FYI: For some reason, I got a 45/41 on this thing.. Odd, I so BSd it. Done last year. therefore, 4th year in Canada.
As I said, I was going to post past projects that I really liked here. So, please, DO NOT READ IT. You're wasting your time, I tell you. Go away.
Well, here goes.
This move seems to be about Greek-American culture;in fact, it is really about all kinds of ethnic people/cultures and the differences each culture brings. Explain how we can see this in the film.
~~~~Just before the first five minutes of the film ended, it has already shown us a great number of differences between the two main cultures in the film: Greek and your typical American. Toula's first lines actually told us how big the difference of expectations a Greek girl has from an American one. She stated that they were expected to do three things in their lives: first, marry a Greek boy, second, make Greek babies, and third, feed everyone.
~~~After that, she started to talk about her growing up years. As a six year old kid, she already knew that she was different. From her looks ("I was a swarthy six year old with sideburns." -Toula) to the food that she ate (i.e. Moussaka vs. wonder bread sandwiches) and the extre schooling she got (greek school). Also, as a kid, she grew up getting used too her mom's delicious cooking and her special side dish, which was called "steaming hot guilt". If anyone thinks that that wasn't enough, their house was modeled after the Parthenon, completed with Corinthian columns and was guarded by the gods.
~~All in all, Toula's concluding sentence was: "And in case the neighbours had any doubts about our heritage, they could just check out our subtle tribute to the Greek flag."
~These are just some of the many examples of how Toula and the film itself showed the difference between each culture.
What cultural dilemma/problem do Ian and Toula face?
~As a Greek woman, Toula was expected to marry a Greek man, make Greek babies and feed everyone. And so, after falling for and getting together with Ian, they faced the wrath of her whole family (especially her father) for two main reasons: first, for not letting them know earlier, and second, for Ian not being... well, Greek. But Ian wanted to prove how much he loves her, and so, he decided to freely become a part of the Greek Orthodox Church in order to be able to marry Toula and not offend her family and the traditions they lived by.
If you were Ian, would you have agreed to join another church in order to marry Toula? Explain why or why not.
~If I were him, my decision would lie based on the Church's traditions. If its beliefs and my original Church's beliefs are quite similar, and not contradictory, then I would choose to become a part that Order. I can't really base my decision on the things that he based his for, for I have never been in the same situation (and doubt that I'll ever be).
What are some of the symbols related to Toula's culture that were present in the film? Why is it important to her family to have these cultural symbols displayed?
~The first symbol related to Toula's culture was the family's house completely based 9just the outside) on the infamous Parthenon. The second was the Greek gods outside their house that was meant to 'protect' the inhabitants within it. The other symbols that followed throughout the film were: the Greek flag, the food, dances and the wine. All these symbols held great importance to Toula's family. For one, it reminded them of their hometown and mother country. Second, every time they see, eat or participate in one of these symbols/traditions, they feel as if they were home. It also reminded them to not forget about their own culture, while they adapted to a new one. in short, these symbols made their culture more distinct and unique than anyone else.
How does Toula feel about her culture and her family?
~~~Ever since the start of the film, Toula felt trapped by her family and their culture: the expectations that she had to live up to, the traditions that slowly pissed her off and the rules that she had to follow. near the beginning of the film, Toula showed an interest in studying computers. But since Greek girls were expected to be married by her age, and not do anything else except help out in their family restaurant, Toula barely had any choice. Therefore, she asked her mother for help in convincing her father to let her go to college and find her own path for success.
~~As the story progressed, she met and ignored one of her family's traditions - having a Greek boyfriend. As happy as she was in finding Ian and having him on her life, she was afraid to introduce him to her family for she had never known anyone within it that got together or marry a non-Greek. In the end, Ian had to become a part of her Church, in order to marry her.
~Speaking of marriage, Toula and Ian never had any say on the event. Her whole family decided to budge in and make their opinions matter (and happen). Toula felt taht they were too pushy and loud, and big and annoying. But as she said in the end, no matter how much they fought or laughed, they were still her family.
What is the major institution that is present in this film? Describe who is a part of it, each member's roles and the values/norms that are being upheld in this institution.
