harrumph

I didn't really read this.

Just Challies's blog blurb: Miss Whitebread Was Wrong - Andy Unedited: "'Always make an outline before you start writing.' Isn't that what your fifth grade teacher told you? Well, I'm sorry to break this to you, but Miss Whitebread was wrong. In my continuing series of Stupid Things You Were Taught in School let me deconstruct this bad boy."


Then I got huffy puffy. This isn't the first time I've heard this argument and others like it (ie: down with grammar and spelling), but really, I'd argue that we NEED the Miss Whitebreads and we ought to have a Daniel Webster day and yes, even grammar has its rightful place by the literary throne.

It is BECAUSE we learned the cumbersome outline, the awful writing process, that we now have the ability to write without using one.  I am such a stickler of the 5-paragraph essay in middle school simply because once you have the rules down pat, you will have a tolerable essay.  Once that's mastered, you can toss it out the window and write magnificently.  But before you walk, my friend, you crawl!

Of course, there are exceptions (I never learned to crawl - my mom said I was so lazy, I just sat somewhere and if I needed something, I'd skootch over on my butt.  One day, I stood up).  But really, it is because of these technicalities that we can even write or argue against them. 


I've heard both sides of the argument; getting drilled in the "proper" essay by Ms. Sarles freshman year and then throwing it out the window by my crazy Rhetoric 10 lecturer in college.  Both has merit.  But really, Mr. Rhet 10... COFEEN .. HE would not be able to encourage our stream-of-conscious written crap college papers, if it were not for the years of 5-paragraph-indoctrination.

but .. they're both old!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8588544.stm

russell crowe as robin hood with cate blanchett as maid marian?
not to mention the guy from pride and prejudice (i don't even remember his face b/c that pride and prejudice was such MILK and WHITE BREAD that i tasted none of it)  who I at least remember as being young is the sheriff.

Not gonna lie, i LOVE stories.  I LOVE stories turned into movies.  I love cate Blanchett and although I'm not too thrilled at Crowe, I can't deny he's got acting chops.. but..

they're.. so.. old.

Doesn't "Maid" mean anything?  It's short for "maiden" not "Old maid."  Cate, you're gorgeous, but .. maid Marian?  :-(  and Russell Crowe is no strapping youth.  He's old.

Seriously even though he can't act, Taylor Lautner or Nick Jonas should've been cast for Robin Hood.  And while we're on this (gone unfortunately wrong) stream of thought, Disney should've produced it and made it fun and bubbly.

Okay, if we're going to do a serious version, then... pick... someone slim and limber.  Not a stocky gladiator

3D

"The problem is these decisions should be made by film-makers, they shouldn't be made by studios, because if it was up to studios they're going to sacrifice quality for lower cost," Cameron said.
...
Since the success of Tim Burton's 3D Alice In Wonderland, which was made into 3D after it was filmed, studios are looking to convert more movies.
...
Speaking last month at the launch of Alice, Burton said it is more about technique, rather than the process.
"With all these tools, you can see good 3D, bad 3D, good conversion and bad conversions," he said.
Transformers director Michael Bay has also joined the debate, telling movie industry website Deadline.com that he is "not sold right now on the conversion process". 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8586973.stm

Yikes, studios taking over is always a blah in my book.  Not to mention, I'm still not entirely thrilled with 3D.  For me, it still blares "Hello! I'm 3D!"  for me, the subtlety of losing yourself to the story is totally dashed by the "look at me reach out of the screen now" effect of 3D.

The idea of 3D badly done makes me shudder. 

My 2 pence.

dyeing hair

in 8th grade i finally got contacts.
in high school i was allowed a cartilage piercing (which was cool for all of 5 minutes until my little sister was also allowed one)  and free rein over hair color .
the first time i dyed my hair purple.  the second time, pink.  during the second time, my mom did it with me.

