Alright, hollywood. Not feeling it so far. Don't disappoint me.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Community
Is it just me, or does everyone else get crazy obsessive with their interests as well?
Because really, I am inappropriately personally involved with the characters of my favorite shows, movies, novels and what not.
There's something to be said about escapism and once I find out what it is, I'll let you know.
Honestly, I apologize for the lack of meaningful (if you can call any of them meaningful -- I try to be poignant, but fail marvelously) posts. I really have nothing to say. AND THAT is my great shame as a writer.
Maybe I should pull a Jeff Winger and head back to College and form a study group full of Misfits.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
POTTERMORE: WAND
So... earlier today, I got an email saying I can now access my POTTERMORE account. Yay! From here on in, my posts will be potter-filled and will just recount my online wizarding exploits.
First order of business goes to wands.
Once you enter Ollivander's, a series of questions will have to be answered. I'm censoring mine, but it will be available upon request. Here are the questions:
What is your size for your age?
What color are your eyes?
Was the day you were born an odd number or even number?
What do you pride yourself on?
Travelling alone, which route would you take?
What do you fear most?
What would you take from a chest of magical objects?
The wand I got is...
Here's the description:
WAND CORE
WAND LENGTH & FLEXIBILITY
WAND WOOD
I'll update with more news soon! (=
First order of business goes to wands.
Once you enter Ollivander's, a series of questions will have to be answered. I'm censoring mine, but it will be available upon request. Here are the questions:
What is your size for your age?
What color are your eyes?
Was the day you were born an odd number or even number?
What do you pride yourself on?
Travelling alone, which route would you take?
What do you fear most?
What would you take from a chest of magical objects?
The wand I got is...
Here's the description:
WAND CORE
WAND LENGTH & FLEXIBILITY
WAND WOOD
I'll update with more news soon! (=
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Dad's Rules
Great read from My So-Called World.
A FATHER’S RULES FOR FINDING FULFILLMENT
Be courteous, be punctual, always say please and thank you, and be sure to hold your knife and fork properly. Others take their cue on how to treat you from your manners.
Be kind, considerate and compassionate when others are in trouble, even if you have problems of your own. Others will admire your selflessness and will help you in due course.
Show moral courage. Do what is right, even if that makes you unpopular. I always thought it important to be able to look at myself in the shaving mirror every morning and not feel guilt or remorse. I depart this world with a pretty clear conscience.
Show humility. Stand your ground but pause to reflect on what the other side are saying, and back off when you know you are wrong. Never worry about losing face. That only happens when you are pig-headed.
Learn from your mistakes. You will make plenty so use them as a learning tool. If you keep making the same mistake or run into a problem, you’re doing something wrong.
Avoid disparaging someone to a third party; it is only you who will look bad. If you have a problem with someone, tell them face to face.
Hold fire! If someone crosses you, don’t react immediately. Once you say something it can never be taken back, and most people deserve a second chance.
Have fun. If this involves taking risks, so be it. If you get caught, hold your hands up.
Give to charity and help those who are less fortunate than yourselves: it’s easy and so rewarding.
Always look on the upside! The glass is half full, never half empty. Every adversity has a silver lining if you seek it out.
Make it your instinct always to say ‘yes’. Look for reasons to do something, not reasons to say no. Your friends will cherish you for that.
Be canny: you will get more of what you want if you can give someone more of what they desire. Compromise can be king.
Always accept a party invitation. You may not want to go, but they want you there. Show them courtesy and respect.
Never ever let a friend down. I would bury bodies for my friends, if they asked me to . . . which is why I have chosen them carefully.
Always tip for good service. It shows respect. But never reward poor service. Poor service is insulting.
Always treat those you meet as your social equal, whether they are above or below your station in life. For those above you, show due deference, but don’t be a sycophant.
Always respect age, as age equals wisdom.
Be prepared to put the interests of your sibling first.
Be proud of who you are and where you come from, but open your mind to other cultures and languages. When you begin to travel (as I hope you will), you’ll learn that your place in the world is both vital and insignificant. Don’t get too big for your breeches.
Be ambitious, but not nakedly so. Be prepared to back your assertions with craftsmanship and hard work.