~The film My Big Fat Greek Wedding is basically about the Portakalos family's traditions and the life that they live. The main family consists of Gus (Kostas) as the father, Maria (mother), Athena (the "perfect" - Greekly speaking - older sister), Fotoula (a failure of a woman - in Greek terms) and Nick (the artist wannabe). Gus, as the head of the family dictates and ensures order to everyone within it. He also acts as the decision maker - in short, whatever he says goes. Maria, the "neck" of the family, cooks, takes care of the children and manages the restaurant. She acts as the referee between everyone and makes Gus understands his children's decisions. She's also the only one who can turn the bull-headed Gus the other way around. Athena, the oldest child in the family, portrays the perfect woman (in Greek terms). She had successfully married young, had three kids and learned to nag a whole lot more than what she's used to. In the movie, she left the confines of the Portakolos family and is now living with her poor husband. Toula, the protagonist of the story, works at her family's restaurant, the Dancing Zorba, and was afraid of getting stuck there for the rest of her life. in the family, she acts as her mother's and sister's assistant and works as a waitress at the restaurant. last but not the least, is Nick. As the second man in the family, he's given and is expected to do two main tasks: to cook in the restaurant and to marry a Greek virgin.
Do you feel that Canada has largely succeeded in creating a great "mosaic" or is it more like a "salad bowl"?
~Based on the school alone, teachers and students can really see and feel the differences of the people around them - especially at lunch time where all the little cliques gathers up and eat together as a group. Canada, in my opinion, has been successful in introducing and 'mixing' together tons of different people from other cultures but isn't quite there yet to be considered a "mosaic". people still tend to "hang out" with those of the same race, color, religion and physical looks. Just looking at all of the grades, most of the more oriental-looking Asians hang out together at lunch (hence, the "Asian table"). And although they may have "other" friends, they mostly keep to themselves. i, for one, having been in this country for four years** [at the time] was used to this even if I hang out with, as I would say, a truly mixed group at lunch. I believe that no matter whom or what we are, all of us have that instinct of wanting to be with the people who we feel that we belong to.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Memories of Music
First story ever written. Sorry for my poor attempt. It was for an ISU in English class.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Luke Cosgair said to try and reassure her.
"Well, okay. But we better not have potatoes every single day!" Maria said. "You know how much I love Chinese take-outs!"
Luke smiled and turned towards the window of the plane. As calm as he looked, he was actually really nervous. Six years ago, he ran away from home and hasn’t come back since then. Well, not technically. he asked his seanathair's [grandfather] permission, but not his seanmgathair's because he knew that she would object.
He looked back at his now sleeping wife and wondered whether they were going to accept her or not. Of course they will...he thought. I chose her. But as sleepiness ran through his veins, his last thoughts were a vague compilation of all his soon-to-be problems.
Five hours later, they arrived in the airport at County Waterfold, Ireland. Alive and kicking - yes, kicking. They were both stretching their legs due to the numbness caused by the long time of sitting in the plain, when like saw his grandfather.
"Conas ata tu? [How are you]" Luke called. "Well.. Here we are!"
"Hi," Maria said nervously
Athair smiled at her and ushered them into the taxi. Like’s grandparents don’t own a car because it cost too much and they both preferred to walk around – stretch their bones. As they walked out of the airport, Athair looked Luke straight in the eyes. Oh, here comes that scary look, Luke thought as he saw it coming. Indeed. Athair gave him a piercing glance. He gave it right back and nodded. His grandfather nodded back. He knew that they now understood each other – no words were needed. He understood Luke’s decision and fear, and he respected it.
They drove for about an hour without much traffic. It was a pretty long drive because the airport was located at the main city in the county, while the family house was by Bunmahon.
Bunmahon was a small village named after the River Mahon. It was originally a mining village and was converted to Catholicism in 1842. It has several churches that can each hold about three hundred people. Due to the role it served in the 1800s, there were a lot of inns located around the village and houses were quite small. The House of Cosgair, on the hand, contained five: the master bedroom, Like’s, a reading room, and guests rooms.
The other guest room originally served as the lodging for Luke’s parents, but was left along after their divorce and the abandonment of Luke. Maria, also parentless at this time, was born in Italy. She and her family moved to the US in search of a better life, but that hope was cut short. After a few years, her parents died from a drive-by and she was sent to an orphanage. Through her teen years, she worked hard in order to save enough money for art school – where she and Luke met.
The newly-weed couple decided to stay at the Cosgair House for a few days. But their stay was elongated due to the pleas from the people that lived within it. Mhathair seemed to have taken a liking to Maria. Luke had to admit taht he was very nervous about Maria and his grandparents’ meeting, but was not at ease after seeing them get along very well.
Maria was enjoying her stay at the House. Mhathair was a very silent, kind and perceptive woman. Very unlike the old cat lady that lived next door in Maria’s old apartment. In her opinion, that woman acted worse than the cat lady in The Simpsons show (her favourite). During her stay, she also learned that Athair shared – or rather Luke shared a few qualities with Athair. They were both quiet at times and very observant. They can also hide their feelings and what they were thinking very well, which amazed her because they seemed to be two completely different persons at first.
