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 You can call me an idealist. A dreamer, a romantic, a gal with lofty ambitions. Sometimes it's hard to get through to me that life isn't like that, that it's a realistic place out there, that the world is full of cynics (or "realists" as I call them). I'm noticing how many are slowly becoming jaded by the real world; that once youthful and optimistic outlook on life is gone. All the sudden I'm surrounded by cynics. Are we bitter because we settled for what's right and not what we truly wanted? Or is it really just the way the real world is? Does it really tear you down and strip you of your once visionary ways? We're taught as kids to dream big and reach for the stars. We're taught to be hopeful and not to lose faith. But that's all erased once you reach a certain age and realize, "Well, I can't really do that, can I?" Then it unravels from there: settling, doing, and just being okay. Of course, you hear those success stories here and there about how people did what they've always wanted to do and look where they are now! But it's never that easy, is it? Maybe this idealistic self in me is slowly disappearing underneath this cloak of reality. And it's... sad. Sure, I'd love to blame the sudden surge of cynicism in friends but I'm bound to find out myself at some point. Until then, I'm hanging on my last thread of idealism because I'm not one to go down without a fight.  I really like the trailer for Wes Anderson's latest: The Darjeeling Limited. Hurray for using the Kinks!  Kids say e-mail is, like, soooo dead Umm, like, not really. But... really? That's kind of sad for me because I'm just realizing how old I am. And how not hip I am. If social networking is the future-- well, scratch that. It is pretty much now. No doubt it makes keeping in touch easier, but much like how writing letters was (and still is) personal, I feel like writing an email is personal. Or at least getting more personal than it was. Using social networking to communicate just feels a little impersonal, you know? (Granted, I do resort to that when I've lost contact with someone and can't for the life of me find their email address.) So what's after social networking? What's the next phase in this evolution of communication?  Does anyone else get text message spam? I've gotten two "chain letter" kind of texts in the past few weeks. Someone keeps forwarding them and it's... weird. Granted the whole chain letter email thing was popular way back then, but seriously, it's weird. And a little annoying because I can't figure out who's sending them (they're both from a local number).  Finite.  Tomorrow at midnight, everyone. All that spoilery stuff flying around the web hasn't really peaked my interest because why ruin it? It's the very last book; savor it! Everyone's waited this long, we can wait a little longer. At any rate, I've been avoiding all news articles involving Harry Potter because I'll find out soon enough. Until then, happy reading! I'll see you guys on the flip side.  (A few more photos) I made some wonderful banana bread the other day. I got the recipe from Orangette and only altered it a little by leaving out the chocolate chips and not using the topping. It was delicious!  "What if a girl wanted to buy a Ferarri or Lamborghini?" "Nah, girls aren't into those kind of cars." "But what if she wanted one?" "Wouldn't need one. They're mostly for guys cruising for bitches." "But what if a girl wanted to cruise for some guys?" "Still wouldn't need one. All she needs to do is take her clothes off."  I was growing increasingly frustrated as I was discussing the inequities of the world with my dad. His defense was that he had never experienced such extreme poverty so he wouldn't know what it felt like. But can't you see it? Can't you at least imagine what it would be like? Third World countries barely have enough clean water to drink while we, the privileged, are offered at least 3 different kinds of drinking water at a restaurant. We're privileged. We have the comfort of our homes, food, water, education, everything an impoverished family could ever dream for. I kept thinking back to Bill Gates' commencement speech:
We know so much. We're made aware of what's going on in the world: the ONE campaign, Darfur, Live Earth, etc etc. It's in our music, our movies, TV, newspapers, everywhere. And we can do something about it. I don't know, it just irked me that someone couldn't care that much about what's happening out there. Granted your own issues are always upfront, but can't you at least acknowledge it? Can't you at least realize that you can do something about it even if you've never been through it? It's there, it's real. Like Bill Gates said, we know more about the inequities of the world than other generations. And maybe that's why I was so frustrated.
