revamp.

i'm not sure if anyone has noticed, but its been many months since i've last written a blog post here. various circumstances have influenced this neglect: graduating, working, getting ready for next fall, watching way too much Lost, Chuck, & Arrested Development, and sleeping.

but as a hodge-podge of random mumblings, consider the following.

-> i've taken up the practice of jewelry making and plan to set up an etsy store in the hopefully near future.

-> i didn't get into the bachelor's program of social work at the school i'm going to.

-> getting an average total of $30 in tips every day i work is very pleasant.

-> i'm moving to Seattle in a little less than two months--naturally i find this very exciting as my surroundings there will be dramatically different than what i'm accustomed to.

on and end note as i have run out of time, check out the following:

-> The Year Of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (one man attempts to follow the Bible's commandments as closely as possible for a year).

-> Swoon by Silversun Pickups (possibly my favorite album at this time).

-> my revamped blog site :D (notice that the background, header, and music selection are all different--if you like, leave a comment giving your opinion on the revamp).

not my equal

God is not my equal.

What a profound, and yet obvious fact.

Often time I treat him as my equal, I think of him in terms of another person with whom I discuss things with--having the mentality that he is a "friend" and I do not need to do something his way just because he "suggests" (or commands) it. And other times feeling like he uses blackmail to get my surrender--"I'll keep you away from hell as long as you do what I say". And yet, if he is what he says he is--the maker of everything--than he is not my equal. For as the verse says "He who built the house has more honor than the house" (Hebrews 3:3), the maker is greater than what he has made. He is not just another opinion in the crowd of many and he's not a cruel friend with a power complex.

everyone like music, right?

Selling of Innocents

I stumbled across this documentary today, called Selling of Innocents by Ruchira Gupta. I really like the way film was done, the watcher gets both interviews with the slaves and footage of what the streets of India and the inside of the brothels look like. It's definitely worth watching in my opinion. For your convenience, here is the entire thing:

all things are wonderful until they become popular.

there appears to be an internal struggle as one watches the things he/she likes become endorsed by the public eye. they become popular, more and more people read/watch/listen to them and then shout their endorsement from the rooftops...or their Facebook/twitter. for example, when the Montreal-based operatic folk rock wonder Arcade Fire emerged (no pun intended) David Bowie apparently bought a stack of Funeral and gifted his close friends with them. now, its almost too cool to be into their musical style and Win Butler's neo-gothness.

i remember reading Joshua Harris' I Kissed Dating Goodbye and thinking it was quite wonderful. now, a few years later...i still think it is a good book but i am frankly rather annoyed with how people have elevated the ideas presented in it to the level of sacred scripture. yes, someone out there probably thinks Joshua Harris is the sage of our times or something like that. i think its quite apparent that Harris never meant the book to become the completion of every good little american christian's library--which is why i get annoyed.

and then there is the Don Miller; perhaps the latest celebrity on the Christian non-fiction stage. after Blue Like Jazz everyone decided that this man who hangs out at Reed College was the most amazing creature on the earth. (don't get the impression i dislike Miller--i think Blue Like Jazz is ingenious, i just want to remind people that he's a human that's probably going to die of lung cancer).

and then there is Coldplay--the band that has redefined hype. many people will hear me ranting on about how i dislike Coldplay, well that's frankly not quite true--Coldplay is fine. i just pretend i dislike them because they are so popular and i'm tired of hearing about Chris Martin becoming the next Bono (yes i have my own fan cult that believes in the immortality of Paul Hewson...i can't decide if "jk" is appropriate here or not)

so why do i have this disdain of the mainstream? probably something to do with adolescent rebellious behavior no doubt. the hippie idea of going against the flow. the ideology of not letting the consumerist machine define what one spends one's hard earned money on. what is the worth of paying the money for the pleasure of status conferral?...it is nonexistent.

someday i will learn not to attempt to write late at night. until then, you have me always.

slaves to our intellect

In the 21st Century it has become required for almost any type of job to possess more than a high school diploma. Added to that is the fact that college is pressured on every person in the Western society. As a college student working on my Associate of Arts I am required to be "advised" each quarter to help me along my chosen career path. Every session with the adviser involves being asked "what do you plan to do after getting the AA". My response for the longest time was "I don't know"...and sometimes even "I might stop college after I'm done". The latter response is considered the most foolish choice one could ever make. I am then ushered to look upon the chart depicting the statistics of the incomes earned by various degree-wielding persons. The message is clear. The more money you spend probably getting brainwashed in a "higher institution" the more money you will make afterward.

Its all worth it isn't it? America's middle name is money - not freedom. Somehow, someone decided that the occupants of the world will not reach their full potential without an education. Whatever education means.

Not that I dislike college necessarily. I just cannot bring myself to believe that my ultimate fulfillment as a person will be found by going to college and getting a degree. Many life lessons are not taught by people titled professors and many things cannot be experienced in a crowded dorm. Have we forgotten all these other aspects to life? Or have we all become so intoxicated with accumulating more and more knowledge to the point where we are slaves to our intellect and no longer have the time or energy to enjoy something as simple and undefinable as a starry sky? Are we too busy building a modern tower of Babel?

"I will try to fix you"

It's been a while since I've written a blog post...so here is a smattering of stuff. You can call it what you want to.

I finished a sorta biography [Come Be My Light] about Mother Teresa today. When I picked out the book I was not expecting a book full of letters from her to her confessor & bishop about a variety of things--but that being said it was an alright book. Reading this book really motivates me to pick up my copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church again. Not that I enjoy reading the CCC--its the doctrines that intrigue me (such as the guiding capabilities of the virgin Mary and the infallibility of some man titled 'the pope'--no disrespect intended)

I also picked up to books from the library today, Lord of the Flies and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I developed interest in the first mentioned through Stephen Christian (if you aren't familiar with him--fix that) and the second was recommended to me by a dear friend (you know who you are).

Musically speaking, I'm listening to Coldplay right now. Because, to be completely honest I do have a soft spot in my heart for their song "Fix You". Other than that....I'll stick to U2. Speaking of U2, I just bought quite a few songs by them from Amazon.com the other day. I'm still ticked that the only way to get my hands on "Window in the Skies" is to buy an entire hits album or other artists karaoke versions of U2 songs. Seriously, that's so dumb.

If this was an incredibly boring blog post....I'm sorry....I will try to fix you. (heh heh)