After a few days, Luke and Maria decided to look for a place of their own. Luckily, they found it on the first day and decided to move in about four days later. They had saved enough money to buy a small rundown cottage about 2 miles away from the house. It was old and simple, but held its dignity through the years. Yes, a lot of cleaning was needed, but they were both happy to find it.
“Why don’t you guys stay a bit longer?” said Athair, with his heavy Irish accent. But they refused all offers because both had seen the strains of Luke’s grandparents from cleaning and worrying. And to stay any longer than they had would have driven the old couple into sickness.
“I promise to visit often!” Maria called back to them.
“Please do,” Mhathair said as she waved them goodbye.
“Dont forget the wedding!” Luke called out.
They didn’t manage to answer back, for the roar of the rented care drowned their calls.
“Bye and see you soon!”
As soon as they stepped into the old, small cottage, they felt contentment and satisfaction. Although a lot of work was needed to make the place seem like new, it was all worth it. Because Maria and Like now had something they never did – home. And during the next few days, they worked relentlessly to improve the house’s condition.
Finally, after a week of pure work, they found the time to look for a church. They looked for over two days and found a little church located on top of a hill, by the river. The church’s design was perfect and the background was even better. The crisp blue sky gave off a feeling of calmness, while the fluffy white clouds gave people a break from the endless river of blue. And when afternoon came, the sun that set down on the horizon gave off a reddish and orangey color to the river below that made it look absolutely breath-taking.
They slowly approached the church and went in. Luke looked for the pastor and talked to him, while Maria sat on one of the church’s benches and waited. After a few more minutes, Like finalized a deal and went over to her to tell her the news.
“It’s all set. We just need to clean it up a bit and we’re good to go!”
“So, we can have the wedding, if possible, about two weeks from now?”
“Did you not hear what I said?! Now get up and let’s get going.”
After finding a wedding organizer and a few cheap workers (mostly teenagers took on the job), the only thing needed was for the ceremony to happen. Everything was set: all the invitations had been sent, the flowers were good to go, the gowns finished, and the bride-to-be was finally over her madness and was now overcome by nervousness.
On the day before the wedding, Maria and Luke decided to give the church and the decorations one last check-up. After the work, they walked around the perimeter of the church and stopped by the river side. Maria, tired from all the day’s worry, leaned over to the rock wall that acted as a protection from the depths below.
“Man, you’re finally over that phase.” Luke said.
“What phase?”
“The one where you get all crazy and hyped up for the wedding. I mean, come on. Did you not say that you were never going to be one of those girls?”
“Hey!” Maria complained and pushed him lightly. “Well, I know I did, but, it’s kind of hard not to.”
“Right, right. Crazy lady!” Luke barked and then laughed uncontrollably.
He finally stopped and then leaned on the wall too, by Maria’s right side.
“But seriously... It’s kind of hard to pic –” she stopped in the middle of the sentence and saw Luke’s face of shock and fear. Then, there was a sudden sound of crumbling then breaking and not one of them could have done anything before the next thing happened. The rock wall that Luke was leaning on gave in and fell, along with Luke.. Down, down and into the depths of the River Mahon.
Everyone was in shock due to the fact that Luke died right before the wedding. Everyone was devastated, especially Maria. She knew that she couldn’t blame herself or anyone else for it, but she still felt hopeless. And so, she kept to herself for days and days. Like’s grandparents became worried and walked to their cottage a couple of times to check up on her. She slept on and on until she could no more. And since the body of Luke was never found, they couldn’t hold a proper funeral, which made it even harder to accept the fact that he was dead.
Another week passed before she had enough courage to look at his belongings. She folded and refolded his clothes that left so many memories behind. She tried to play the violin that he had. She tried so hard that her fingers ached so much, it felt like they were about to come off. This music – the joy that she received when she played his violin was... infectious. It reminded her of him. Of how he laughed, ate made a joke, danced and even sang. This violin, this music was all a part of him. It was as if she was living with him again.
And she felt such joy when she discovered that she wasn’t alone anymore. Luke had not fully left her. He lived always, by her side: in his violin and in her heart. She realized that she no longer wanted to mourn. Instead, she wanted to live the dreams they shared. And from that time onwards, she decided to take on his profession, while bringing into it her own creativity. She also painted and wrote many different stories, which established her name through the entire course of her life.
