Inception = brilliant

I watched Inception this past weekend, and it totally blew my mind away. It was utterly brilliant and definitely lived up to every expectation I had.

Christopher Nolan is one heck of a genius - he directed and wrote The Prestige (one of my favorite magic films of all time), revamped Batman (The Dark Knight was a million times better than any other Batman movie), came up with the compelling and suspenseful mystery that was Memento, and most recently, gave us Inception, his project that supposedly took 8-10 years to produce. That's perseverance and determination right there.

So far there are two directors I really admire and respect - Christopher Nolan and Tim Burton - both very talented and creative in their projects. (I also love how Burton looks every bit like the eccentric and unconventional movies he produces.) Looking at Nolan's track record, he has the uncanny ability to come up original and unique ideas and make them spring to life on the big screen. That's kind of a rare thing, seeing as how almost every movie nowadays is a variation of a predictable equation.

Horror movies = the more blood and gore, the better.
Romantic comedies = boy meets girl, fall in love, separated by some obstacle, overcome it, live happily ever after.
Action movies = everything gets blown up and the hero never dies, no matter how many times he or she is shot or thrown off the top of a building.

So yeah. I was very much pleasantly surprised by the ingenuity behind Inception. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. And I loved the concept of dreams within dreams and the (un)certainty of reality. It's movies like Inception and A Beautiful Mind that sometimes make me wonder if everything I'm experiencing is true reality and not some vision from my imagination. Kind of ludicrous, I know, but interesting to mull over.

Anyway, I read somewhere about the similarities between Inception and Lost, best TV show ever. I still can't believe it's over; it's like a little part of me has died. I mean, Lost has been part of my life (and part of many bonding activities in college) for the past 4 years.

But anyway, both involve the characters flying from Sydney to LAX, both make the audience question their perspective of reality, both keep the audience second-guessing the entire time, and both have non-cliched endings that aren't predictable and yet satisfying. That, and some other stuff.

Sometimes I wish I could pick the brains of these directors and writers. The kind of stuff they come up with... it's unbelievable.

Lazy days for sick people

So I've been out of it for the past few days. A mild sore throat escalated to a full-blown flu within days, and period pains made me want to tear my uterus out of my body once and for all. No more period, no possible pregnancy torture = two birds with one stone. I wonder if anyone's really done that before.
Hmmm. 30 more years till this is all over.

Anyway, I've been drinking so much tea, I don't think I've ever drank this much tea this past year like I have this past week.

Peppermint tea. Totally soothes the throat and the stomach.

Apple cinnamon spice. Full of natural goodness and sweetness there's no need to add sugar. Got a packet of it from the Fremantle market and totally loved it.

So... since I've had a bunch of time in between blowing my nose and doubling over in pain, I've watched two Survivor seasons and the entire first season of How I Met Your Mother. 

The flame of my past obsession with Survivor has been rekindled. I used to watch every single episode of every single season, but then college came, and I didn't own a TV in my room, and other things just took priority.

So I watched Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, which was pretty much THE best season EVER. There were faces I recognized, but half of them I had never seen before. I totally rooted for the villains because they were wildly interesting and wonderfully manipulative - totally great entertainment. And it was very fitting that a villain won; the heroes were a little too bland and spineless in comparison.

Then I watched Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites, which was the second best season ever. Pitting experienced familiar faces against starstruck naive fans? Hilarious.

And then I started on the first season of How I Met Your Mother. I'd always heard great things about this TV show, how it's humorous and entertaining and all, and they were all true. I mean, I've seen a few episodes here and there, but now that I've watched it from the beginning, it all makes sense finally. One episode totally reminds me of The Hangover, too. Four more seasons to go!

Worst Reality TV Shows

I can’t imagine a time before reality TV, can you? Shows like ‘Survivor’ and ‘The Amazing Race’ have been around for countless seasons, and I really can’t remember what was on TV before these entertaining shows came on. I know reality TV has a bad reputation, seeing as how they’re full of catfights, backstabbing, and deliciously bitchy moments. And of course there are piles and piles of money to be won at the end.

It really brings out the worst behavior in humankind, motivated by money, the ‘root of all evil.’ But there are decent shows, like the above two mentioned, as well as ‘The Biggest Loser,’ which encourages people to lose weight and lead a healthy lifestyles (motivated by a cash prize), and ‘The Bachelor,’ which I view as harmless entertainment but others see it as a demeaning spectacle of relationships. Okay, I guess when I say ‘decent,’ I mean somewhat less undignified than the trashy shows listed below.

Temptation Island



I watched a few episodes of this show back in the day, when it was seen as shocking and controversial because of its content in a time where people were still conservative. But bring this show back now and people wouldn’t bat an eyelid. It’s about unmarried couples who are brought to an island where they experience temptations from the opposite sex, and their love is put to the test. Obviously some people failed. Sounds like real life – I don’t know why these people needed to be brought to an island when they could’ve faced those temptations anywhere. Well, I guess people tempting each other in bikinis and speedos is more entertaining than if they were in thick coats and jackets.

The Real Housewives of…



Really. I don’t know why there’s so much hype surrounding this. Ridiculously rich housewives going shopping, bitching about one another, going for manicures… Who really cares. And why are we helping them get even richer by supporting their pointless show??