Live every day to its full: do something that makes you smile or laugh, and avoid procrastination.
Give of your best at school. Some teachers forget that pupils need incentives. So if your teacher doesn’t give you one, devise your own.
Always pay the most you can afford. Never skimp on hotels, clothing, shoes, make-up or jewellery. But always look for a deal. You get what you pay for.
Never give up! My two little soldiers have no dad, but you are brave, big-hearted, fit and strong. You are also loved by an immensely kind and supportive team of family and friends. You make your own good fortune, my children, so battle on.
Never feel sorry for yourself, or at least don’t do it for long. Crying doesn’t make things better.
Look after your body and it will look after you.
Learn a language, or at least try. Never engage a person abroad in conversation without first greeting them in their own language; by all means ask if they speak English!
And finally, cherish your mother, and take very good care of her.
I love you both with all my heart.
Daddy x
SOURCE.
A FATHER’S RULES FOR FINDING FULFILLMENT
Be courteous, be punctual, always say please and thank you, and be sure to hold your knife and fork properly. Others take their cue on how to treat you from your manners.
Be kind, considerate and compassionate when others are in trouble, even if you have problems of your own. Others will admire your selflessness and will help you in due course.
Show moral courage. Do what is right, even if that makes you unpopular. I always thought it important to be able to look at myself in the shaving mirror every morning and not feel guilt or remorse. I depart this world with a pretty clear conscience.
Show humility. Stand your ground but pause to reflect on what the other side are saying, and back off when you know you are wrong. Never worry about losing face. That only happens when you are pig-headed.
Learn from your mistakes. You will make plenty so use them as a learning tool. If you keep making the same mistake or run into a problem, you’re doing something wrong.
Avoid disparaging someone to a third party; it is only you who will look bad. If you have a problem with someone, tell them face to face.
Hold fire! If someone crosses you, don’t react immediately. Once you say something it can never be taken back, and most people deserve a second chance.
Have fun. If this involves taking risks, so be it. If you get caught, hold your hands up.
Give to charity and help those who are less fortunate than yourselves: it’s easy and so rewarding.
Always look on the upside! The glass is half full, never half empty. Every adversity has a silver lining if you seek it out.
Make it your instinct always to say ‘yes’. Look for reasons to do something, not reasons to say no. Your friends will cherish you for that.
Be canny: you will get more of what you want if you can give someone more of what they desire. Compromise can be king.
Always accept a party invitation. You may not want to go, but they want you there. Show them courtesy and respect.
Never ever let a friend down. I would bury bodies for my friends, if they asked me to . . . which is why I have chosen them carefully.
Always tip for good service. It shows respect. But never reward poor service. Poor service is insulting.
Always treat those you meet as your social equal, whether they are above or below your station in life. For those above you, show due deference, but don’t be a sycophant.
Always respect age, as age equals wisdom.
Be prepared to put the interests of your sibling first.
Be proud of who you are and where you come from, but open your mind to other cultures and languages. When you begin to travel (as I hope you will), you’ll learn that your place in the world is both vital and insignificant. Don’t get too big for your breeches.
Be ambitious, but not nakedly so. Be prepared to back your assertions with craftsmanship and hard work.
Live every day to its full: do something that makes you smile or laugh, and avoid procrastination.
Give of your best at school. Some teachers forget that pupils need incentives. So if your teacher doesn’t give you one, devise your own.
Always pay the most you can afford. Never skimp on hotels, clothing, shoes, make-up or jewellery. But always look for a deal. You get what you pay for.
Never give up! My two little soldiers have no dad, but you are brave, big-hearted, fit and strong. You are also loved by an immensely kind and supportive team of family and friends. You make your own good fortune, my children, so battle on.
Never feel sorry for yourself, or at least don’t do it for long. Crying doesn’t make things better.
Look after your body and it will look after you.
Learn a language, or at least try. Never engage a person abroad in conversation without first greeting them in their own language; by all means ask if they speak English!
And finally, cherish your mother, and take very good care of her.
I love you both with all my heart.
Daddy x
SOURCE.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
What's On My Mind
So I haven't had the chance to sit back and write about the most banal things in the planet, but I've been meaning to update you all on the going-ons of my life.