And now, we knew her as one of the century’s greatest artists. She had lived a long life, yet died young. Was reborn and made into a new person after she saw the light in death. The happiness in pain that forced her to change was truly inspirational to all of us. Indeed, we recognized her not only as what she appeared to be, but how she stood up after all the failures and miseries from past experiences....
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Luke Cosgair said to try and reassure her.
"Well, okay. But we better not have potatoes every single day!" Maria said. "You know how much I love Chinese take-outs!"
Luke smiled and turned towards the window of the plane. As calm as he looked, he was actually really nervous. Six years ago, he ran away from home and hasn’t come back since then. Well, not technically. he asked his seanathair's [grandfather] permission, but not his seanmgathair's because he knew that she would object.
He looked back at his now sleeping wife and wondered whether they were going to accept her or not. Of course they will...he thought. I chose her. But as sleepiness ran through his veins, his last thoughts were a vague compilation of all his soon-to-be problems.
Five hours later, they arrived in the airport at County Waterfold, Ireland. Alive and kicking - yes, kicking. They were both stretching their legs due to the numbness caused by the long time of sitting in the plain, when like saw his grandfather.
"Conas ata tu? [How are you]" Luke called. "Well.. Here we are!"
"Hi," Maria said nervously
Athair smiled at her and ushered them into the taxi. Like’s grandparents don’t own a car because it cost too much and they both preferred to walk around – stretch their bones. As they walked out of the airport, Athair looked Luke straight in the eyes. Oh, here comes that scary look, Luke thought as he saw it coming. Indeed. Athair gave him a piercing glance. He gave it right back and nodded. His grandfather nodded back. He knew that they now understood each other – no words were needed. He understood Luke’s decision and fear, and he respected it.
They drove for about an hour without much traffic. It was a pretty long drive because the airport was located at the main city in the county, while the family house was by Bunmahon.
Bunmahon was a small village named after the River Mahon. It was originally a mining village and was converted to Catholicism in 1842. It has several churches that can each hold about three hundred people. Due to the role it served in the 1800s, there were a lot of inns located around the village and houses were quite small. The House of Cosgair, on the hand, contained five: the master bedroom, Like’s, a reading room, and guests rooms.
The other guest room originally served as the lodging for Luke’s parents, but was left along after their divorce and the abandonment of Luke. Maria, also parentless at this time, was born in Italy. She and her family moved to the US in search of a better life, but that hope was cut short. After a few years, her parents died from a drive-by and she was sent to an orphanage. Through her teen years, she worked hard in order to save enough money for art school – where she and Luke met.
The newly-weed couple decided to stay at the Cosgair House for a few days. But their stay was elongated due to the pleas from the people that lived within it. Mhathair seemed to have taken a liking to Maria. Luke had to admit taht he was very nervous about Maria and his grandparents’ meeting, but was not at ease after seeing them get along very well.
Maria was enjoying her stay at the House. Mhathair was a very silent, kind and perceptive woman. Very unlike the old cat lady that lived next door in Maria’s old apartment. In her opinion, that woman acted worse than the cat lady in The Simpsons show (her favourite). During her stay, she also learned that Athair shared – or rather Luke shared a few qualities with Athair. They were both quiet at times and very observant. They can also hide their feelings and what they were thinking very well, which amazed her because they seemed to be two completely different persons at first.
After a few days, Luke and Maria decided to look for a place of their own. Luckily, they found it on the first day and decided to move in about four days later. They had saved enough money to buy a small rundown cottage about 2 miles away from the house. It was old and simple, but held its dignity through the years. Yes, a lot of cleaning was needed, but they were both happy to find it.
“Why don’t you guys stay a bit longer?” said Athair, with his heavy Irish accent. But they refused all offers because both had seen the strains of Luke’s grandparents from cleaning and worrying. And to stay any longer than they had would have driven the old couple into sickness.
“I promise to visit often!” Maria called back to them.
“Please do,” Mhathair said as she waved them goodbye.
“Dont forget the wedding!” Luke called out.
They didn’t manage to answer back, for the roar of the rented care drowned their calls.
“Bye and see you soon!”
As soon as they stepped into the old, small cottage, they felt contentment and satisfaction. Although a lot of work was needed to make the place seem like new, it was all worth it. Because Maria and Like now had something they never did – home. And during the next few days, they worked relentlessly to improve the house’s condition.