Farmer Wants a Wife



When I first saw the preview for this series, I thought, “Wow, those TV producers must be getting desperate, or else their creative juices must be running on empty.” They put a Missouri farmer on TV, looking for love and choosing between several city girls… Right. It’s basically ‘The Bachelor’ in the cornfields. As interesting as watching my toenails grow.

My Super Sweet 16



Okay, first off, I have to admit I watch this series whenever I can. I know everyone else hates seeing those spoilt teenagers throwing ridiculously huge parties and receiving insane gifts like a car and some celebrity performing at their shindig, but… I just love laughing at how bratty they are, and how their parents give them whatever they want, not knowing they’re just raising their kids to be the next bimbo Paris Hilton. But it does get annoying at times, watching them toss so much cash out the window like its water. I mean, their freaking party could probably feed thousands of starving people for years, but do they care? No, they just want to scream at everyone and boss them all around and rub their decadent lifestyles in everyone’s faces! Okay, I may or may not be a teeny bit jealous of how insanely rich they are.

My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé



This poor girl, Randi Coy, agreed to have a fake marriage with fiancé, Steve, in order to win some money. Things would’ve gone much smoother if Steve played along, but little did she know that he was an actor who fit the title perfectly. Big and horrendously obnoxious in every way, he scared her unsuspecting family to tears. But they put up with it, and everyone won money in the end. I think I actually watched every episode of this one (I must’ve been bored), and it was rather painful. This is one instance where the end goal is not worth the traumatic journey.

The Swan



A mix of Extreme Makeover and every pageant contest known to humankind, this series was downright distressing to watch. I gave up after one episode. Just seeing those poor women with low self esteem go under the knife to become ‘beautiful’ by society’s standards was heartbreaking. My humble opinion has always been, say NO to plastic surgery. I think we were all created beautiful, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Seriously, a good haircut, contacts, and some makeup can change your life. I speak from experience. AND THEN, after they become unrecognizable after surgery, they enter into The Swan pageant to see who’s the most beautiful. Superficial. And talk about an immediate blow to your self-esteem. Can you imagine how awful they would feel if they went through all that surgery and STILL didn’t win the pageant??

Dating in the Dark



I didn’t plan on watching this one; I thought the premise was ludicrous, but someone told me to watch it for pure entertainment’s sake, and so I did. The show brings 3 men and 3 women into a house, and they never get to see the opposite sex until the final reveal. Their only interaction is in a dark room, where they talk, snuggle, play games, make out, etc. So obviously some couples connect, and emotions are stirred… Until they reveal their physical appearances to each other. And the ugly superficiality of humanity surfaces. Most of the time, the not-so-attractive person is left alone while the other leaves because, despite what we try to tell ourselves about inner beauty, we are a shallow generation. Everything about the show is cringe-worthy, because we all know the ugly person is just waiting to be rejected. I was relieved when the show finally ended.

Who Wants to Marry a Stranger

(This show must've been pretty obscure. Or else it was taken off air after one episode, because I couldn't find any picture of it at all.)

I just saw an episode of this show last night, and it was so absurd I totally had to include it in this list. Actually, this was what inspired me to make the list in the first place. It starts off with a woman planning her marriage. Sounds normal, right? But wait, she has no idea who the groom is. How she can plan a marriage around that, I have no idea. So it gets better – her mother, her best friend, and her sister get to meet 5 charming guys, interview them and their families in a mere 3 days, and pick one to marry the ‘lucky’ lady.

Filled with stressful moments, tense situations, and awkward circumstances, it’s actually a little entertaining, once you get past how sorry you feel for the bride. She must be paid a heck of a lot of money to do this, otherwise she’s either hearing her biological clock ticking fast and she's completely desperate to get married or she’s plain insane. I mean, meeting her husband at the altar for the first time? Not getting a chance to even see or talk to each other before they say ‘I do???’ It was definitely NOT the happiest day of their lives. And the shocker – both actually said yes. They probably thought if the marriage didn't work out, they could just get a quickie divorce. Seriously, marriage is becoming nothing but a piece of paper these days.

A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila



Oh boy. I was introduced to this outrageous MTV series in Chicago over sophomore year fall break, and I remember the girls being addicted to it. So I decided to give it a try, to see how good or bad it was. And it was BAD. It’s basically like ‘The Bachelorette,’ only this crazy Tila Tequila person is bisexual and gets intimate with girls and guys alike in the house. Talk about a messed up world. Needless to say, I wasn’t much of a fan.

I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here



I saw half of an episode once, mostly propelled by curiosity as to how Speidi (Heidi and Spencer from The Hills) were doing on the show. And my interest totally waned after mere minutes. This show just screams ‘desperate D-list actors trying to get into the limelight again.’ I didn’t even recognize anyone on the show except Speidi and Janice Dickinson, former catty America’s Next Top Model judge. The show’s concept was similar to Survivor’s, except with way less interesting people.

