading the inanity that is my blog. I laugh at your pitifulness.

But I shouldn't be one to talk seeing as how I'm the one writing all this up. Well, I suppose my blog needs a nifty little opening post before I get into my actual writing. So I guess this is where I put all the warning signs.

WARNING: Reading this blog may cause dizziniess, headache, confusion, naseua, hyperventilation, and random bursts into songs from cheesy musicals. None of these symptoms are fatal but can cause damage to your brain and take your IQ down a notch.

I just though it was fair to let you know.

Yeah, I also wanted to tell you this: I don't promise to be entertaining. I don't promise to be funny. I don't promise to be politically-correct or even to make any amount of sense. I can only promise you what's in my title. An amazed and strange little person recording what goes on in the little grey matter in my head. It's good enough, right?

Now go and finish that novel.