Too many movie reviews, but oh well...

I've noticed that out of the maybe 20 or so posts on this blog a lot of them have been movie reviews... oh well.

I saw Tangled today. And it was amazing. Actually. It was a cute spin-off from Rapunzel and the end was great! My friend (with whom I saw the the movie) also pointed out that they did not kiss on the boat under the lanterns, which, correct me if I'm wrong, is a first for Disney Princess movies. Most of the movies tend to have the romantic kissing scene with a cute song in the background and some kind of spectacular light show going on around them. I liked the break from tradition. Also, the ending was good. I'm not one for "happily-ever-after" but I was on the edge of my seat after Eugene/Flynn climbed into the tower the last time to rescue Rapunzel from her "mother". My mouth was hanging open the entire time and I was so absorbed in the scene that I didn't even pause to push the 3D glasses that were creeping off my nose. It probably would have made for a better ending, well a deeper ending, if he had died. But of course it's Disney and if he did the majority of the people in the theater (AKA those between the ages of 2 and 10) would probably cry and be confused... so that wouldn't work. But it still made for a better fairy-tale. Another observation I made, was that in EVERY disney movie there is always one person who gets drunk. Interesting, and more than a little funny since they are supposed to be children's films. Well I give it 5 stars (I may be a bit biased since I have short brown hair -if you see the movie you'll understand- and that's the first princess I've seen that shares the look) and I'm making sure to buy it and put it on all my portable-movie-playing-devices when it comes out.

The Movie Event of a Generation

Yes! The "Movie Event of a Generation"! (AKA Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, also known as HP 7) This past summer I was turned into a bit of a Harry Potter nerd by one of my friends who is more or less devoted to the books. Not in the fan-obsessed way, but more a quiet but sure understanding and knowledge of almost anything Harry Potter. It rubbed off on me, and Thursday night at 11:00 I made my way over to the local movie theater for the midnight premiere!

It was a friendly gathering of Harry Potter fans, some more into the event than others, but more or less a pleasant place. As everyone slowly filed into the theater and friends greeted each other as they passed, it seemed like everyone you knew was there. I saw people that I only run into 3 or 4 times a year, and a few teachers as well. There was yelling, laughing, and people shouting out quotes from the past movies and books, and quite a bit of singing. Mostly AVPM stuff. I used to opportunity to bring along my wand, paraphernalia from the Harry Potter magazine I used to get every christmas, which I had received as a present several years ago. A few other people had brought theirs as well (two people had the same one as me, Hermione's) and some people had even brought wands (sticks really) of their own making. But I was the only one who possessed one in my immediate group of friends present. The term "Pass me the wand!" became our favorite quote from the night.

When the trailers were over and the misty background that appears at the beginning of every HP movie appeared, I am proud to say that I was the first in our theater to yell "EVERYONE BE QUIET IT'S STARTING!" and to my surprise the din was immediately silenced. From then on the theater was as silent as the dead, with a few gasps or sobs with the deaths of Hedwig and Dobby, and quite a few laughs throughout the "romantic" scenes.

At the end of the movie we all loudly filed out of the theater jumping with excitement and discussing the quality of the movie (there was no point in discussing the plot since all of us had already known what was going to happen). When I arrived at my friends house a half hour later (I was sleeping at her house then going with her to school the next day since she can drive and I can't) she, her brother (who is in my grade) and I had an epic battle with my wand vs. his sword that he happened to have in his closet. We pretended it was the Sword of Griffindor and I expelliarmus-ed it out of his hand and into mine with my wand and proceeded to destroy a "Horcrux" AKA a small stuffed copy of the rabbit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

The next day at school everyone was still buzzing with excitement about the night before, but soon it died down and we proceeded with our mostly-Harry-Potter-free lives, ready for the New York Wizard Rock Festival (which is this sunday and we are all attending). Although, the presence of my wand at school caused some disturbances and a bit of play-acting with people cursing each other (of course never with the worst of the three curses). And in my science class before our test, my teacher confiscated it from me for the period so that I wouldn't "use it to cheat on the test". I think it is easy to say that Harry Potter is a defining theme of my generation, and we are all immensely proud of that fact!