Are You Hot?: The Search for America’s Sexiest People


I'm guessing these are the 'hot' guys



The title says it all. Guys and girls would go on stage before a panel of judges, who would tell them if they were physically ‘hot’ or ‘not,’ AND THAT WAS IT. Superficiality at its proudest. There is seriously nothing redeeming about this show. I mean, who are the judges to say who is hot and who is not???

Marriage Ref



My friend showed me an episode of this once, and it was so absurd, we laughed our heads off. Basically, couples who cannot resolve their domestic arguments bring their case before a panel of judges (as well as the entire world), who will help them decide who wins. And some of their disputes are completely ridiculous, such as the husband who wanted a stripper pole installed in the bedroom because he wanted his wife to spice things up (of course the wife was horrified and appropriately indignant, but the husband won in the end), and the crazy husband who loved his dog so much he stuffed and preserved the dog after it died, and put it in a shrine in their house so he could see his dead stuffed dog everyday (if I were the wife, I would run away screaming immediately, and yes, she won of course). Oh the things people do. Amazes me sometimes.

So yeah, I don’t know why these reality TV shows are on air, but hey, if ever you’re really really really bored, and you've already plucked out all your hair and counted every speckle of dust in the room, then there’s always the last option of the trashy reality TV show.

What I fill my mind with

If you ask any of my friends here, they'll tell you I watch a ton of TV shows. I mean, I'm in America, the land of great trashy TV! I have to make full use of all the available entertainment here while I can! And I'm here to say entertainment shouldn't be viewed as all meaningless junk. Sometimes there is a little bit of entertainment value even in the trashiest TV shows, although shows like Tila Tequila's Shot at Love and I Love New York (rubbish reality dating shows) should never be seen by anyone with a lucid mind. But I think there is a line between being in the world and being of the world.

We shouldn't rope ourselves off from culture by living in a cave to avoid temptation, neither should we completely indulge in culture until it consumes our entire being. We need to at least know what's going on in popular culture to remain relevant, so knowing that teen girls are crazy over Twilight, or that college girls love to watch The Bachelor no matter how wrong the concept is, is actually important. I mean, we need to be able to relate to others and have some sort of knowledge of popular culture, because that's what everyone will be talking about. And to have some say in the conversation to connect with others, we have to actually understand what they're saying.

So that's my little rationale for watching all these TV shows. Plus sometimes you just need a little mindless entertainment to take your mind off the stresses of life.

TV Shows I am Currently Watching:

-LOST

The first time I heard about this mind-blowing show was when my brother introduced it to me, way back in season 1. I shrugged it off as another lame scary TV show that probably wouldn't last. Boy, was I wrong. I finally started getting into it sophomore year, I think, when I realized what a big deal it was on campus. Everyone who was anyone watched it, and so I thought, how bad could it be? Turns out it wasn't bad at all. I got caught up on all the seasons, and from then on, I was addicted. The show throws so many twists and turns that you're just kept on the edge of your seat the entire hour. And throughout the viewing experience, the dominating chain of thought usually goes something like this - 'no way, they did NOT just do that! that's insane!' (insert jaw dropping and eyes widening in shock)

Well, that's LOST for you. The amount of conspiracy theories and websites devoted to this show speaks volumes of its intensity and addictiveness. It's probably the only show I actually actively watch and discuss with others, because we just can't figure out what's going on... until May 22, 2010. The dreaded day when all this will end. I can't imagine what LOST fanatics will do when the show ends for good. I should add that LOST is also probably the only semi 'intelligent' show I watch, at least according to my friends.

-Grey's Anatomy

I know, I know, this show is STILL running?? It's probably in its sixth or seventh season, and I lost interest a while ago and skipped out on a few seasons, but now I'm back to watching it, mostly because it's a good way to waste time. It's changed a lot since season 1, where Meredith and gang started off as little interns, but it's pretty much heading toward a downward spiral right now. Some things just shouldn't last too long. And I've noticed that a lot of TV shows nowadays like to add a lesbian factor to their plot. What's with that?? Is it the result of the success of gay campaigning for equal rights or something?? This show has a lesbian couple, and there's one in Desperate Housewives, and a ridiculous threesome in Gossip Girl. What is going on, Hollywood???

-America's Next Top Model

What can I say, I love watching beautiful people on TV. Not that models are always pretty, but they make them pretty with piles of makeup and hairspray, and it's so fascinating to watch them transform from awkward bony girls to gorgeous supermodels in front of the camera. I love the photo shoots because they're just so ridiculous, and no one would ever wear those outfits in real life. Plus girl drama is always entertaining to watch.

-Gossip Girl

YES, Gossip girl is back, and with a vengeance! I have come to accept Serena and Nate's fickle-mindedness - I'm pretty sure they both have dated almost every other person on the show, and more. So I think they deserve each other indeed, since their relationships never seem to go past the physical. I'm glad Hilary Duff is gone, because she was just like an annoying little bug that had to be squashed. The first episode since its return was a little dry and dull, but, knowing Gossip Girl, things will probably spice up soon. xoxo

-Ugly Betty

I don't know a lot of people who watch this show (actually I don't know anyone who does), but I really genuinely like it. Maybe it's because Betty has my dream job in my dream city - working at a fashion magazine in New York City - that's why I watch it every week without fail. It's just so interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes in magazine publishing, even though I know most of it is probably exaggerated for the sake of drama. But still, I want to learn everything I can about my future dream job! Plus I love the fashion in the show.

