These Dreams

Freedoms

2011-04-01T16:23:00.001-05:00

You have the freedom to say what you want,

Articulating every passing idea and thought.

Don’t hold your tongue and censor your voice,

Speech is a right, not just a choice.

You have the freedom to believe what you choose,

Dabbling in the teachings of Jesus, Mohammed, and Buddha too.

Practice your religion through actions and prayers,

To tell you you’re wrong would not be fair.

You have the freedom to write to your hearts content.

As long as it’s truthful, it’s time well spent.

Inform the public in black and white,

After all, it is your right.

You have the freedom to have an opinion

And change the rules of your dominion.

If you know something’s wrong, tell us about it.

Don’t be timid, scream and shout it.

You have the freedom to assemble your countrymen

And protest the issues that matter to them.

It’s a democracy, and you know it,

Take hold of your rights and vote for it.

"That's What They Call Progress, Dear"

2011-03-27T11:05:00.002-05:00

Source: Photos Public Domain

It amazes me how today’s world is so different from the world I grew up in. So many little things I remember from growing up don’t even exist anymore.

Most of the changes that I actually notice are in technology. When I sit at home helping my little brother with the Internet, I tell him that, when I was his age, we had just started getting Internet. When I grew up, I learned to use DOS mode computers, where you had to type in computer code on a black screen in order to call up programs. Those programs can’t even compare to those of today. I didn’t even have Microsoft Word until fourth grade. At that time, I thought the Internet and all these cool programs for Windows were amazing. I could never imagine technology would improve so much, especially in my lifetime.

Now, DSL high-speed Internet connections are almost a necessity and not so much a luxury anymore. Places like McDonald’s and Baker’s Square even offer free Wifi for people to use on their smart phones and laptops, another creation that I never imagined when I was little.

Does anyone remember phone cards? My grandmother has always been very benevolent, and on many different occasions throughout the year, she would dote upon my cousins and I. In my eyes, the definition of being one of the big kids in the family was receiving a phone card from my grandmother on such occasions. My older cousins, who were in junior high and high school, would use them as money to make calls on payphones. From my point of view, this meant that they were old enough to be away from their parents and out socializing with the need to use a public phone. I remember I couldn’t wait to be grown-up enough to receive a phone card, mostly because I felt that would make me a member of the clique that was five of my six older cousins. However, by the time I reached that age group, I already had a cell phone, because of which I’ve suffered multiple “when I was your age” stories from my older cousins.

What about payphones? Whenever I see one, I'm, OMG I haven’t seen one of those in years! Payphones used to be everywhere. I remember going to the airport and seeing rows and rows of them. Now, I can hardly find any. My high school used to have some for students to use to call their parents or employers at lunch, but by the time I was a junior in high school, they were gone. Now if you’re out and about, you better hope you have enough phone minutes or battery life, because there’s not backup option beyond asking someone if you can use their cell phone.

Also along those same lines is collect calling. I have never placed or received a collect call, and I wonder if those even exist anymore. I would assume that if you’re calling from a landline or cell phone anywhere in the continental U.S., your call is already paid for (or will be paid for when the bill comes). My older cousins used collect calling though. My cousin Andy told me that “the way” to do it was to say your name was “HeyMomPickMeUp,” so that your parents knew soccer practice was over without having to accept the charges. Nowadays, I’m thinking kids only know about collect calls from that one episode of Robot Chicken, in which Darth Vader calls Emperor Palpatine after the first Death Star blew up.

I’m totally grateful that the world has progressed so much, at least technology-wise. As I type this to you, I can’t even imagine what new inventions will come next. That’s part of the excitement of the future, and “that’s what they call progress, dear.”

There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow

Shining at the end of every day

There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow

And tomorrow is just a dream away

Man has a dream, and that’s the start

He follows his dream with mind and heart

And when it becomes a reality

It’s a dream come true for you and me

So there’s a great big beautiful tomorrow

Shining at the end of every day

There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow

Just a dream away.

Source: Meet the Robinsons

What day is it, and in what month?