Mockingjay

So I haven't posted in quite a while. I have been pretty busy with school starting and everything. Also I was just lazy and I didn't have anything interesting enough to write about.

Well I figured I should write someone or else I would end up stop blogging altogether. So this post is going to be about Mockingjay the 3rd book in the Hunger Games! Amazing series, not so amazing last book. The first two books in the trilogy were AMAZING, they had me raving about them to anyone that would listen. They were packed to the binding with suspense, action, drama, comedy, and of course the perfect dose of romance. My fellow Hunger-fans and I sat patiently for months eagerly awaiting the release of the final installment in this thrilling series, Mockingjay. At last the time came, and on August 24 it was released!!! I had pre-ordered it months ago on Amazon and I made my mom pick up the package and bring it to me at work as soon as it arrived. I tore open the box squealing in delight as I saw the first glint of that beautiful blue cover peek out of the wrappings. I spent the next 2 hours blowing off my work and just read. I read and read and read, waiting for the same feeling of action-packed suspense that I got from the last two books to hit me, I waited until the very last page. But alas, it never came. When I at last finished the Epilogue (later that same day) there was a feeling of disappointment and anguish lurking in the depths of my heart. Where did all that excitement go? There wasn't even an epic face-off between Gale and Peeta over who would become Katniss's one and only true love. Only the two of them fidgeting and waiting for her to choose one of them while they tried not to kill each other out of jealousy, throughout the entire book. Collins had SO MANY opportunities to create an epic tragic-romantic scene that would end everything, Panem and the Katniss-Gale-Peeta love triangle. We all wanted it, we all waited for it, but we never got it.

I admit I am being a little over-the-top harsh with this review, it takes a lot, and I mean A LOT to impress me with a book. But I thought after everything the last two books were, this one would at least live up to the same expectations. It was a good book, not great and not exactly worth being the conclusion to one of the best trilogy's I have ever read and loved, but it was adequate enough to get part of the job done. At least in the end Katniss does end up with (WARNING: If you haven't read it and you intend to, stop reading here! Spoiler alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Peeta. <3

Islamic Center at "Ground Zero"

Many of you have probably heard about the dispute in New York City about this Mosque that is in the process of being built 2 blocks from Ground Zero. I AM SO SICK OF IGNORANT PEOPLE! Oh my god, this situation has gotten way out of hand. I was watching an interview on TV yesterday between the head of the Islamic Society of Long Island and I can't remember who else, but the other guy was so disrespectful and ignorant it actually scared me. The leader of the Muslim society had this very eloquent speech on why the Center has every right to be built and the other guys response to it all was "Well... it's still disrespectful."

Now, how is it disrespectful for a group of people who have done nothing illegal and nothing wrong to have a place where people of the same faith can mingle and take cooking lessons or play some basketball after work. Jews and Christians have places like that.

We are all forgetting that muslims were killed in the world trade center on 9/11 too. And terrorist groups have killed more Muslim civilians here and around the world than they have Americans. We cannot group all muslims into the same violent-killing demographic. The percentage of muslims in this country that actually harbor violent ambitions are probably less than 5%, but if we continue to treat them like dogs and take away their rights that every other american has that percent will surely grow. Hatred only breeds more hatred.

I had an idea this morning of a T-Shirt slogan to support the Islamic Center. A picture of a muffin and the words "Muffins of Mass Destruction". I want to try to get a support movement for the Center going, and I think this would be a fun way to do it.

It's Kind of a Funny Story...

Well it's kind of a funny story cause I used to play "words with friends" (the app where you play wireless scrabble) on my little sister's iPod touch. And my friend gave me our teacher's (the one who I described in the previous post about the Renaissance) username so I could play vs. him. Well my username was not my name, it was "Lola the Dinosrawr", so I kept thinking to myself that I should tell him that it was me. All the while we were playing each other. This went on until the end of school (a total of about a month), and I had never told him that I was "Lola the Dinsorawr". My little sister's iPod sopped letting me play because it wanted me to upgrade the system and every so often I would think back on how he never knew that it was me he was playing.