Finally, after a week of pure work, they found the time to look for a church. They looked for over two days and found a little church located on top of a hill, by the river. The church’s design was perfect and the background was even better. The crisp blue sky gave off a feeling of calmness, while the fluffy white clouds gave people a break from the endless river of blue. And when afternoon came, the sun that set down on the horizon gave off a reddish and orangey color to the river below that made it look absolutely breath-taking.
They slowly approached the church and went in. Luke looked for the pastor and talked to him, while Maria sat on one of the church’s benches and waited. After a few more minutes, Like finalized a deal and went over to her to tell her the news.
“It’s all set. We just need to clean it up a bit and we’re good to go!”
“So, we can have the wedding, if possible, about two weeks from now?”
“Did you not hear what I said?! Now get up and let’s get going.”
After finding a wedding organizer and a few cheap workers (mostly teenagers took on the job), the only thing needed was for the ceremony to happen. Everything was set: all the invitations had been sent, the flowers were good to go, the gowns finished, and the bride-to-be was finally over her madness and was now overcome by nervousness.
On the day before the wedding, Maria and Luke decided to give the church and the decorations one last check-up. After the work, they walked around the perimeter of the church and stopped by the river side. Maria, tired from all the day’s worry, leaned over to the rock wall that acted as a protection from the depths below.
“Man, you’re finally over that phase.” Luke said.
“What phase?”
“The one where you get all crazy and hyped up for the wedding. I mean, come on. Did you not say that you were never going to be one of those girls?”
“Hey!” Maria complained and pushed him lightly. “Well, I know I did, but, it’s kind of hard not to.”
“Right, right. Crazy lady!” Luke barked and then laughed uncontrollably.
He finally stopped and then leaned on the wall too, by Maria’s right side.
“But seriously... It’s kind of hard to pic –” she stopped in the middle of the sentence and saw Luke’s face of shock and fear. Then, there was a sudden sound of crumbling then breaking and not one of them could have done anything before the next thing happened. The rock wall that Luke was leaning on gave in and fell, along with Luke.. Down, down and into the depths of the River Mahon.
Everyone was in shock due to the fact that Luke died right before the wedding. Everyone was devastated, especially Maria. She knew that she couldn’t blame herself or anyone else for it, but she still felt hopeless. And so, she kept to herself for days and days. Like’s grandparents became worried and walked to their cottage a couple of times to check up on her. She slept on and on until she could no more. And since the body of Luke was never found, they couldn’t hold a proper funeral, which made it even harder to accept the fact that he was dead.
Another week passed before she had enough courage to look at his belongings. She folded and refolded his clothes that left so many memories behind. She tried to play the violin that he had. She tried so hard that her fingers ached so much, it felt like they were about to come off. This music – the joy that she received when she played his violin was... infectious. It reminded her of him. Of how he laughed, ate made a joke, danced and even sang. This violin, this music was all a part of him. It was as if she was living with him again.
And she felt such joy when she discovered that she wasn’t alone anymore. Luke had not fully left her. He lived always, by her side: in his violin and in her heart. She realized that she no longer wanted to mourn. Instead, she wanted to live the dreams they shared. And from that time onwards, she decided to take on his profession, while bringing into it her own creativity. She also painted and wrote many different stories, which established her name through the entire course of her life.
And now, we knew her as one of the century’s greatest artists. She had lived a long life, yet died young. Was reborn and made into a new person after she saw the light in death. The happiness in pain that forced her to change was truly inspirational to all of us. Indeed, we recognized her not only as what she appeared to be, but how she stood up after all the failures and miseries from past experiences....
Sunday, June 27, 2010
memories of grade 10
aaaah. I remember my schedule.. I know, this is real random and useless, but whatever
FIRST SEMESTER
ENGLISH [Grossi Sperandio ] =TERRRRRRIFYING. I went from no homework to a bajillion. bleh. Plus, she marked really hard. I was lucky to get an 80. She was really nice though
MATH [Weld] = Great teacher. Really nice. Got a 96
RELIGION [Ziemnicki] = Good teacher. He wanted me to be a writer. Guess he saw the potential in me. Pushover though. But, he was a nice person.
CAREERS [Francis] = one word: ARRRGH [is that even a word?]. I got a couple of hundreds on different assignments. Don't understand how I got less than an 80 in that stupid class. Also, this was the class where I thought I was going crazy in. Here, I felt the whole butterflies in your stomach thing, time slows down shit [all because of this Egyptian guy named Emanuel]
CIVICS [Urso] = He's nice. Should have worn longer shorts.. Hairy. Too hairy. Shivers. Ah, bleh. Whatevs. Many stories of Emanuel again. I swear to God, I was crazy during this time. guess it's what they call, puppy love. But the butterflies? I mean, come on!