I wonder what her mentality was.
maybe similar to this lady's  

Harmless.

but you know, i didn't act like that little 11 yr-old.  I whined for my contacts and i think i genuinely felt prettier once i got them.  when i dyed my hair, it was because i thought it was pretty.  but of course, i thought it was cool too.  then i mainly just had fun... since it was semi-permanent.  My sister did it too.  Hmm hmm.  i'm trying to think back to my thoughts behind that.

i guess what i'm trying to say is my mom lessened the potency of such acts by... being okay with it.  And I guess we were on pretty good terms since I told her about it first.  (although the later ear piercings were done spur of the moment, by myself with my sister.. at least it was in the confines of home.   Only once did my mom flip, but that's because my sister had a BUNCH of ear piercings in the span of like.. 3 months. lol.  okay maybe not a bunch; just like 2 more).

this sounds scary.

Read this:
http://www.elizabethesther.com/threes_a_crowd/2009/12/blood-bottled-water-forgotten-children-and-a-messy-beautiful-life.html

Elizabeth Esther is a blogwriter I enjoy reading. Introduced to me by Molly Piper (whom I also don't know).

I like Elizabeth Esther because she's blunt, has an interesting backstory, and is fun to read.


But reading this past entry scared me because I hated being the child left at school waiting (this happened often; to the point where the librarian knew us since Joy and I would just go to the library after school.. well to be fair, we were supposed to since for some reason my mom was scheduled to be late every day...) either that, if oma didn't show, we'd walk to the YMCA to see if she was working out or go to swim club or walk home. memories are hazy.

I remember in 1st or 2nd grade I missed the bus or my parents didn't come and I walked home and cried the whole way. My parents told me I was brave. I remember walking over a bridge and all the cars were wooshing by and there were more cars underneath.


Anyway, I don't want to be the mom who forgets. But this already shows me I will. And that a strong woman might suddenly swoon at blood, and go crazy that her brains will melt out.



I know this is way far for me, but it still scares me. Especially as I teach middle school kids and see how different students turn out due to different parenting techniques, especially as I volunteer at a Woman/Children's AIDs shelter where I see how little children don't get consistent discipline and love... especially as I live in Taiwan where children are treated... differently (compared to America), and as I reminisce back to my own childhood.. I get scared.


In other news of scared-ness, I'm afraid I'm going to get lost at the airport going to Korea, and later have a hard time going to my grandparents' place. I'm afraid that people are going to despise me because I suck at Korean. I'm afraid I'm going to be tongue-tied and stutter. I'm afraid I'll be selfish, or tired, or act up like a big drama queen. I'm afraid I won't want to show mercy and patience when injustice rears its ugly face. I'm afraid I won't be able to yield my rights.


Pray.

what can i say, i'm a hater.

Ugh this is what NOT to do if you're a guy




cutesy pose: okay fine.
little pucker: a little border line.
lip gloss and eye liner? NO
greasy part in the middle/shaggy hair do a la Snape? DOUBLE NO

at least this time you're not wearing a deep v-neck or anything too girly.


I don't hate Jang Geunseok or anything, and i like his characters etc, but i feel like there's a line between metro-hot and ... uhh.. whatever he's pulling.

that's all.

and i know no one from dramabeans reads this, but seriously, having girls clamor all over this dude.. i gotta rant somewhere!

http://www.dramabeans.com/2009/12/samsung-fansigning-event-features-jang-geun-seok/

response

The Side A/Side B debatefrom More Musings on Christianity, Homosexuality, and the Bible by Misty

As many of you know, there is a debate among gay Christians about what the Bible teaches regarding same-sex sexual relationships. "Side A" believes that God approves of same-sex sexual relationships and that living a chaste life means abstaining from sex prior to entering into same-sex marriage. "Side B" believes that God does not approve of same-sex sexual relationships and that living a chaste life means living celibate (or, in some cases, being married to an opposite-sex partner, where both partners know it is a "mixed orientation" marriage). In my writings I have sometimes referred to Side A as the "affirming" position and Side B as the "traditional" position. I just like the idea of using terms that aren't judgmental or inflammatory when engaging in this debate.

Yet even though I take the Side B position, more than half of my gay Christian friends are Side A and we get along just fine. Why is that? I first began to realize that there were Side A evangelical Christians out there when I began meeting them at gay churches and gay Christian Bible studies. I'd worship with them, discuss the Scriptures, share testmonies and prayer requests. A group of Side A Christians prayed for me and supported me during the entire controversy I went through with my old denomination. When you experience that kind of close fellowship with one another, you can't deny the presence of the Holy Spirit is among you.