Now, here is the funny part. I work at my school, and it being August the teachers are coming back on campus. So a few moments ago I was walking out of the office into the lobby of the building and I see him on his laptop. So I said hi and kept walking, and he returned the greeting and added on "Hey, Kiss (He calls me by my last name) it's your turn to play." Without looking up from his laptop screen. I stopped short and spun around, laughing to myself and astounded.

"You knew it was me? I kept forgetting to tell you."

"Yeah, who else would I think it was..." He replied. Well I guess the teachers know me better than I thought...

And to add on to the post before on my trip to Florence, my mom changed her mind and doesn't want me to spend the money so I won't be going... :'( *tear. I told my teacher after the little episode recorded above and even he was sad for me. He spent 2 weeks there this summer and when I asked him how it was his face lit up and he replied "oh, amazing!!", way to make me jealous. lol

A Pleasant Day and Firenze, ITALIA

In my previous post I explained that I was going to try to end things on a good note. Well on Friday I did just that and I had a very pleasant day. One of those days where nothing that special happens to you but there are just little happy episodes periodically throughout the day that make you feel... well... happy!

I had slept at my friends house the night before and her house is on top of a hill where you can see the ocean over the trees. The sun was rising as we were eating breakfast and the view was breathtaking. It reminded me how huge the Earth is and how small I am, but without the endless-universe feeling that makes you feel as though you are falling into a bottomless pit. Plus it made me feel peaceful, the ocean usually calms me. It is a place where I can go and any afflictions in my life wash away for an hour or two. I guess that's why my favorite song is "Beyond the Sea" (which, coincidentally, I am listening to right now). Sailing does the same thing, I always feel so much better when I am on the water. I get mesmerized by waves and the ripples, because no matter what happens to me, no matter how my life changes, the water's movement is constant.

Anyway at work it was my first day as assistant to my old teacher who now works in the administration (I am working as an intern at my school for the summer). The teacher's retreat is coming up this week and everything was happening at the last minute, so it was my job to organize all the groups and compile lists of whoever was coming. It was hard work, but honestly it was the first real work I had all summer so I was content. At least it got the gears in my brain going for the first time in months. Also, it was many of the former senior's last day of work before they left for college. We had a little brunch party with delicious crumb cake and one by one they left. It was bittersweet, but since I was a freshman and they were seniors I could never really be sure if they actually liked me or thought I was just annoying. But each and every one of them took the time to say goodbye to me and it made me feel acknowledged.

I ran into a few of my friends who are working at the summer camp and had some nice chats with them. But the biggest part of my day was when I talked to a former friend of mine. I say "former" because we had a bit of a falling out, but on Friday I finally came to terms with it and now I feel so calm and peaceful. I feel more free than I have in months, like I can do whatever I put my mind to. Before it felt like there was some brick wall in the middle of my brain blocking ambition. Now I think that maybe this one thing caused a blockage with tons of stress building up behind it but now that I have gotten rid of it all that stress can flow away.

I also saw Eat, Pray, Love and I felt like my head was going to explode during the movie, I NEED to go to Italy!!!! So I got home and said to myself "hmm... I wonder how much a plane ticket to Italy costs..." so I went online to Priceline.com and found that a round trip ticket is $712, which is one paycheck for me. So even more curious I checked how much a hotel and ticket cost. Well the cost is about $1300 a person. And I have that plus more from my summer job, so I brought it up to my friend Kyle, and then we began "hypothetically" planning our trip which would take place over thanksgiving break. And over the last 48 hours it has come closer and closer to actually happening!!! I am astounded that my parents were both fine with me traveling without them.

Our destination is Florence, Italy. But I want to be prepared before the trip and our plan is to just get lost in the city every day. Finding the little hidden treasures. So if you have ever been to Florence and ran into something marvelous and unforgettable please tell me!