SECOND SEMESTER
SCIENCE [Poppe] = AWESOME teacher. So funny. Loved sports.. All those pointless conversations about basketball. Who am I kidding. i loved it! Less work
for us! =]
HISTORY [Urso] = Meh... Wasn't such a bad class. I actually love the subject. Should have actually tried, but I used to not believe in trying.
ART 10 [Chisholm] = WAS nice in this class. Fed my art-mania.. Jump-start my art ambitions. great class. had lots of fun with Sonya, Lyra and Anna B~ =]
FRENCH [Falcone] = awesome guy. great teacher. pushover. He went too easy on us. But he really shouldn't take crap from people. Like that Rene chick. rude as hell.
FIRST SEMESTER
ENGLISH [Grossi Sperandio ] =TERRRRRRIFYING. I went from no homework to a bajillion. bleh. Plus, she marked really hard. I was lucky to get an 80. She was really nice though
MATH [Weld] = Great teacher. Really nice. Got a 96
RELIGION [Ziemnicki] = Good teacher. He wanted me to be a writer. Guess he saw the potential in me. Pushover though. But, he was a nice person.
CAREERS [Francis] = one word: ARRRGH [is that even a word?]. I got a couple of hundreds on different assignments. Don't understand how I got less than an 80 in that stupid class. Also, this was the class where I thought I was going crazy in. Here, I felt the whole butterflies in your stomach thing, time slows down shit [all because of this Egyptian guy named Emanuel]
CIVICS [Urso] = He's nice. Should have worn longer shorts.. Hairy. Too hairy. Shivers. Ah, bleh. Whatevs. Many stories of Emanuel again. I swear to God, I was crazy during this time. guess it's what they call, puppy love. But the butterflies? I mean, come on!
SECOND SEMESTER
SCIENCE [Poppe] = AWESOME teacher. So funny. Loved sports.. All those pointless conversations about basketball. Who am I kidding. i loved it! Less work
for us! =]
HISTORY [Urso] = Meh... Wasn't such a bad class. I actually love the subject. Should have actually tried, but I used to not believe in trying.
ART 10 [Chisholm] = WAS nice in this class. Fed my art-mania.. Jump-start my art ambitions. great class. had lots of fun with Sonya, Lyra and Anna B~ =]
FRENCH [Falcone] = awesome guy. great teacher. pushover. He went too easy on us. But he really shouldn't take crap from people. Like that Rene chick. rude as hell.
Quote meant for you
Daniel Trzoch. Possibly the first guy I've ever loved. Okay, NOT possibly. Is.
"I've tried so many times to forget you. I even pretended that you've never existed. But all these things never really worked for me. Coz I know that, deep inside, our memories together lives. And those, I can never throw away.
FYI: This was written, God knows when. Well, it's been a REALLY long time =]
"I've tried so many times to forget you. I even pretended that you've never existed. But all these things never really worked for me. Coz I know that, deep inside, our memories together lives. And those, I can never throw away.
FYI: This was written, God knows when. Well, it's been a REALLY long time =]
Memories ~ seemingly forgotten
What are memories? Why do we treasure them?
Anyone can answer this question. And whether to elaborate or not is their choice. As for me, I just answered this question again today. After seeing so many things that reminded me of a past, a past that I've always thought of as... pointless, useless, an existence that matters not.. I realized one thing:
All of it matters. Maybe not to anyone else, but it matters to me.
Through this thing called existence, my personal character was changed. Memories, experiences, friends and different things both appeared and left my life. And all of them taught a valuable lesson: Treasure what you have..
And since I possibly wouldn't be able to keep all of these things [due to much clutter in my room], I've decided to write it her. On my online journal.
FYI: This was due to some major cleaning on my part. Also, I'm writing another journal, one that accompanies me wherever I go. When I get enough time, I will definitely post it here. =] Also, this certain blogpost will be REALLY long because it includes most of my prized works
Here are some of them:
BI-CENTENNIAL MAN and the 7 human vocations
1. Humans are created in the image and likeness of God ~ "It's impossible for me and him... I mean, he'll never be..." [Little Miss ~ This quote tells me that even though little miss loved Andrew, she was afraid of people knowing it. Why? Because it wasn't normal. He wasn't human. And she believed that a lone invested at a robot would be... useless. This showed that a human should only fall in love with another as God intended us to.
