OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG I MET JULIE ANDREWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lol I will totally dish tomorrow, I promise, but now I'm tired and I have a new book waiting for me upstairs :)
but suffice it to say I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS!!!
<3 B
Friday, May 13, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Diamonds are NOT a girl's best friend....
So. (yes I know, I always begin with "so this, or so that" but as this is a rather informal blog as it is, i feel no need for formal introductions).
So in my Political Philosophy class, we recently started a new unit on Human Rights. I'm not exactly sure why we need to learn things after taking the IB test, but I think it's mostly to keep the seniors from ditching in the last weeks of school. Anyway, for the last two days we have been watching the movie Blood Diamond about the internal and external conflict over resource and land control, especially control of the diamond trade. There is so much killing, at times it's hard to watch. I know that living in modern American society we become desensitized to violence, and I must admit that when watching a movie like Die Hard or Inception, I don't really care whether the bad guy dies or not, or whether, in Inception for example, nameless body-guards die. However this movie is on a whole different level. In the first ten minutes you see so many innocent women and children die, shot mercilessly by rebels. I think the thing that makes this movie different is the fact that this really happens, that right at this moment some innocent person in Africa is being killed because of some quarrel over resources or land.
At one point in the movie when all the heads of the world powers were gathering to discuss what could be done to help and how to change policies for the better, a comment is made about how America is responsible for the largest percentage of diamond sales, and that this was unlikely to change. This made me pretty upset. Personally, I don't like diamonds much, I've never been attracted to them, preferring color and simplicity. This movie however has made me vow that if I ever get married, I will not have a diamond ring, and I'll not buy any diamond jewelry. I know perfectly well that my boycott will not make much of a difference if any at all, but it will make me feel like I'm doing my part.....typical American sentiment lol. I may be a bleeding heart liberal, but I'm also a major cynic, and a coward when it comes right down to it...I'd never be able to go to Africa to help in a mission or be a journalist. On the one hand, I cannot believe the cruel levels to which humans will stoop in quest of riches and power. I wish there was something that we could do to help make life better, even though hypocritically I am usually arguing over why Americans have to take care of everyone else. On the other hand, I know that this will never change.
I recently had to write an essay connecting a penchant for war and human nature. My cynical hand took over and I wrote rather pessimistically about how war is inevitable and Peace impossible because as long as people cannot share and cannot be accepting of differences, there will always be conflict. And although we as America could probably make a difference if we took a strong stand and stopped buying diamonds, there is no way in hell that that will ever happen, You want to know why? Because there is GREED. Greed which drives all morality away. And because all the little girls have to have their giant rock glittering on their finger for all to admire and be jealous over. Anyway, this movie made me think and in doing so that despite all my optimistic peace-talk and my 'make love, not war', I really have no faith in mankind. I see myself living out the rest of my days separated from the atrocities in the world, living a comfortable sheltered life while people continue to kill each at the drop of a hate without fail. The hopelessness of it all seriously almost made me start crying yesterday in class, the emotion was that strong. :(
I would like to say that although HORRIBLY depressing, Blood Diamond is still a good movie and one worth seeing is you can stomach the violence and the tragedy. One especially good aspect in its favor is the presence of a certain Leonardo DiCaprio is ruggedly gorgeous and who has at least one scene of amazing fanservice in which he is wearing only a towel around his waist....a lovely picture to be sure.
Anyway, I should really finish my English presentation...night lovelies.
Mo mhíle grá (my thousand loves)
B
So in my Political Philosophy class, we recently started a new unit on Human Rights. I'm not exactly sure why we need to learn things after taking the IB test, but I think it's mostly to keep the seniors from ditching in the last weeks of school. Anyway, for the last two days we have been watching the movie Blood Diamond about the internal and external conflict over resource and land control, especially control of the diamond trade. There is so much killing, at times it's hard to watch. I know that living in modern American society we become desensitized to violence, and I must admit that when watching a movie like Die Hard or Inception, I don't really care whether the bad guy dies or not, or whether, in Inception for example, nameless body-guards die. However this movie is on a whole different level. In the first ten minutes you see so many innocent women and children die, shot mercilessly by rebels. I think the thing that makes this movie different is the fact that this really happens, that right at this moment some innocent person in Africa is being killed because of some quarrel over resources or land.
At one point in the movie when all the heads of the world powers were gathering to discuss what could be done to help and how to change policies for the better, a comment is made about how America is responsible for the largest percentage of diamond sales, and that this was unlikely to change. This made me pretty upset. Personally, I don't like diamonds much, I've never been attracted to them, preferring color and simplicity. This movie however has made me vow that if I ever get married, I will not have a diamond ring, and I'll not buy any diamond jewelry. I know perfectly well that my boycott will not make much of a difference if any at all, but it will make me feel like I'm doing my part.....typical American sentiment lol. I may be a bleeding heart liberal, but I'm also a major cynic, and a coward when it comes right down to it...I'd never be able to go to Africa to help in a mission or be a journalist. On the one hand, I cannot believe the cruel levels to which humans will stoop in quest of riches and power. I wish there was something that we could do to help make life better, even though hypocritically I am usually arguing over why Americans have to take care of everyone else. On the other hand, I know that this will never change.