-The Vampire Diaries

I never thought I would watch anything with vampires in it, until Twilight came along. And then my roommate in Los Angeles made me watch this, and I was kind of intrigued. Its concept started out pretty similar to that of Twilight's - a handsome, charming vegetarian vampire who falls in love with a human girl - but now it's evolved to break away from the Twilight mold. I'm still not entirely sure if I like it, I feel like its geared more toward teen girls. But it's mildly entertaining, and a good way to pass time, although it scares me occasionally, with its vampire cult and witch lore. I probably shouldn't be supporting the show huh.

-Flashforward

The show is returning on Thursday, and I am psyched!! Okay, it actually started out tremendously captivating, what with its 'the whole world blacked out on this day, and everyone who survived saw their future' slogan, but it got a little monotonous toward the end. So I'm looking forward to seeing what the writers have come up with and how they're going to hold our attention for a few more episodes.

Other honorable mentions include Glee, which is kind of like High School Musical, but WAY better. The acting is a little stiff, but the cast is incredibly interesting to watch and their songs are just riveting. Plus Matthew Morrison (the teacher) is definitely easy on the eyes, and Jane Lynch (the evil PE teacher) is seriously funny as the villain.

And What Not to Wear, which is this awesome show on the TLC channel that picks out horribly dressed people who have no fashion sense whatsoever, and gives them a makeover. I love makeover shows!! They just go to prove that everyone and anyone can be beautiful with the right hairstyle and makeup and clothes, no need for plastic surgery at all.

I am so glad someone somewhere in the past invented TV. What would we do without it? Probably find more useful ways to spend our time, but in TV's defense, I LOVE IT!

Week 4!

Time flies.
I got chastised twice today. at least by people who care about me.
More free stuff at work! brown and pink flip flops from this brand i've never heard of called flops. exactly in my size :)
they had this organic olive oil body scrub too, but it smelled funky, so i put it in the reject pile.

Wrote 2 features on this cool new parisian restaurant opening in a boutique mall in miami, and an organic hair salon in atlanta.
Then sat around and read the news and tried not to fall asleep. promptly left work at 5, got caught in the rain, which soaked my jeans thoroughly. ugh.

watched the bachelorette with some girls in their apartment.. they had a tv. how nice. anw it was ridiculously long. 2 hours! felt like five eternities.
Talked to andrew again - for the longest time. i don't know how we can talk so long. there's just so much stuff to talk about. plus he's open-minded, which is more than i can say for many people.
So on his recommendation, i shall read/watch more high culture stuff, instead of all the cheesy romance novels and lame movies i've been indulging in.
have you heard of the book entitled 'the heartbreaking work of a staggering genius' by dave eggers (the guy who co-wrote the new movie in theaters 'away we go')?
apparently it's an awesome book. so i'm gonna try and get it cheap on amazon.

Lazing around

.Day of Documentaries.

So i've been watching documentaries by National Geographic on Hulu... it's been really fascinating! since i can't be bothered to read, i guess i'll gain knowledge and expand my worldwide by watching (more) TV! :)
I watched this interesting documentary called 'Inside Mecca,' which chronicles Muslims' pilgrimage to Mecca. And i was completely riveted for an hour. Just listening to all these devout Muslims speak highly of their faith and their 'god,' and seeing how thousands of them came together to worship their 'one god'... just made me feel so in awe. and also rather disheartened that so many people are being deceived.

it made me wonder... do we as Christians even have such strong faith as they do? they hold on to their faith like it's the air they breathe, and sometimes i look around me and see Christians who claim to love God, but don't really live out their faith in their actions and words.
And there was this scene where the people all gathered in tents the day before the big day, and there were tents for people all over the world! (even one for singapore, which... i was totally shocked. didn't think Muslims in singapore were that devout)

I also watched 'Cracking the Da Vinci Code,' but got bored after half an hour. I don't see what the point is. Why bother to get into such heated debates over works by artists like Leonardo da vinci? Was he there when Jesus walked the earth? No. Was he there when Jesus died? No. Was he even a Christian? I don't think so.
So why are we analyzing his works and using them to find out about history??? I DON'T KNOW. makes no sense. just read the Bible, people. or maybe, just have faith.

And then i watched 'Haze' --- it was about this poor freshman guy who died in 2004 of college fraternity hazing activities. omg. what made it so sad was that it was totally preventable. so the freshmen were made to drink tons till they got ridiculously drunk. but his stupid frat 'brothers' just left him on the floor for hours, thinking he'd be ok the next morning. wrong move. but i guess they lived to regret it.