I've been hanging out with new friends lately and our latest craze has been getting together at my house for game nights. We usually just hit up the nearest pizza joint, order in, smoke, and have a couple of laughs while getting intensely competitive while playing Monopoly Deal, Taboo, Jengga, HP Trivia Game and what not.
Skinny Sweets, my business, also introduced S'MORES CUPCAKES to our expanding menu, and with my business partner, Raleene, having to juggle her thesis as well as her other jobs, schedules have been tight and hectic. We've decided that for the mean time, I man the fort full-time while she does what she can when I'm not around. I'm exhausted, but I'm still having tons of fun!
I also shut myself from the real world and picked up George R. R. Martin's A Song Of Ice and Fire. It is beyond awesome. The TV show is pretty great too.
SO, aside from that and some meet-ups with friends, that has pretty much been my life.
Exciting, no?
Love Always,
Essa.
I've been hanging out with new friends lately and our latest craze has been getting together at my house for game nights. We usually just hit up the nearest pizza joint, order in, smoke, and have a couple of laughs while getting intensely competitive while playing Monopoly Deal, Taboo, Jengga, HP Trivia Game and what not.
Skinny Sweets, my business, also introduced S'MORES CUPCAKES to our expanding menu, and with my business partner, Raleene, having to juggle her thesis as well as her other jobs, schedules have been tight and hectic. We've decided that for the mean time, I man the fort full-time while she does what she can when I'm not around. I'm exhausted, but I'm still having tons of fun!
I also shut myself from the real world and picked up George R. R. Martin's A Song Of Ice and Fire. It is beyond awesome. The TV show is pretty great too.
SO, aside from that and some meet-ups with friends, that has pretty much been my life.
Exciting, no?
Love Always,
Essa.
Friday, August 5, 2011
On Loss
Is it possible to feel pain for an abstract concept?
Can you feel the loss of something that was yours in theory, but not in truth?
At midnight last night, 20 weeks into her pregnancy, my sister gave an early birth to a beautiful baby girl. While she entered this world breathing and alive, her time with us was cut horribly short as she wasn't ready for it yet.
We were all out with our own plans for the evening when we received word of the tragedy. And though some might say she wasn't ours just yet, about how none of us had met her or spoken word to her, or spent time with her, we grieve for the loss of what could be, we grieve for each other, and mostly, we grieve for our sister, our daughter, our mother.
My sister is one of the strongest women -- people, I have had the opportunity of knowing. She's a tough cookie and she's keeping strong. While none of us doubt that she will get through this, body, mind, and soul intact, we feel the toll it is taking on her as well. We want to give hugs, hold her hand, and offer words of comfort, but what do you say to someone who is going through this? What do you say when dreams of sleepless nights, cuddling, raising and rearing a child is pried right from your very fingers? How to comfort someone when you see them, fetal-position, afraid and angry at the world? How do the words come out when your breath catches, you lose your voice, and it's taking every inch of your being to prevent the tears from falling? How can you offer your strength when you are just as naked?
**
And because I'm crying buckets, facebook decides to kick me when I'm down. Here's a thread from my Mum's facebook status.
MOM
Status: the pain a mother is twice the pain of her child for she has to endure her child's pain as well as her own.
MOM'S FRIEND 1:
so true....
MOM:
my daughter just gave birth at 20 weeks to a baby girl. it wasn't a still birth but the baby passed away after a few minutes because it was too early for her. my heart is bleeding both for my daughter and my little baby girl.
MOM'S SISTER:
What sad sad news for Ida and for all of you. Prayers will be offered for the little one, and for Ida too.
MOM:
thanks, ate. i really feel so bad.
MOM'S FRIEND 1:
am sorry to hear that my dear. Will pray that God give you and specially your daughter the strength to endure the loss. =(
MOM:
thank you, susan. i prayed so hard last night that this would not happen but my prayers were left unanswered. at this point, can't help asking why. so many babies are born from unwanted pregnancies. why take a child who is already so loved and wanted long before she is born?
MOM'S SISTER 2:
Oh dear. Your baby girl is now an Angel and is in a wonderful, peaceful place. Do find comfort in that. As for Ida and JC, you and the rest of the family, you all have each other. God will tell you why in His own time and time is now your friend.
