The Geisha

I was also working on my painting this weekend. I think it's coming along pretty good...















I still have to define the Geisha's face more, along with her kimono, but that will take time.

My next step will be to add the cherry blossoms in. They will be sponged and splattered onto the canvas. I think it's going to look pretty cool :)

And I already have an idea for my next painting....

A Weekend at the Box Office

This weekend I saw two movies that I've been wanting to catch...

1. My Sisters Keeper

All I can say is, phew, bring some kleenex with you. This is one touching tear-jerker. I believe I cried (perhaps even sobbed) through the whole thing.

For any who are not familiar...this is the story of a young girl who sues her parents for medical emancipation when she is expected to donate a kidney to her sister (who is dying of leukemia).

It's a very interesting story, and it really made me think...

Was it wrong for the parents to conceive Anna (the child who sues her parents) through in vitro fertilization to be a genetic match donor for Kate (the child who is dying from leukemia)?

This is such a tough one. If you had a child with leukemia, I'm sure you would want to do anything and everything you could to prolong or save their life. It would be a natural instinct. However, having a child for the specific purpose of being donor...? It's not fair to that child. It seems to place more importance upon the sick child than the healthy child. Which, I would venture to say is usually the case, though I would think it would be unintentional.

In the movie, there is a part where Anna's parents are asking her why she is doing this. Her mom is furious. Anna yells "I matter too Mom! I matter too!" and she leaves the room. Water works.

And what about Anna? How would it feel to know that your parents only had you in hopes of saving your older sister? How would it feel to love that sister, and want her to get better, but also want to live your life too?

One of the most touching parts of the movie for me was when Kate meets Taylor. Their relationship was so sweet, and so real. After Kate has chemo, Taylor comes to the hospital. She doesn't want him there understandably, but he knows what it's all about, and he grabs a bucket for her when she pukes. Their relationship is so bittersweet.

Now the ending in the movie is quite different from the book (or so wikipedia tells me). I did like the ending though, and it seemed to fit very well. I won't spoil it, but like I said, you might want to bring some kleenex with you.


2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I saw this one in IMAX which was pretty cool. Unfortunately, only the first 15 minutes were in 3D, but what can you do?

As with all Harry Potter movies, I once again felt cheated.

I understand that they have to keep it within a reasonable time frame, and that means cutting some things out, but what really irks me is when they add things in!

There is no need to add anything into a perfectly good story. Especially when you are already cutting things out! It really gets my goat.

I also get very irritated when they change things. There is no need for it! Harry Potter is a saga. Changing vital things messes up the story, and the interwined clues that lead into the next book/movie.

The other thing is that they changed the music in this movie. It is different from the previous 5. A little more froofy if you ask me. It wasn't terrible, but it seemed out of place.

I'm sure I will like it in a few years, once my mind has forgotten all the little details of the book, but still. I just wish the director would stick to the book. The book has made how many millions? "Harry Potter" is worth billions. I don't think you need to change anything.

I still recommend seeing it though. Books will always be better than movies.

'Indie' how I love thee

A friend of mine is a very talented musician. He wrote a song for an indie film project by Sentinel Films. Check it out on the following link:

http://sentinelfilms.com/oneday.html

What will the world look like hundreds of years from now? When you ask a
question like this it’s unlikely you will get the same answer twice. But one
thing most people agree on is that the world will continue to head in the same
direction that it is heading right now. They paint a picture of technological
advances, medical breakthroughs, and of course, deadly warfare. But what if that
wasn’t the case? From the creators of Success? comes a
new short film that examines what the world could look like by looking in on a
college class hundreds of years from now as the professor discusses world
history with his students.

This film looks quite interesting. A film about the future that doesn't involve flying cars and MacDonald's cheeseburgers popping out of microwave dinner containers.

The fashions shown remind me of the '90s. Interesting.

Perhaps future society became more like Little House on the Prairie and less like Minority Report. Something to think about.

Generation Lazy

Since when did proper english become obsolete? Oh right...in the midst of text messaging replacing every other form of communication.