2. Humans are called to happiness and holiness ~ "If I'm jealous, it mean's that I'm in love!" [Andrew] ~ With love comes happiness and with happiness comes contentment. love gives people a special kind of joy that can never be experienced through something else [except God]
3. Humans are rational and free ~ "Freedom seems like it's something that is worth so much to people and would need having..." [Andrew] ~ As the story progressed, Andrew wanted to be called his own man, and not be seen simply as an appliance. And as he learned through history books, he was curious about how many wars man fought in order to gain freedom and ho much man was willing to destroy and rebuilt the society that they lived in for countless of times.
4. Humans are moral beings ~ "No matter what he is, Andrew deserves the benefit from what he does." [Richard] ~ Richard believed that Andrew, like any human being, deserved to get paid for his work. he believed that Andrew was special and unique, even for a robot.
5. Humans have passions or feelings ~ "It's not about being rational, but following your heart." [Richard] ~ On one of the scenes, Porscha stated that human beings do not always follow their brains, but more so, their hearts to obtain happiness. It's a fact, in reality, that in order to be right, sometimes we need to be wrong.
6. Humans are blessed with a conscience ~ Near the beginning of the movie, Richard's daughter asked Andrew to open the window and jump out ~ It may have not shown what she felt after Andrew jumped, but since we're all human beings, she must have felt a bit remorseful.
7. Humans are able to sin ~ Porscha kissed Andrew while being engaged to Charles ~ Since the engagement wasn't completely off, Porcha's actions can be considered as cheating, because she's still [in a way] committed to Charles.
8. How has Andrew learned what it meant to be human? How have you learned to be human?
~~~As a robot, Andrew struggled to understand a lot of things. But with the help of his owners (particularly Richard and his daughter, "Little Miss"), he slowly started to learn. It all started when Andrew and the children were walking down the beach. It seemed to him that Little Miss was playing with her favourite crystal "horsie" toy. Andrew was curious and so, she offered it for him to look, but he accidentally broke it. Angered by his blunder, Little Miss refused to speak a word to him. Saddened by the situation, Andrew decided to read up books about woodwork (designs, etc)and make her a new "horsie".
~~~This was the first step he took into becoming a human. Yet his education was not yet complete, Richard decided to teach him more. And as years passed, Andrew became more and more conscious about freedom and other human qualities. He actually feel in love with Porscha [Little Miss' daughter] and decided that he'd rather live a lifetime with her than face eternity alone.
~~~Through this movie, I learned to be more human by realizing how important our feelings are and the things we take for granted. It also made me realize that sometimes, things that are not even human actually has more humanity in them than we do. Andrew, for example, was a very humble robot. In the end, he chose to shorten his life rather than live forever - a thing that most of us won't be able to sacrifice. He showed compassion, love and other feelings that we are afraid to show. In fact, he mad more courage to do the things he wanted than any other person that I know.
Anyone can answer this question. And whether to elaborate or not is their choice. As for me, I just answered this question again today. After seeing so many things that reminded me of a past, a past that I've always thought of as... pointless, useless, an existence that matters not.. I realized one thing:
All of it matters. Maybe not to anyone else, but it matters to me.
Through this thing called existence, my personal character was changed. Memories, experiences, friends and different things both appeared and left my life. And all of them taught a valuable lesson: Treasure what you have..
And since I possibly wouldn't be able to keep all of these things [due to much clutter in my room], I've decided to write it her. On my online journal.
FYI: This was due to some major cleaning on my part. Also, I'm writing another journal, one that accompanies me wherever I go. When I get enough time, I will definitely post it here. =] Also, this certain blogpost will be REALLY long because it includes most of my prized works
Here are some of them:
BI-CENTENNIAL MAN and the 7 human vocations
1. Humans are created in the image and likeness of God ~ "It's impossible for me and him... I mean, he'll never be..." [Little Miss ~ This quote tells me that even though little miss loved Andrew, she was afraid of people knowing it. Why? Because it wasn't normal. He wasn't human. And she believed that a lone invested at a robot would be... useless. This showed that a human should only fall in love with another as God intended us to.
2. Humans are called to happiness and holiness ~ "If I'm jealous, it mean's that I'm in love!" [Andrew] ~ With love comes happiness and with happiness comes contentment. love gives people a special kind of joy that can never be experienced through something else [except God]
3. Humans are rational and free ~ "Freedom seems like it's something that is worth so much to people and would need having..." [Andrew] ~ As the story progressed, Andrew wanted to be called his own man, and not be seen simply as an appliance. And as he learned through history books, he was curious about how many wars man fought in order to gain freedom and ho much man was willing to destroy and rebuilt the society that they lived in for countless of times.