I also came to understand that many Side A evangelicals have scripturally-based reasons for believing as they do. Some arguments are very sound while others I can't agree with. But I agree with them on all the important things: the central doctrines of the gospel and the saving work of Jesus Christ. I just don't agree with their understanding of what the Bible teaches about the specific issue of whether homosexual sexual relations is sinful.

So this is how I've come to think of our differences. Suppose I were asked to write out a list of sins for which I think Jesus died on the cross. This list would represent my interpretation of what Scripture teaches to be sin. I might put down a thousand things on that list, one of which would be homosexual sexual relations. Then I'd leave a large section at the bottom of the paper blank for all the sins I might have left out, perhaps out of ignorance or self-deception or whatever. A Side A Christian might do the exact same thing, except he or she excludes homosexual sexual relations from their list and instead includes the sin of thinking homosexual sexual relations is a sin. So we have both included something on our list that the other person has excluded, and excluded something that the other has included. And we both acknowledge that our own lists are probably very flawed.

Now when we both come before Jesus to ask for forgiveness of our sins, we know that he pays for everything regardless of whether we have included them on our "list" or not. We both come with humility of mind, trusting that his blood will cover not just the sins we've acknowledged but also the ones we've failed to acknowledge because of ignorance, prejudice, hardness of heart, or whatever. So in the end does it really matter if a Side A Christian and a Side B Christian don't agree with each other's "lists"?

The main thing is that we both come before Christ knowing that he can remove all our transgressions, whether we fully understand what those transgressions are or not. In Christ there are no more lists. Our lists have been wiped clean, both what was on it and what we failed to put on them. And since we both come away from the throne of grace so thoroughly cleansed and perfected in Christ's righteousness, can't we forgive each other those disagreements that the blood of Christ has ultimately made irrelevant?

..






So, I subscribe to Misty's blog, initially because she had some candid food for thought especially during the times of Prop 8. I am very interested in the homosexual community and what's been going around in terms of society in the past ten years, and it seems like there are few people (besides Al Mohler and John Piper) who really address homosexuality in a balanced, loving, and curious way. I like where she goes with this article except I think where Misty and I part in terms of thought is in her last paragraph.




The main thing is that we both come before Christ knowing that he can remove all our transgressions, whether we fully understand what those transgressions are or not. In Christ there are no more lists. Our lists have been wiped clean, both what was on it and what we failed to put on them. And since we both come away from the throne of grace so thoroughly cleansed and perfected in Christ's righteousness, can't we forgive each other those disagreements that the blood of Christ has ultimately made irrelevant?




Simply because all my sins have been wiped clean does not mean that I continue sinning if I can help it. For a long time, I didn't know pride was a sin. I really didn't. When I found out (the hard way), I had to change! I had to change because sin is not to be taken lightly. One sin is all it took for a fatty cup of wrath to have my name written on it. One sin was all it took for that said cup of wrath to be poured upon Jesus Christ. One sin was all it took for my Savior to be physically mauled and humiliated and spiritually mauled and humiliated a gajillion times worse. One sin was all it took for the perfect relationship of the trinity to be split. One sin was all it took for God to take PLEASURE in killing His Son.


The Bible is pretty clear. But our eyes are mucusy, there's a film. And as we grow in Christ, what used to be dim becomes clear; the way we thought as a child matures when we grow into an adult. Heck, that statement itself demonstrates this fact. I cannot condemn a brother or sister for engaging in a sin out of ignorance. I cannot judge. But, I can encourage the brethren and challenge predispositions and thoughts with the inerrant truth of the Scripture. I can do that at least because others have loved me enough to do that for me. We sharpen each other. We are USED by God to sanctify each other.. to clear our minds. We cannot judge because we are not the Judge; but pointing out error is not bigotry or prejudice. Pointing out error is loving. Because of these "Side A Christians" truly love God, they WOULD want to obey His commands. Same goes for me, as a "Side B Christian." I want to obey God's commands.