Forget letter writing, when was the last time you picked up your cell phone (who has land lines these days) and called a friend to make plans? You know, actually called them. Talked to them, and arranged plans.

Now don't get me wrong, I like texting. It's a great way to stay in touch with people while you are doing other things at the same time. We all love to multi-task. But, since when is it ok to write abbreviations for every single word in the english language?

I kid you not, here is a text that I recieved:
"Js g2 chk wit parents bt im nt at hme nd can u send me ur adres"

These kinds of text messages drive me crazy. Not only does it prove you are one lazy person (how much longer would it really take you to write an "a" in front of "nd"?), but it takes me longer to read them because they are so ridonculous.

I understand the whole 'letter limit per text' argument. But how many people aren't on a text plan these days? Most companies offer unlimited text options for pretty low rates. So, if you are an avid texter, you probably have a good texting option built into your phone plan. If you don't, then don't write long texts. Messages such as the above, typed in proper english, would not exceed the letter limit of a text. And what happened to punctuation?

Sometimes I wonder if the generations of the future will regress back to caveman grunts for communication.

Or perhaps I'm just an old soul.

The Little Things

Today I was thinking about how it has been a long time since I went to the library. These days I usually stroll around Chapters or browse amazon online. Since everything these days is about convenience, it's more convenient to own books (so you can read them at your leisure) rather than borrow them (and return them by a certain date), right? And it's also more convenient to order them from your laptop while lounging at home, and have them delivered to you, yes?

But so many things get lost in our quest for convenience...

I used to love going to the library. I would ride my bike there during school breaks and peruse through dozens of books. I usually wound up taking out many books at a time, and I was always putting books on hold. I even had my library card number memorized for placing holds online.

Or even browsing around Chapters... I always loose track of time when I'm in Chapters. I love the smell of books. I love wandering through the store and seeing the endless possibilities of things I could learn about. I love adding books to my list of books to read. I love thinking about the imaginary worlds I could get lost in through the pages of a book...

This got me thinking a little about how much I dislike North Americans' way of life. It's not that I dislike the people in and of themselves, but I dislike the way we place convenience over enjoying the simple things in life. We are always trying to get a millions things done in short periods of time. Rush, rush, rush. Money, money, money. I know that time is a luxury, but I wish we could just 'stop and smell the roses' more, if you will.

Why do we need 24 hour MacDonald's? Why do we need 24 gyms? While I will concede that the way we structure our lives necessitates these extra conveniences, I must say that I don't think they are beneficial to us in the long run. I think that better planning and perhaps more realistic expectations in the aspect of 'to do lists' would nulify the need for such frivoulous 'conveniences'. Of course, the working world would have to compliment these changes.

However, the lifestyle on this continent will probably never change. Millions of people's attitudes would need to shift very drastically. And so, I once again confirm that I belong in Europe. Where people would think 24 hr MacDonald's are a ridiculous notion and perhaps closer to the plane of a sci-fi novel than the real world. Where employers expect people to be late for work, and expect people to need time off during the day to go to the bank. A place where you will find dozens of parks throughout cities that are actually used regularly. A place where walking is a normal mode of transportation, and you can gaze around in wonder at all the history that surrounds you. A place that will sooner restore an old building than tear it down immediately and build a new ugly one in it's place....

After my little segue there...In the process of looking up a CD on the library catalogue, I discovered that Calgary is planning a new Central library, and boy does it look awesome!

http://calgarylandmarklibrary.com/index.html

I wish it was going to be up and running sooner than 2012! And I really hope it looks like the library from Beauty & The Beast....Floor to ceiling books displayed in a grandiose manner with little sliding ladders... Ahhhhh!

On the website they mention some "New Landmark Libraries". When I go to Amsterdam, I definitely want to check theirs out. You have to love architects that have such great vision, and take the time to really think about the who what why and how of their projects.

I am off to the library this weekend to relive the magic :)

Another long day at the office

I joined the blogging world!

My first post is edited to say that I can't wait to go back to school next year *fingers crossed*