2011-03-11T19:01:00.001-06:00

Credit: ppdigital of everystockphoto

     Do you know what today is? Do you really?
     The Gregorian Calendar, the most commonly used calendar in the USA as well as in the Western world, has 12 months. Though the Gregorian Calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, six of them (January, February, March, April, May and June) are named for pagan gods and goddesses, and two (July and August) are named for Roman caesars. The last four months are named after numbers-- numbers that don't match the months.
       This realization first dawned on me in one of my foreign language classes. Using my basic knowledge of Latin from high school geometry, I was comparing Latin numbers to polygons and other groupings. Think about it. When a mother is pregnant with septuplets, she has seven little babies kicking around inside of her. An octopus has eight tentacles. A novena is prayed for nine days. When you haven't seen your friend in a decade, you haven't seen him or her in ten years. You get the point.

        So, did you also notice those Latin prefixes in the names of the months? September, October, November and December. However, these months are the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth months of the year, respectively, although their prefixes suggest otherwise. What gives?
   Well, according to Lawrence A. Crowl, these months were originally the seventh through tenth months of the calendar. The original Roman calendar had ten months, starting with March and ending with December. On this system, the numbers all line up, making September the seventh month, October the eighth month, and so on. Around 700 B.C., Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, added January and February to the calendar, creating the twelve-month system we follow today.
          I guess Undecember and Duodecember just don't have the same ring to them.

You Dropped Your Pocket

2011-03-10T14:35:00.000-06:00

Source: Gillespie Galleries

        I love pants with pockets. It's one of my simple joys in life. Seriously, wearing pants with pockets just makes my day better, because they just make for such convenient living.
       At any given moment, my pants pockets usually hold two of my life's necessities -- my cellphone and my chapstick. I can tuck them in my pockets and keep them safe and handy. When my phone rings or my lips feel dry...BAM! I whip 'em out like a ninja.
   As much as I love looking pretty, I sometimes dislike dressing up, because none of my dress pants, dresses or skirts have pockets. Then what do I do with my stuff? I'll have my stuff shoved in my purse, buried beneath my wallet, hand sanitizer, and other goods a gal needs for going out. When my phone rings, I turn into that nightmare of a purse organizer commercial, racing the ringtone and digging around to find my phone, cursing and swearing the whole way through. Or better yet, if I don't have pockets, my phone's not even near me, and I miss all those wonderful Merry Christmas texts from those friends you think of only in your mass holiday texts (not that they're not appreciated :-D). Even more horrifying is when my lips are achingly dry. I lick my lips and reach for my pocket, only to realize their is no pocket (insert dramatic girl scream)!!! Bummer. The lack of chapstick availability of course only makes the dry lips instantly worse and sends me running across the room for my purse.
   It's times like these that I remember the simple joy pockets bring to my life. They're handy-dandy, and I don't show them enough love. Say what you want about your comfy sweat pants or classy skirts; I just want my jeans with pockets to get me through my day.