That's why rather than throwing in the towel and refusing to fight over the "technicalities" of sin that Christ died for anyway, we need to be careful and really seek out within us that which we can submit to the Lord. Our sins have been washed clean, and while we're on earth, we can not be perfect. Yet we can bring joy to the Lord when we demonstrate repentance with a desire to not return to the things of the world. I think that goes for everything, whether it's sexual or dietary preference.

Thanksgiving

" This is the time of year I start to feel like Thanksgiving has just become a quick meal on the way to Christmas. What happened?

"Thanksgiving has lost its cultural muscle," writes Eric Felton in aWall Street Journal commentary today. He adds, "The early advent of the Santa season may have less to do with the red-and-green imperative than with the weakness of Turkey Day."

His assessment of the state of Thanksgiving in the 21st century is worth reading:

Could it be we've lost our capacity for gratitude? A successful harvest occasioned thanks back when it was all that stood between us and a long, cold, hungry winter. But now we're divorced from the seasonal rhythms of the farm, where the harvest is celebrated as the payoff of all the year's labors. Even in the midst of this Great Repression we enjoy perpetual plenty. What resonance does a cornucopia have to people who have come to expect ripe blackberries in February? If anything, we should be more grateful, but that's not our nature. Anything we struggle for, we hold dear; anything that comes easy, we take for granted.

He goes on to capture the awkwardness of trying to enjoy a family feast when some of those around the table just want to moralize about the food:

Not only don't we celebrate the astonishing abundance that is our good fortune, we whine and moan about how it makes us fat.... And if that weren't enough to squeeze the pleasure from the day, no modern Thanksgiving is complete without a college student home from school, lecturing the family on the cruelty of meat. (To which the only appropriate response is: "Does that mean you don't want the drumstick?")

He ends with an invitation to enjoy a little more of the goodness of autumn and Thanksgiving before diving into Christmas:

... before we break out the ornaments and dust off the Vince Guaraldi soundtrack, let's make the most of autumn and its particular pleasures. Jump in a pile of leaves. Savor the waning daylight. And go ahead. Week after next, eat that second slice of pumpkin pie—just be thankful for it."

Got this excerpt from Boundless: http://www.boundlessline.org/2009/11/dont-deck-the-halls-yet.html

It made me sad. 

I always write about Thanksgiving.  Probably because it's my favorite holiday. 

How did this come about?  I remember when I was younger going down to So-Cal every Thanksgiving to spend it with my dad's side of the family.  I remember it being boring, watching TV.. but I also remember the delicious food.  (which got more delicious after the year we convinced my dad to tell the relatives to STOP trying to cook Thanksgiving food but let US do it instead).

I enjoy how my family gets together and makes sure we have EVERYTHING for the meal.  I love how we cook together.  I like the merriment.  ..  What makes me sad is at our family, it's really uncool to be thankful.  If one person tries to increase thankfulness, that's my mom.  If another person tries to echo gratitude, then everyone sort of scorns or laughs at them.

I wish my family was more transparent about emotions like love and gratitude.  I wish we were more positive growing up.  i wish we wouldn't trivialize things by laughing at it, ridiculing it, scorning it, or making light of it and brushing it off. 

I think i forget that during thanksgiving no one is very sincere about what they're thankful for.  i think i forget that during thanksgiving people are suspicious and closed off about what to share.

Wow, that took an unexpected turn!

Ultimately, it's difficult for me as a person to make myself vulnerable to my family because it's so easy to get hurt that way.

I still like Thanksgiving though; because despite the gruffness and harsh words, i still know i'm good at what i do and that my family appreciates that.  conversely, my family members also know they are good at what they contribute and they know i appreciate that.  i think.

Lastly thanksgiving has that aura of family and thankfulness without the stress of presents, socializing, not getting what you want, getting what you don't want etc etc etc.  along with the pressure of making sure "Jesus is the reason for the season" yet also feeling incredibly hypocritical because Christmas is also the most emotional, rubbed-raw season of the year.

WOW i sound so Scrooge-y.

More on this later.  I just wanted to comment on the first part.  I'm sad the holiday of Christmas (not the real Christmas) is overshadowing Thanksgiving.