Also spent goodness knows how long trying to edit mom and dad's new online matchmaking stuff... and watched 'Anastasia'!!! my second fav cartoon movie after beauty and the beast. i got curious and wikipedia-ed it, and found out it's based on a true story! on the last royal family of imperial Russia, before the Bolshevik secret police came and murdered them all in 1918. And there was tons of speculation whether the grand duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna survived or not. There was even an impostor, Anna Anderson, who claimed to be the duchess until she died and a DNA test confirmed she wasn't. now why didn't they think of that earlier? I just thought that was really interesting. haha.

then hurried over to Times Square to get a passport photo and find the notary service to certify my passport. so i guess we really are applying for Australian PR after all. it's kinda exciting. i wouldn't mind living in Aust :)

But yeah. i'm feeling better now. thanks for your prayers/concern!

Lazy Sundays

.Sleeping In.


My favorite activity in the world :)

Sooooo... annoying guy has been texting and calling me... and i've been saying maybe, maybe, maybe. and then i said yes, and then i changed my mind cuz my roomie convinced me he'd get more persistent if i give him a chance...
so i shut him down. and then... he tells me he went and rented me a guitar 'cause i told him once before i missed playing my guitar! i was like, ughhhhhhhh... now u make me feel bad for turning you down. but oh well. don't like means don't like.

.Times Square Church.

Made my way to Times Square, entered into the church about 10 mins late. Not my fault, the subway took a lifetime to arrive! So the church was packed full with people, both in the auditorium downstairs and upstairs.
And WOW, the interior was beautifuuulll. It was decorated in deep rich red curtains on the sides, with gold threads separating them. The ceiling was painted beautifully, with angels and clouds that reminded me a little of the Sistine Chapel. And there were gothic-like structures and statues that kinda felt more like a museum than a church.

But as i was led to a seat in the middle of the auditorium, and as the worship band sang their song, it felt like home. The stage was huge, with a full-sized gospel choir and everything. Worship was pretty much awesome and contemporary, african-american gospel style. Although... most of the congregation consisted of people with greying hair. But they were nice. The lady beside me shared her Bible with me (can't believe i even forgot to bring my Bible to church).

And i really liked what the pastor said about God letting all our bad stuff come out in the early stages so they don't destroy us at critical moments in our lives. And that kinda goes along with everything else i've been hearing lately... maybe that's what happening to me now... God is raking away all the weeds in me now. Better to let the rebellious streak out now than next time when life gets tougher.

.Watching TV.

Been watching 'The Bachelorette.' I know, I know, not the best show in the world. But I was desperate. nothing else to watch.
anw..... how lucky is jillian to have 30 hot, charming guys after her?!?!??! totally jealous. haha.
ok that's all.

Day four and a half.

.Work Day.

HALF DAY today! happiness. i was nearly dying of cramps in the office. i'm sure they were wondering why i was so crabby, even though i was trying hard not to show it. almost decided to pop a pill, but then i realized i didn't bring my advil. dang it. but the cramps went away. and came back again almost instantly. so i spent the time cringing and biting my fingers and hoping time would go by quickly... and my manager kept giving me more and more work to do! finally i finished my work (researching new events in cities, finding new openings of restaurants and bars, etc.), came back, plopped down in my chair, and scarfed down leftover sushi and chocolate for lunch.
didn't go see Taylor Swift on the Today Show after all. too tired to wake up at an unearthly hour again.

.Catching Up.

On my 10 TV shows!
Grey's Anatomy: half-predictable ending. Izzie dying? totally saw it coming. knew her ego was getting too big for her to stay on the show. but George possibly dying? CRAZY! although they should end the show soon, cuz it's getting really draggy and slightly annoying.

Desperate Housewives: yes, i watch it. and people don't let me forget that. but omg. totally shocked that the psycho guy actually killed himself instead of getting revenge on susan by killing her son! at least he had some good left in him.

Lost: freaking craziness. that's all i can say. JACOB???!?!??!?!? next season needs to come out NOW.

Prison Break: totally LAME-O ending. how can the stupid producers let michael scofield die?? he's the MAIN CHARACTER. the reason i watch the show (which was getting draggy by season 3)!!! ugh. so stupid. i guess we can all be assured knowing there'll be no more prison break 1232837. but i'm glad they had a good ending. they deserved it. after running away for like 5 seasons.

Gossip Girl: catching up now!!

There's still One Tree Hill and Ugly Betty and Private Practice!

.Handing Out Random Stuff.

I was in the subway yesterday, when these two Amish-looking girls covered neck to toe handed me a Mennonite CD called 'Amazing Grace.' it looked really interesting, but i haven't listened to it.
and then today, on the way to work, this asian girl handed me a brochure/postcard thingy. i absent-mindedly took it, and saw that it was for a church!! i was so glad!! it's called Promise International Fellowship, and it's like 5 mins away from where i live. thinking about trying it out, since i haven't found any christians here.. nor have i found a church.

Discussions, discussions

So, Media, Faith and Culture class. Once again... has made me think about all the things that is wrong with Christianity. and i'm not saying it's bad. in fact, i love it. i thrive on it. it's so interesting and i feel like we, as Christians, ought to know all these things so we can improve and fight against it.

Anyway, in one of our readings, there was a intense survey done of the youths in America, and it said their top few criticisms of Christians was that Christians are
1. Hypocritical
2. Too focused on getting converts
3. Judgmental
4. Anti-homosexuals

Isn't that so sad? That Christianity is beginning to be known for what it stands AGAINST rather than what it stands FOR. That people only see the bad side of Christianity through crazy people like Britney Spears who claim to be Christians but obviously do not know what that means.