The Eight-Day Vegetarian

2011-03-09T00:30:00.002-06:00

Source: Cafe Press

         Today, Ash Wednesday, is the official start of Lent for Roman Catholics around the world, as well as members of a few other Christian denominations. For many Roman Catholics, Lent is a time to focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving, often times giving up a vice or other favored object or activity for the 40-day period.
        One of the main regulations of Lent requires that all Roman Catholics ages 14 and older abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays during Lent. (Holy Saturday is also suggested as a non-meat day, but not required by current tradition.) However, according to St. Anthony Messenger magazine, this does not include fish, eggs, milk products, animal fat or "meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are not forbidden. So it is permissible to use margarine and lard. Even bacon drippings which contain little bits of meat may be poured over lettuce as seasoning." Knowing all of these exceptions, I wonder, what's the point?
        Once practiced every Friday, the abstinence from meat tradition is meant to be a form of spiritual discipline to help us recognize that our faith in Jesus is more important than three meals with meat each week. I also believe it connects to the suffering Our Lord experienced when he gave his life for humanity. If he could die on the cross, I can skip meat for a few days each year.
       If religion is not a good enough reason for your to be a vegetarian for eight days each year, maybe the environment can convince you. According to Professor Susan Thistle, the professor of my Food, Politics, and Society course, reducing your meat consumption to an average of 2 ounces per day will greatly reduce your ecological footprint. Raising livestock, except when done in strictly sustainable and organic ways, results in major energy loss. In regards to the food exchange, one estimate states that 700 calories of animal feed (mostly corn, in most industrial cases) produces only 100 calories of beef, resulting in a loss of 600 calories in the conversion process. In addition, energy is spent processing, packaging and transporting the meat from the factories to stores, and waste from industrial farms raising livestock in mass quantities stockpiles and destroys natural resources, including fresh water and marine life.
       But fear not, meat lovers, for there is a good side to eating meat. Eating meat has a sustainable function in the agricultural world. Most crops can only grow on arable land, and quantities of this precious property are declining. In places where our fruits, veggies, and wheat can't be grown, farmers can raise livestock in order to feed the world and put non-arable land to good use. Therefore, having a small amount of meat in your diet is better for the planet than having no meat at all, because a diet with meat allows for more productive global land use. Michael Pollan, a famous author and food expert, even advised the Obama Family in his article Farmer in Chief to set the example and institute a weekly meat-free day at the White House, thus incorporating some meat but mostly grains, fruits, and vegetables in the White House menu.
       The United States is currently the leading consumer of meat in the world, while some countries, like Ecuador, survive on little to no meat. I am very thankful that I live in a country with a meat-oriented food culture and that I can afford such tasty dishes. However, going vegetarian for a few days a year is well worth the effort. It's an act of self-discipline, an act of health, an act of faith, and an act of love.

Saying Cheese with the Big Cheese

2010-10-03T15:02:00.001-05:00

Waiting in the 30-minute line with about 100 other people seems like an eternity. It’s not the exhaustion from a long day of walking or the intense Florida humidity pouring in through the room’s open door that makes the wait seem excruciatingly long, but rather the building excitement of the moment. I turn my attention to the nostalgic Disney cartoons playing in the queue area to help pass the time. As I laugh at the clips of Mickey and his pals, my younger siblings roll their eyes at me and tell me to grow up. There’s nothing like a visit to the happiest place on earth to remind me what it’s like to be a kid again. Even as a 20-year-old who has experienced this at least 26 times before, I can barely keep myself from jumping up and down. This is the moment I look forward to every year. I’m about to have my date with Mickey Mouse.

This love affair with the Mouse started in my Disney-themed nursery when I was a few days old. I grew up watching the magical Disney princess fairytales and the cartoon adventures of Mickey and his pals on repeat. My dad likes to show the home videos of his own little Disney princess. In one vacation clip from my second visit to Walt Disney World at the age of 19 months, I ran up to Mickey and excitedly kissed him on the nose. To my toddler self, he was a familiar character in my life, like a family member. When my turn ended, I burst into tears, and Mickey chased me down the hallway to wipe my tears and give me one more hug. I was in love.

People of all generations easily fall in love with Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney brought him to life in 1928, and since then Mickey has become an icon for innocent goodness, happiness and fun. He is eternally youthful and reminds everyone of carefree times. Watching a Disney cartoon or visiting the theme parks featuring Mickey Mouse as the star allows fans and guests to escape from the real world for a moment and enjoy life. In fact, more than 47 million people visited Disney World last year, taking part in the Mouse’s legacy. Some adults even come without children to relive their own childhood. Walt Disney’s company plan was to offer something for everybody, and the attractive, versatile Mickey Mouse proves to be a great vehicle for the task. Even Robert Langdon, a fictional Harvard symbologist in Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol, embraces this Disney ideology and wears a Mickey Mouse wristwatch to remind himself not to take life too seriously. Mickey Mouse welcomes everyone of every age with open arms and regards each person as his pal.