I know this is cliche but in the words of whoever wrote Eat, Pray, Love "I need to marvel at something!!" and I intend to do that in the heart of the renaissance, Florence!

Gyantse, Tibet - 1904

This Article from the New York Times was one of the most interesting pieces that I have read in a long time.

I find it incredible, how a group of men can invade a peaceful land and slaughter its people just to expand their empire and gain more power. Power is something that every human craves, the need for it is built into our very being. The way we have lived for thousands of years reflects that need. Mankind must always be the best, we must have the best way of life, we must have the best food, etc.

We always need to be in control, or we die. For teenagers we have to get our way or else we feel like we are going to die, it's like the world is crashing in on us. Entire governments have to wipe out countries to obtain enough power just to prove to the rest of the world how powerful they really are, or seem to be.

Perhaps the human species' yearn for power comes from our nature to show off. With money, clothes, and fancy cars defining the hierarchy of our society it is obvious that what we really care about is making ourselves untouchable.

And yet there are people like the Dalai Lama who have closed the door on that part of themselves and made a life where they can be at peace with themselves through embracing the pureness of their core.

"The British reached Lhasa soon afterward. Two months later, the evening before leaving Lhasa for good, Colonel Younghusband rode out to a mountain and gazed down at the ancient city, where he experienced a curious epiphany that inspired him to end all acts of bloodshed and found a religious movement, the World Congress of Faiths. “This exhilaration of the moment grew and grew till it thrilled through me with overpowering intensity,” he wrote in a memoir, “India and Tibet.” “Never again could I think evil, or ever again be at enmity with any man. All nature and all humanity were bathed in a rosy glowing radiancy; and life for the future seemed naught but buoyancy and light.” " -- China Seizes on a Dark Chapter for Tibet, Edward Wong, The New York Times --

Russia's YouTube Whistle-Blower

I just found this on New York Times website, it really appealed to me because this man had the courage to stand up for what he believed was constitutional when he knew there could be negative consequences. I really respect him and what he did for his beliefs. And it is amazing the reaction that he got from the rest of the Russian community through YouTube. It shows how powerful YouTube can be, and how dangerous. No wonder why some countries have blocked it in fear of people organizing against their government.

Ending on a Good Note

I have decided to adopt a new life philosophy. Ending on a good note. My friend and I were talking the other day and she explained to me how she always likes to end things at their high point so you don't feel disappointed when they are over.

I tend to milk happy moments until they're dry and then afterwards I feel empty, like those happy moments are so rare that I never want them to end. But i realized that if I just let things be and try not to control situations things always turn out better. And for the summer so far it has worked great! If I want to find my friend at work, instead of trying to "accidentally" find them, I just follow my instincts and I find them! I have always been a controlling person, and I am starting to really hate that part of myself. I don't want to know what I am going to do, I want to find things out when they come and feel free.

Wannabe-Renaissance Girl

I just watched Angels and Demons (with Tom Hanks) and it made me think about all the beautiful artwork and history in Italy and all the amazing minds who lived in the Renaissance. My History teacher this year is a total Renaissance geek and it was an awesome year going to class everyday and hearing him tell us these stories about the mind-blowing things that happened and came into existence during that time. Well, that year ended in June and so did those once-a-day Renaissance lectures. Watching this movie made me so jealous of him, he is a young guy with lots more to learn but he already knows so much. The places and things he has seen... I know I still have plenty of time to go to Rome and see these marvelous pieces of art that are hidden all over Europe, but I can't help but be jealous of him. He has an amazing memory so he can remember all of these things and spout them back out to us, his students, and I'm afraid that I won't be able to do the same. I want to learn and become someone, like him, who can use history to change the present. I want to influence the now so I can become part of the past who people in future generations will learn about in their own classes and leanr from. I want to be able to appreciate the past with enough knowledge to understand the past! Right now I just wish I could grab him and hop on a plane to Italy so I could learn all of these things!!! I hate having to wait around for school to start again in the Fall, knowing that I won't be learning about the Renaissance anymore. I wish I could have more of a choice in what I learn year-to-year in school. I guess that is what college is for, and my oh my am I excited!!!