4. Humans are moral beings ~ "No matter what he is, Andrew deserves the benefit from what he does." [Richard] ~ Richard believed that Andrew, like any human being, deserved to get paid for his work. he believed that Andrew was special and unique, even for a robot.
5. Humans have passions or feelings ~ "It's not about being rational, but following your heart." [Richard] ~ On one of the scenes, Porscha stated that human beings do not always follow their brains, but more so, their hearts to obtain happiness. It's a fact, in reality, that in order to be right, sometimes we need to be wrong.
6. Humans are blessed with a conscience ~ Near the beginning of the movie, Richard's daughter asked Andrew to open the window and jump out ~ It may have not shown what she felt after Andrew jumped, but since we're all human beings, she must have felt a bit remorseful.
7. Humans are able to sin ~ Porscha kissed Andrew while being engaged to Charles ~ Since the engagement wasn't completely off, Porcha's actions can be considered as cheating, because she's still [in a way] committed to Charles.
8. How has Andrew learned what it meant to be human? How have you learned to be human?
~~~As a robot, Andrew struggled to understand a lot of things. But with the help of his owners (particularly Richard and his daughter, "Little Miss"), he slowly started to learn. It all started when Andrew and the children were walking down the beach. It seemed to him that Little Miss was playing with her favourite crystal "horsie" toy. Andrew was curious and so, she offered it for him to look, but he accidentally broke it. Angered by his blunder, Little Miss refused to speak a word to him. Saddened by the situation, Andrew decided to read up books about woodwork (designs, etc)and make her a new "horsie".
~~~This was the first step he took into becoming a human. Yet his education was not yet complete, Richard decided to teach him more. And as years passed, Andrew became more and more conscious about freedom and other human qualities. He actually feel in love with Porscha [Little Miss' daughter] and decided that he'd rather live a lifetime with her than face eternity alone.
~~~Through this movie, I learned to be more human by realizing how important our feelings are and the things we take for granted. It also made me realize that sometimes, things that are not even human actually has more humanity in them than we do. Andrew, for example, was a very humble robot. In the end, he chose to shorten his life rather than live forever - a thing that most of us won't be able to sacrifice. He showed compassion, love and other feelings that we are afraid to show. In fact, he mad more courage to do the things he wanted than any other person that I know.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
new day, new projects
ah, its that time of year again when all teachers across the nation pour on all of their hatred towards their students. what do i mean by that? i mean, it's ISU time... which is basically a major project that's worth 15-20% of our final bloody mark
guess i'm pretty lucky that i pretty much don't have homework. ok, i lied. i only need to make a poster for french, be ready to present by thursday and practice a song for my final guitar playing test.. well, three songs, actually. as for english, my ISU is done in-class, so i really don't have to worry about it that much.
since i'm only in grade 11, i don't have to worry AS MUCH as the grade 12s does. sucks for them, but then again it also sucks for me because i wasn't able to attend prom yesterday night [like anyone would ask me anyway]. so, i was kinda bummed out since i have a crush on this guy. i was curious about his date, but decided to not think about it coz it's none of my business.
well, either way, all i'm trying to say is that i havent written in this blog for a reallllly really long time, hence i'm here right now.
just for the fun of it, you know. i can't WAIT till summer!
i can finally update my mibba account.
make a whole lotta youtube videos
practice drawing and painting
play video games all day
read manga/watchanime
and watch dramas
ohh jeesh... that's a lot. wait
there are exactly seven things! which means i can do each one for each day of the weeek. sweeet
my summer is SET ;P
how about yours?
guess i'm pretty lucky that i pretty much don't have homework. ok, i lied. i only need to make a poster for french, be ready to present by thursday and practice a song for my final guitar playing test.. well, three songs, actually. as for english, my ISU is done in-class, so i really don't have to worry about it that much.
since i'm only in grade 11, i don't have to worry AS MUCH as the grade 12s does. sucks for them, but then again it also sucks for me because i wasn't able to attend prom yesterday night [like anyone would ask me anyway]. so, i was kinda bummed out since i have a crush on this guy. i was curious about his date, but decided to not think about it coz it's none of my business.
well, either way, all i'm trying to say is that i havent written in this blog for a reallllly really long time, hence i'm here right now.
just for the fun of it, you know. i can't WAIT till summer!
i can finally update my mibba account.
make a whole lotta youtube videos
practice drawing and painting
play video games all day
read manga/watchanime
and watch dramas
ohh jeesh... that's a lot. wait
there are exactly seven things! which means i can do each one for each day of the weeek. sweeet
my summer is SET ;P
how about yours?
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