I recently had to write an essay connecting a penchant for war and human nature. My cynical hand took over and I wrote rather pessimistically about how war is inevitable and Peace impossible because as long as people cannot share and cannot be accepting of differences, there will always be conflict. And although we as America could probably make a difference if we took a strong stand and stopped buying diamonds, there is no way in hell that that will ever happen, You want to know why? Because there is GREED. Greed which drives all morality away. And because all the little girls have to have their giant rock glittering on their finger for all to admire and be jealous over. Anyway, this movie made me think and in doing so that despite all my optimistic peace-talk and my 'make love, not war', I really have no faith in mankind. I see myself living out the rest of my days separated from the atrocities in the world, living a comfortable sheltered life while people continue to kill each at the drop of a hate without fail. The hopelessness of it all seriously almost made me start crying yesterday in class, the emotion was that strong. :(
I would like to say that although HORRIBLY depressing, Blood Diamond is still a good movie and one worth seeing is you can stomach the violence and the tragedy. One especially good aspect in its favor is the presence of a certain Leonardo DiCaprio is ruggedly gorgeous and who has at least one scene of amazing fanservice in which he is wearing only a towel around his waist....a lovely picture to be sure.
Anyway, I should really finish my English presentation...night lovelies.
Mo mhíle grá (my thousand loves)
B
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Merry Beltaine! and other thoughts...
Hello everybody (although non-existent),
Merry Beltaine!
Today represents the joining of the God and the Goddess and is the time of growth and fertility. Also known as the Fire Festival, bonfires are lit in celebration of fertility and purification. In ancient days the herds of animals were passed between the two giant fires in order to purify them before sending them off to the summer pastures. This is the first day of summer in the pagan year.
( a great song to listen to, incidentally the one I'm listening to now, is Loreena McKennitt's "Huron 'Beltane' Fire Dance")
Do you ever have the feeling where you're just barely keeping your head above water and that at any moment the stress in your life will become too much and you'll just snap? I really hate feeling like this. Most of the time my stress-level is bubbling at bearable, but sometimes things will just set me off and I feel like I have to hit a wall, which of course never solves anything. The other day someone I love dearly was going on and on about their troubled love life and I was trying to help. I always take on the stress and drama of those I love which is not really all that healthy, but I am fiercely protective. Anyway, they were complaining and I told them that if they were so unhappy they should break it off with their significant other, to which they promptly told me to essentially mind my own business and that it wasn't my problem. This on top of some other stuff that's just been needling me, just set me off and I honestly wanted to punch a hole in the wall....I didn't, I cleaned instead. I hate cleaning, so I have no idea why I thought this would help, but apparently it did.
I am rather proud of myself however, for finally getting over something that's been seriously troubling me for months. Losing a friendship is always hard, but it's even harder when it's lost because of some personal foolishness on your part. This happened to me and I've been seriously trying to get over it for months but nothing's worked. I just couldn't reconcile myself to the fact that because of something I did, nothing was going to ever be the same...even when what I did was pretty minor and merely an annoyance. However, this last week I finally was able to write a poem which although saddening, it was very cathartic. I have come to terms with the situation but it's still depressing. But when the poem was finished, I felt a great weight lifted and despite the feeling of missing someone, my mood lifted significantly as if this has been dragging me deeper and deeper into the abyss of depression. So I'm putting my best foot forward and am slowly (but surely) recovering myself.
I have to study now, before my parents eat me alive, I have an SL Philosophy test on Tuesday and Wednesday..eek! :O
Síorghrá (eternal love) ♥
B
Merry Beltaine!
Today represents the joining of the God and the Goddess and is the time of growth and fertility. Also known as the Fire Festival, bonfires are lit in celebration of fertility and purification. In ancient days the herds of animals were passed between the two giant fires in order to purify them before sending them off to the summer pastures. This is the first day of summer in the pagan year.
( a great song to listen to, incidentally the one I'm listening to now, is Loreena McKennitt's "Huron 'Beltane' Fire Dance")
Do you ever have the feeling where you're just barely keeping your head above water and that at any moment the stress in your life will become too much and you'll just snap? I really hate feeling like this. Most of the time my stress-level is bubbling at bearable, but sometimes things will just set me off and I feel like I have to hit a wall, which of course never solves anything. The other day someone I love dearly was going on and on about their troubled love life and I was trying to help. I always take on the stress and drama of those I love which is not really all that healthy, but I am fiercely protective. Anyway, they were complaining and I told them that if they were so unhappy they should break it off with their significant other, to which they promptly told me to essentially mind my own business and that it wasn't my problem. This on top of some other stuff that's just been needling me, just set me off and I honestly wanted to punch a hole in the wall....I didn't, I cleaned instead. I hate cleaning, so I have no idea why I thought this would help, but apparently it did.
I am rather proud of myself however, for finally getting over something that's been seriously troubling me for months. Losing a friendship is always hard, but it's even harder when it's lost because of some personal foolishness on your part. This happened to me and I've been seriously trying to get over it for months but nothing's worked. I just couldn't reconcile myself to the fact that because of something I did, nothing was going to ever be the same...even when what I did was pretty minor and merely an annoyance. However, this last week I finally was able to write a poem which although saddening, it was very cathartic. I have come to terms with the situation but it's still depressing. But when the poem was finished, I felt a great weight lifted and despite the feeling of missing someone, my mood lifted significantly as if this has been dragging me deeper and deeper into the abyss of depression. So I'm putting my best foot forward and am slowly (but surely) recovering myself.
I have to study now, before my parents eat me alive, I have an SL Philosophy test on Tuesday and Wednesday..eek! :O
Síorghrá (eternal love) ♥
B
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