Made a Dress!

I am so excited!!! I am almost finished with the first dress I have made in over a year!!! ^_^ It is a dark red velvet 30's style dress. I just have to sew on the straps and I'm all done!! I'll post pictures later when I'm done. I forgot how great it feels to make something, it's been so long...

Ferraris Make Me Happpy

For some reason every time I see a Ferrari it makes me happy, especially those cherry red ones. I wonder why... maybe it is the chicness of the car, or the symbolism it holds of money and glamour. It's like that object or place that you feel you can reach once you have obtained the ultimate happiness, that place you will be when you reach the top. You don't know if you will ever ascend to that level, but you can see it and you can touch it so you know it is possible to obtain.

Six Items or Less

This really got me thinking... it's a cool idea. I really treasure those "staple items" in my closet :).

Couture Lover

A few years ago I got really into fashion, it started after I began the phase every teenage girl gets at one point: the "clothes" phase. I saw so many beautiful things that I wanted to get and WEAR. I couldn't afford all these clothes, so before a party I decided to make my own dress. This was the beginning of my first love...

I also have a passion for protecting the environment so I decided that it would be even cooler if I could design my dress out of plastic recycled materials like... bubble wrap!!! So began my firs creation... I don't have any pictures but it was a blue fabric strapless dress that stopped a little above my knees. It had a bubble wrap belt and a tier of bubble wrap on the lower half of the skirt that shaped it into a bell design. On the bodice I placed bits and pieces of bubble wrap to complete the image. And I finished off the outfit with a little drawstring purse made of bubble wrap and the same blue fabric used in the dress. I didn't have a sewing machine at this point so I sewed it all by hand.

For the record, I didn't use a design, or at least I meant not to. When working on the bodice I had to borrow my friend's sewing machine just to make sure the stitching would rip (the would be embarrassing!) and her mother got uptight because I wasn't using a pattern and she made me change my own design to fit the pattern she gave me. Which, in turn screwed up the whole design of the dress.

At the party all my friends kept popping the bubble wrap on the dress ^_^ lol

After this, I felt proud of myself for accomplishing something that I thought was worth doing, and I began to be more and more interested in the fashion world. After this, I designed another two collections and showed them in two eco-fashion shows (one that was organized by me and the rest of the student council at my school). The quirky thing that got a lot of people interested in my work was the fact that my dresses and other clothing items were made out of... wait for it... garbage bags!!!

I had a good run, but this past year I couldn't manage to get my designs to work and after enough frustration I gave up and I haven't made anything new for months. I was never taught the proper way to design clothes so taking a class might help me a lot... But a few weeks ago I realized something else, I never actually followed the patterns I made while sewing. I would also make a small change here or a bigger change there. So, maybe if I actually followed my pattern for once I could make it work! I just wish I had more time to work on sewing and my designs...

I just saw this on StumbleUpon and I thought it was adorable. I am one of those girls who no boys are ever interested in, I'm not saying I consider myself a special girl because I doubt that I am, but this was just so sweet...

Girls are like
apples on trees. The best
ones are at the top of the tree.
The boys don't want to reach for
the good ones because they are afraid
of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they
just get the rotten apples from the ground
that aren't as good, but easy. So the apples
at the top think something is wrong with
them, when in reality, they're amazing.
They just have to wait for the right
boy to come along, the one
who's brave enough
to climb
all the way
to the top
of the tree.

Rain and Rainbows

It's been thundering where I live for the past hour with torrential rain. I have always found thunder comforting, I don't know why... no matter where I am, even if it's a place I hate I always feel better when I hear thunder. A lot of people find it terrifying, and I guess it does sound dangerous, but that could be why I love it so much. I used to find it unnerving but over the years it just became familiar. Nothing bad has ever happened to me when it thunders, it means I get to sit inside all warm and cozy and listen to that familiar rumbling in the sky.