MOM:
thanks, vikki. and for the call, too.
Can you feel the loss of something that was yours in theory, but not in truth?
At midnight last night, 20 weeks into her pregnancy, my sister gave an early birth to a beautiful baby girl. While she entered this world breathing and alive, her time with us was cut horribly short as she wasn't ready for it yet.
We were all out with our own plans for the evening when we received word of the tragedy. And though some might say she wasn't ours just yet, about how none of us had met her or spoken word to her, or spent time with her, we grieve for the loss of what could be, we grieve for each other, and mostly, we grieve for our sister, our daughter, our mother.
My sister is one of the strongest women -- people, I have had the opportunity of knowing. She's a tough cookie and she's keeping strong. While none of us doubt that she will get through this, body, mind, and soul intact, we feel the toll it is taking on her as well. We want to give hugs, hold her hand, and offer words of comfort, but what do you say to someone who is going through this? What do you say when dreams of sleepless nights, cuddling, raising and rearing a child is pried right from your very fingers? How to comfort someone when you see them, fetal-position, afraid and angry at the world? How do the words come out when your breath catches, you lose your voice, and it's taking every inch of your being to prevent the tears from falling? How can you offer your strength when you are just as naked?
**
And because I'm crying buckets, facebook decides to kick me when I'm down. Here's a thread from my Mum's facebook status.
MOM
Status: the pain a mother is twice the pain of her child for she has to endure her child's pain as well as her own.
MOM'S FRIEND 1:
so true....
MOM:
my daughter just gave birth at 20 weeks to a baby girl. it wasn't a still birth but the baby passed away after a few minutes because it was too early for her. my heart is bleeding both for my daughter and my little baby girl.
MOM'S SISTER:
What sad sad news for Ida and for all of you. Prayers will be offered for the little one, and for Ida too.
MOM:
thanks, ate. i really feel so bad.
MOM'S FRIEND 1:
am sorry to hear that my dear. Will pray that God give you and specially your daughter the strength to endure the loss. =(
MOM:
thank you, susan. i prayed so hard last night that this would not happen but my prayers were left unanswered. at this point, can't help asking why. so many babies are born from unwanted pregnancies. why take a child who is already so loved and wanted long before she is born?
MOM'S SISTER 2:
Oh dear. Your baby girl is now an Angel and is in a wonderful, peaceful place. Do find comfort in that. As for Ida and JC, you and the rest of the family, you all have each other. God will tell you why in His own time and time is now your friend.
MOM:
thanks, vikki. and for the call, too.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Jane Eyre
I just finished watching Cary Fukunaga's take on the timeless Charlotte Bronte novel, Jane Eyre.
While Toby Stephens remains my favorite Edward Rochester, I have to say that Michel Fassbender comes a close second. Where Stephens' Rochester is this wild, tameless, beast, a man made crazy by the sins of his youth, Fassbender delivers a much more brooding, mercurial and bitter performance - a man plagued and haunted by (SPOILER!) his crazy wife and his honor. Both depictions, different as they may be, were wildly captivating, yet the difference of Toby Stephens' portrayal tipped the scale to his favor for me. Sorry Fassy, but there are way too many other brooding heroes out there. Ruth Wilson, on the other hand, has been kicked to second place by the wonderful Mia Wasikowska! Her quiet and subtle resilience translates so well on film. The range of emotion she is able to convey with just one look is enough to make me want to get down on my knees and apologize for the wrong that have been done to her in the past.
Another aspect of the film that deeply impressed me was how director Fukunaga and scriptwriter Buffini managed to condense this compelling drama into just 2 short hours. One of the main reasons I loved the BBC version so much is that there was enough time to be able to stay so close and respectful of the novel, and the 4 hour tv series did just that. However, to have stayed so religious to the book yet manage to condense that to half the time is testament to both Buffini's skill as a writer and Fukunaga's skill as a director. For certain, there will be scenes missed, yet nothing that stood out so much to be noted. Purists may also have something to say about the timeline, but I truly believe that by starting the movie with the older Jane, you are able to establish a deeper connection with her.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this adaptation of Jane Eyre and I'm sure we can expect great things from director Fukunaga, as well as rising stars Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.
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