And then we watched a HBO documentary called 'Friends of God', where this non-believer went around the States to document Christians. And obviously her stance was biased, and she only went to the Bible Belt of America - the South (like Texas, Tennessee, etc.) and she only showed the controversial, weird parts of Christianity. Like pastor Ted Haggard (this was before his scandal, though. and on another note, i really don't judge him or think bad of him even though he did something wrong. cuz we're all sinners. his sins just happened to be televised on national TV. and we all have the potential to fall, but grace is the only thing that keeps us from falling), who managed to make Christians look really unreal and weird.

And there was this Christian Wrestling Federation, where this Christian guy nicknamed 'Jesus Freak', the founder, claims his wrestling matches takes wrestling and cleans it up for kids. well, i don't know what he means by 'clean', but his matches look pretty darned violent to me, just like WWE, minus the crude language. and there are all these kids screaming and yelling in excitement as they watch people bash each other up in the ring. and then at the end there's an altar call, and the pastor claims 10% of the kids/youths accept Christ.

So what does this mean? should we support this kinda stuff? Just cuz a few lives are saved? no doubt, every life is precious in God's eyes, but at what cost? So does this mean we can start up a 'Christian' club and have parties, drinking, gambling and all that stuff, then at the end give an altar call, and as long as a few people receive Christ, it's ok? that makes it Christian? I DON'T THINK SO. if this is the case, then, seriously... anything goes. u can do whatever u want and just slap the 'Christian' title on it to justify your actions.

And then, Rolling Stone magazine had this article written about this guy, Ron Luce, who hosts 'Acquire the Fire' conferences around the States. And each time, about more than 10, 000 youths attend his rallies, and they're so... extreme. it's like a huge, radical youth crusade. They have mass confession and weeping, then they proceed to show off their best dance moves for God, and there's also all kinds of bands that perform, and they do other stuff like write down 'things of the world' they wanna give up for God like music, movies, even Starbucks and Victoria's Secret and cereal. and then the preacher, Ron Luce, tells them all kinds of extremist stuff like 'real stories' about people who have 'lost their souls to secularism'. like there was a girl who left Jesus and got date raped, or another girl who dated a non-Christian boy and now lives a bisexual lifestyle and works in the porn industry.. it's all just so... extreme. and they sound like an orgy of emotions.

And then (sorry to go on, but there's just so many interesting things we talked about), there was this website which looked like a porno site, but then when u actually click and click and click inside, it leads to testimonies about how people have stopped their addiction to porn, and there's also a hotline to call for help with addiction to porn. and this method of getting people to the site but misleading them and making them think it's something when it's not, is called the 'bait and switch' method. which i think is totally wrong. how can u deceive people into thinking something when it's not this thing at all??

but then again, it makes me think of how... most of the evangelistic events we have are kinda 'bait and switch'. in a way. like we tell people it's a magic show or a musical, or we bring people in by enticing them with video games, and then at the end there's an altar call and we expect them to come to Christ.. i dunno.
SO MANY THINGS TO THINK ABOUT! my head is bursting.

i should probably go get some sleep.

Oh internships

So been trying to find internships that i can do over the summer here in the States..and it's been so unbelievably impossible to find the perfect one. i'm not even that choosy, but i do need to find one that provides housing, cuz obviously i have no family here..and if transportation were provided that'll be cool too. and to be paid would be very nice. so that narrows it down to like 0.001% of all the internships available. argh. i've found a few...hopeful ones.. for magazines..national geographic..disney..abc.. world gospel mission..all that stuff. gonna get my resume together tomorrow and meet up with my advisor. really wanna apply and get this over with! doesn't help that alot of the deadlines are over already and i'm kinda late in applying for the summer!

in other news, my NEW YEAR resolution is... to be happy, healthy and hardworking! the 3Hs. haha. happy as in not stressed about classes or projects or the Echo or relationships, healthy as in working out 4 times a week (which i've been doing so far!) and eating healthily (because there are wayy too many things i wanna do in this world before going back to be with the Lord), and hardworking as in... not slacking too much. like i am right now :)

ooh in other other news, i saw the Grammys on sunday night!! awesomeness. and i saw, on TLC channel after that, THE PREGNANT MAN. and of course i was totally taken aback when i saw it. they were filming him giving birth somemore!! totally traumatized cuz how can a man give birth omg. but then as they story went on, i realized 'he' was a WOMAN. who did a sex change but still has female reproductive organs. ew ew ew. how can they even call 'her' a MAN when obviously she was born and still is a WOMAN??? she just looks like a guy and is married (ew) to another woman, but still... a woman!

so i was disappointed. i thought they made like some scientific breakthrough where guys can now get pregnant. because, as those who know me will know, i have no plans to have children. that's what adoption is for. i mean, why bring another child into this world when there are so many poor, lonely, starving children who don't even have anyone to provide for them??? plus being pregnant is painful and traumatizing. and i've paid my dues for suffering every month (or even twice a month).
enough said.