 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was amazing. Wow. I have to say bravo to the screenwriter because he cut out enough things to make it work and still have the story flow right. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was/is, pretty much, the shining beacon of perfection, but I have to say Order of the Phoenix is running very close behind it. Which is funny since OotP was one of my least favorite of the series (though since rereading it several times, I've grown to like it a little bit more. It's just that Harry is so emo in OotP!). It definitely felt less choppy than Goblet of Fire for me. Like, it flowed pretty well and it didn't have that "I must shove everything in that book into 2 hours!!!!" The scenes in the Department of Mysteries were ahhh. So good. Dumbledore/Voldemort throwdown!! Kickass. They did take out a lot of stuff, much like they took out the giggling pear in Goblet of Fire. I wanted to see more things and... I'm starting to nitpick at everything, lol. I could go on with a whole list but my god, Luna Lovegood was exactly how I pictured her. That dreamy voice, that spaciness, everything! That girl was great. Overall, I liked it very much. And now I must prep myself for this Friday/Saturday.  I had trouble with reading comprehension when I was in first grade. I was a whiz at math but I remember both first grade teachers working with me everyday to ensure that I'd be okay. Eventually I overcame whatever I needed to overcome and became a bookworm. I remember scouring the library and checking out piles and piles of books. I fell in love with the old-fashioned romance stories by Beverly Cleary, the funny yet heartwarming books of Louis Sachar, and of course, the Baby Sitters Club and the Boxcar Children (I always get mixed responses whenever I mention the Boxcar Children; did you like the series? Because I did). Sometime later in my life—well, now actually—I lost that bookworm spark. Something turned off. I think it's mainly due to reading for classes, things I didn't want to read but had to. It became a chore, needing to read rather than wanting to read. But I also blame myself for ingesting pop culture almost everyday; my brain is slowly turning into mush! "For shame!" I say to myself everytime I open People.com. But I can't seem to tear myself away. It's addicting. (Somewhere, somehow, all this useless knowledge will be of use. You'll see. Everything Bad Is Good For You!) So, I've made it a point this summer to slowly ease myself back into reading for fun again (and to read intelligently to combat pop culture). I've missed it terribly and want that bookworm spark to come back again. I read Ghost World, and I've just finished reading The Cheese Monkeys and it has renewed my faith again. Next up is The Rings of Saturn and of course, my savior, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. God, I'm attached to those characters. I can't bear it any longer! The truth is, I'm going to savor every moment of the last book because I know it's going to be the last, and I'm going to be one sad little girl whispering to myself, "It's over. I can't believe it's over." I'm just... I'm attached to those characters and that entire world and story and... Anyway, I digress. The point is: reading! It's good for the soul. And brain.  - Choosing our religion - "I like turtles." - Pushing Daisies preview - Paul Potts sings Nessun Dorma - Jay Leno & Josh Duhamel sniff some gas - A complete set of 1968-1974 Alcoholics Anonymous comic strips (Previously: Lists, part 1)  "I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate." -- Julia Child It's no secret that I love watching the Food Network. Something about watching people create things with a little bit of this and a little bit of that amazes me. And since seeing Ratatouille, my love for food and cooking has propelled itself onto a whole other level. I'm eager to cook, try out recipes I've been harboring, and just have fun! What I love about cooking is that it's this perfect blend of art and science. In my head, I have Julia Child and Alton Brown together: a little bit of French cuisine and some molecular gastronomy. I can see it now, in my kitchen, cooking with beautiful copper pots and pans... and some graduated cylinders. I take Gusteau's philosophy at heart: anyone can cook. I'm still learning the ways of the kitchen and just starting to get fancy with the spices. My hope is that one day I'll be able to create my own nutty creations with a little bit of this and little bit of that. As Julia Child says, "Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." I will, Ms. Child, I will.  "Like every big nation, we have problems, but we also have some vast cultural differences to bridge. Here’s to our shared freedoms, our gorgeous country, and our communal struggle to figure things out." -- Mighty Girl Have a happy 4th of July, everyone!  (Zoom in) I finished the most wonderfully quirky book yesterday called The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters. (I heard about it from here.) I'm in love with it. It tickled me pink, in fact. It was funny, hysterical at points, poignant, heartwarming and most of all, quirky. The narration is the best, and I love Chip Kidd for it. Plus, the book is nicely designed as Chip Kidd is a graphic designer himself: nice margins and yes! The font changes from Apollo to Bodoni in the middle of the book when we meet the life-altering teacher, Winter Sorbeck. It really is a great book and it's become a favorite of mine. I found myself identifying with the main character a lot, and it made me smile. After I return the book to the library, I'm heading straight to the bookstore to buy it.  (Zoom in) Ratatouille is wonderful! It is, now, my favorite Pixar film. |
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Hi, my name is Amy. Be well, and say hello!
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