And then there is what comes after the rain... rainbows!! I have only seen a few, I just never found them as intriguing as everyone else did. But this video made me like them even more: double rainbow. I'm pretty sure this guy was on something when he filmed this video, he had to be. And then someone turned it into a song, which is almost as great as the original film.

4 visitors!

YAY! as of today 4 people have looked at my blog ^_^

So far no feedback, but I'm going to stay positive and hope that someone comments or sends me an email sometime soon. I'm just curious if anything I write is the least bit interesting to people, so if you are reading this please contact me with feedback! I want to know what you would like to see on my blog.

Am I Still Dreaming?

whoa.

I have to say, I have seen quite a few amazing movies in my day (which doesn't count for much) but Inception just might top them all. I went into the theater not really expecting much from the movie, I had heard mixed reviews so I didn't know what to think. Let's just say I left the theater with a very distinct review of the movie in my head, which was "genius..." or in other words "HOLY SHIT that was very possibly the best movie I have seen in my short, but i think adequately cultured, life"

There were points in the movie where I had to remind myself that I was, in fact, in a movie theater and I wasn't going to be stuck in dream-limbo if the unnaturally good-looking guys/girl on the screen failed and/or died. With the cinematography and the pace of the movie, I felt like I was in it. The suspense and the thrill I got from scene after scene had me on the edge of my seat from the first few moments of the film to the last second.

I don't want to ruin the film for anyone but I just want to add that I thought the last few moments of the movie were a work of art. The emotions bottled up into just a few minutes of footage really made my mind tick and the second the screen turned black one word popped into my head "genius." I have taken film classes and I have analyzed multiple films and everything that one would want to achieve with their film was there, in those last minutes.

So to anyone that has been doubting whether this movie is worth spending $10 on, it is. Go see it, just in case it blows your mind like it did mine.

Toy Story 3

Omg, Okay so I just got home from seeing Toy Story 3 and I have got to say the most noteworthy part of the movie was the very beginning when all the toys are having their battle-royale! I had this huge goofy smile on my face the entire time, I was filled with nostalgia it was so great!!!!

Now I know why I felt so bad for putting my stuffed animals away, thinking they would be sad if I did. it must be a "Toy Story" generation thing.

Immigration list in Utah

Ok, so whatever happened to "nothing bad ever happens in Utah"!? I just heard about this list and honestly I'm outraged. The fact that this country would let something like this happen is the definition of outrageous. This is how the Holocaust began! I don't know if everyone has forgotten but unless you are a native american or a californian Latino (they were the original population of the west coast and the people who voted for California to be a state!) than YOU are the immigrant.

I met a girl a few weeks ago who stated that "all immigrants should be thrown out of the country", and she meant ALL immigrants not just illegal ones. Well in that case I hope she is willing to go pack her bags and move to Europe or Australia because that includes her too (she definitely wasn't native american). This country was created by immigrants, no one could have fathomed the amount of immigrants that would end up coming to this country but if we just shut them out than we are going against our own Constitution, therefore being un-American.

All of this just angers me. And if it doesn't anger you too, I would really like to hear your opinion.

raaWWrrr

Hello to the 2-3 strangers that might come across this blog as you are looking for better things to do with your time. I created this blog so I could have a way of expressing myself. This first post is about some things I like.

A Very Potter Musical:

If any of you reading this are familiar with Harry Potter, or like the series even a little bit, I would recommend going onto YouTube and looking up "A Very Potter Musical" as it could quite possibly be the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. I watched it for the first time today and made one of my friends want to kill me because of my excessive quoting. The silliness and pure hilariousness of the twists on Harry Potter characters is absolute genius. Especially Draco Malfoy's twisting and rolling on the ground as the actress casually says the lines, it's hard to even hear the lines when your laughing so hard!!!

I am attaching a link to Act 1 Part 2 because even though it is the second scene I find it the funniest with the introduction of Cho Chang and Draco. If you enjoy laughing until your tummy hurts, at least watch this clip. I'd like to hear your feedback if you do watch it, just curious if this post made any impact on you, the reader, at all.

Thus concludes my first post.

sincerely,

raspberry