Happy Thanksgiving!

first off, let me say, I am LOVIN' this thanksgiving break!!

so we left on tues afternoon... drove for 10 whole hours straight (with one bathroom break and a dinner break)... sang along to hundreds of songs, talked about tons of random topics, and finally... we arrived at HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA!!! awesomeness.

katie's house is soooo cool. i must admit, i absolutely LOVE american homes. at least all those that i've been to. they're ALL so... wonderful! comfy. cosy. beautiful. huge. they have fireplaces! cool-lookin kitchens! huge backyards! i SO wanna live here! it's just soooo...awesome.
so we reached at like 11pm. met katie's parents and sister. they're cool :) she has a crazy fat little dog called 'mia'. which means dog hair and spit all over the house. but oh well.

so wed we went grocery shopping. made our very own dinner - pigs in a blanket and mac&cheese straight from the box. the best. they came in spiderman shapes too :)


then we watched katie's awesome TV, which has like over 1000 awesome channels!! the best tv EVER!!! every single kind of show you could ever wanna watch is right here. this is like heaven on earth. got hooked on the marathon of Baby Borrowers, a show where teenage couples get to experience taking care of babies, then toddlers, then kids, then teens, then the elderly. was so interesting. they were pretty much immature and fighting all the time and the poor kids got neglected.


we also watched Holes, which was pretty awesome too. starring pre-puberty Shia Lebeouf :)
then we climbed into the hot tub in her backyard!! for like an hour plus. was so nice and relaxing. could've stayed there for hours.

ystdy was THANKSGIVING! TGIT! THANK GOD IT'S THANKSGIVING! haha. got up at noon and started cooking. we made an ENTIRE Thanksgiving meal! i am so proud of us. made turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole (it's like mashed sweet potatoes with melted marshmallows on top. the best), corn, fruit salad, bread rolls...
yup. pretty much the best thanksgiving meal ever!!! my 3rd so far this year. haha.
my first was at a lunch my friend's church prepared, second was one my wing prepared for us and the brother wing. i love thanksgiving meals. so yummy.
then we had a DDR partay :) and hot chocolate and phase 10 by the fireplace. i love fireplaces.

and today's BLACK FRIDAY!!! the best day of the year! where shops everywhere have INSANE sales!! we were gonna get up at 7.30am to rush to the mall in a kiasu fashion, but then we all kinda slept in. till noon. haha. but everything was still there when we arrived at the mall. which was PACKED. could hardly find a parking spot. got stuff from old navy, deb, forever21, bath&body works, fye, jc penneys... and now my arms hurt from carrying the bags. haha. the mall was awesome though. filled with christmas decorations and jolly cheer :)
then we had dinner at mamma mia's! yummy italian food for cheap prices and huge portions. we'll be eating leftovers for the next few days. still have turkey and stuff from last night.
watched madagascar 2 at this cheap theatre, which really wasn't that bad. and it only cost $3. was pretty nice. it was kinda funny..but also kinda lame.


And this little creature was so adorable! :)


hopefully mountain hiking tmr..but 80% chance of rain. sigh. but overall, it's been pretty good. weather's been SO nice! t-shirt weather in dec! imagine that.
God is good, all the time! :)

Makes me happy

so glad today's over. was the longest day ever. but wow. i'm learning SO MUCH from my freelance writing class! am totally in awe of my prof. he's like, the coolest person. ever.
here's a list of his credentials:
-he's written and published 51 books
-he's got more than 1000 devotions published! (who does that!!)
-he WROTE THE SCRIPT for the movies armageddon and mask of zorro!!!!! omg. i'm so glad i get to learn from him!!!!!

and he was so encouraging today too. cuz we had to read our devotionals aloud in class. and he gave feedback. can't wait to send mine in and hopefully get published!! if there's any prof i wanna have a 3 1/2 hour class with, it's definitely him. i've never known anyone who has sooo many stories to tell. he's been through so much. he was in world war 2, where his army mate stepped on a grenade and blew half his face up. omg. the experiences he tells us...i'm like wow. and he recites all these books, poems and stories from memory and acts them out dramatically. really interesting guy. feel like i learn more from 3 1/2 hours with him than the whole of last semester!

i got to have thai food on sat! faith cooked and invited us over to her apartment :) and ooh. my first drive-in movie experience on sun. was a brother-sister wing event, so i got to know some of the guys on our bro wing. was pretty fun! although superrr freezing cuz it was at night and the movie was outdoors. watched 'drillbit taylor'..kinda stupid but kinda funny too.

currently obsessed with marie digby's acoustic version of 'umbrella'.
ecstatic that prison break premiered on mon!! (awesome 2 hour premiere. SARA'S ALIVE!!!) plus gossip girl. plus one tree hill. and america's next top model's coming today. aaaahhhh. so many shows, so little time. getting hooked on the office too!!

grace like rain

my new fav christian song! played it over and over and over again!
hallelujah..grace like rain..falls down on me :)

this week's been pretty AWESOME :) relaxing.

mon had our first greece n italy meeting as a group. 40 of us! i'm so excited!!!! can't wait for jan. wed had a midterm for one of my media classes. my only midterm exam! my classes rock. it wasn't that hard. although i stayed up pretty late tues night studyin..cuz didn't start studyin till tues. haha. had a study break watchin beauty n the geek in rebecca's room. love it! even managed to make it to chapel on wed..the speaker was pretty cool. she came to our class too. she's a taylor grad..works in a christian magazine now. sounds really cool, what she does.

doing pretty well in classes. which makes me really happy. cuz i'm taking classes for my major, and doing well in them is a good sign! it means i'm in the right major! thank God. it would make me really sad if i ended up not doing well. like, in two of my classes, my profs told us that they have high standards for writing papers..and that if we get an A, it means the paper is reallyyy good. so i was super stressed out. didn't wanna get a B or C! but turned out i got As for papers in both classes! made me soooo relieved. maybe i can write well after all. thank God!! but my grades for presentation isn't as good. got Bs..but that's ok. i like writing better than talking. haha.

ok, so i'm SUPER EXCITED for what i can do with my life now. ahahha. there's just SO much stuff i can do with my major! i love it so much! i dunno what to do! should i write for a newspaper, magazine, or..my latest realization..work in the music industry!!! that'll be SO awesome. there's this contemporary music center study abroad thing that taylor offers..where u get to go to boston for a semester and just immerse yourself in music!!! how cool is that!!! like u learn about the industry..u can choose to be an artist n write and perform songs, or u can choose to learn the executive part of it..like managing artists and stuff. that sounds really fun. like, i totally wanna do the artist one..but..dunno if i'm good enough. sigh!

i realized i'm not really happy this year..why?? cuz i'm running the TCA worship ministry instead of being in it. i dun really have any opportunity to lead worship this yr! which makes me kinda sad. i think i'd rather be doing the ministry than being in charge of it. sighhhh. oh well. maybe next year.

i was practicing my guit n singing last night..just random worship songs..and this girl just popped into my room, and was like, ur so good! i can hear u from outside! i was like..omg. pple can hear me outside??? so weird!! i dun like that my room is just next to the door. grrr. ooh a few guys i know wants to go to hillsong college after graduation. that'll be so cool! i wanna go too :)

today was fun! slept in. watched the guys' soccer game..had a movie event..was supposed to show 'i not stupid'..but the stupid movie didn't get here in time! so we showed 'the host'..some scary korean show. ewww. made bubble tea!! i can make pretty good bubble tea! yay! drank like two cups. yummyyyy. went to open mic night at the union..there were some pretty good voices there. it's the weekend tmr! YAY :)

blehh

still kinda sick-ish. not very happy about that!! aaaahh.. been trying to eat healthy n sleep lots and drink lots of water. but it's still like that! for 3 days alrdy! sigh. anw i love the kinda new hillsong cd..savior king!! it's just awesome like that.

so..really excited for TCA!!! aaahhh!!! more pple signed up!!! it made my sitting at the DC for 2 hours every dinner worth it :)
we have tons of worship leaders..singers..pianists..guitarists trying out. but no drummer!!! aaahhh. will have to go find one. i would do it, but simply don't have time. anw..psyched for auditions!!!! YAY.

went to the dentist after all. on thursday early morning. like at the crack of dawn. uggghhhh. so a girl from my wing drove me 20mins to the dentist..i filled out the forms..sat on the dentist's chair..terrified to death..no mummy by my side!! but it went ok.. he was really nice..talked to distract me from my fear, which i'm sure was painfully obvious. heh. and he had to inject me with anesthesia to numb my mouth!! i was like, it this really necessary??? aaahhh. and then my eyes remained closed for the remainder of the time. sounded like a huge construction crew was working on my mouth, the way he drilled and drilled!! was kinda painful. and the right side of my mouth was numb for a few hrs. but i'm fine now. thank God! it was a good time cuz i had a nice, one way conversation with God..haha.

watched the premiere of beauty and the geek season 4 ystdy!! it rocks!!! soo excited. haha. so..i've got tons of hw this weekend..gonna finish it NOW so i can enjoy my bdae! kinda weird. feel like i dun really care that it's my bdae anymore. but oh well. we're gonna go go-kart racing attempt no. 2 tmrw! yay :)

prison break!

my new addiction on tv...prison break! omg. such a great show!!! hot guy + thrilling plot = me stuck in my room all day watching prison break season 1. haha. at such a bad time too!! on finals week i get addicted to so many shows! but seriously. so interesting the plot! abt this guy who purposely commits a crime so he can go to prison n get his bro, who's on deathrow, out. so cool! anw..chem final went ok. really glad to get it over with.

ate thai food today! yay! cartoon's mum is soo nice..she flew all the way here just to pick her up n go all the way back to china! i wish my mum would do that! haha. but then again..i shld be independent n learn to fly on my own. plus i'll get to shop in JFK! hopefully there's gd stuff there to buy :)

ok..just wanted to say how incredibly excited i am to go home! seems so close yet so far! time is crawling by! well actually not..since i've watched like 6 40-min episodes of prison break ystdy n 6 more today. haha. back to watching! and then start studying for public speaking. haven't done anything yet. heh. and it's tmr 8am!!!!ugh. hate morn classes. so gonna wake up at 7.55 n walk there in my pyjamas.