Because we live far from our pal, my family and I have made our Chicago home a shrine to all things Disney. Our basement walls are lined with family photographs from our vacations to the theme parks. A Mickey Mouse tea kettle is a permanent fixture on our kitchen stove, and Disney magnets cover our refrigerator on the first floor. A three-foot plush Mickey Mouse and a Cinderella Castle tapestry welcome guests to our second floor. My own room is no exception to the Disney décor trend. Disney snow globes, Precious Moments, miniature posters and Mickey and Minnie Mouse stuffed animals I’ve had since my toddler years bring the magic home. Even when I leave my house, I always wear my Mickey Mouse wristwatch and carry the personalized Mickey Mouse keychain my dad made for me, taking the magic wherever I go. Even when I’m not with the Mouse, I carry him in my heart and eagerly anticipate my return to him.

I can’t wait for a hug from my pal. A smiling cast member ushers my family and me into the meet-and-greet area where Mickey and his girlfriend Minnie Mouse await. I eye the couple excitedly as I wait for the families in front of me to finish their turn. When my turn finally comes, I hand my mom my camera and rush into Mickey’s arms. A wave of joy washes over me, and I can’t keep the smile off my face. I reunite with my best friend.

Thank you

2010-09-10T11:47:00.000-05:00

According to the cool stats on blogger, this blog hit 50 pages views last month.
This includes viewers from the US, Russia, Denmark, Australia, Germany, Latvia, Netherlands, Romania and Singapore.

I'm so overwhelmed by this reach of readership, and I'd like to thank every single one of you for taking the time to take a look at my page. I'm incredibly flattered.

Please feel free to comment on my blog, whether you're make a comment related to a post or just saying hi.

On a separate note, you may have noticed a change in the blog. I added a new background and color scheme today and changed the title of my blog. I chose the name "These Dreams" after the awesome song by Heart because I feel that it reflects more of me. Although this blog started as a business venture to give myself some writing experience, it has grown near and dear to my heart, and I want to make it a reflection of what I have to offer the world.

Thank you for your readership.

Playlists- 20 Empowering Songs to Brighten Your Day

2010-09-09T13:50:00.000-05:00

Photo source: stock.xchng user fangol.

Music is a powerful mood changer. The right song can turn a whole day around.

When I'm feeling down, nervous, lacking confidence, or just in need of a pep talk, I turn to these songs for comfort.

1. Party in the USA- Miley Cyrus
   This inspires me to be bold and confident wherever I'm at.
2. Just Dance-Lady Gaga
     No matter how bad the situation is, "Just dance, [it's] gonna be ok."
3. She Wolf- Shakira
    You have to let out your inner wolf and flaunt what you've got.
4. No Floods- Stefani Germanotta (Lady Gaga)
     "No 'mount of lightning or thunder, buckets of rain water, you can't flood this town. In a world unknown, you've gotta hold your own. And you can't stop me, you're never ever ever gonna stop me now."
5. Never Give Up on the Good Times- Spice Girls
     This one's a throwback, for sure. It's one of those songs that makes you wanna get up and dance, no matter what mood you were in previously. "Livin' it up is a state of mind."
6. Stand Out from A Goofy Movie
    It inspires you to stand out and be yourself.
7. Fearless- Taylor Swift
    The title itself gives it away. Don't be afraid to take chances.
8. Miss Independent- Ne-Yo
    Feeling like you can't do something? This song gives you the encouragement to do anything. Bonus, Ne-Yo thinks its a turn-on when girls do it for themselves.
9. Who Said- Hannah Montana
     I know, I know, Hannah Montana may not appeal to many people above the age of fifteen, but this song has an important message. No matter what anyone says, you have so much potential to achieve great things.
10. Go the Distance from Hercules
       Another wholesome message from Disney. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the movie, Hercules begins as a social outcast with a scrawny physique (but hidden strength) who finds out who he really is and works to become a hero. He could go the distance to find his hero's welcome, and so can you.
11. Beautiful - Akon
      This song is just full of compliments. When I listen to it, I pretend Akon's singing to me. It makes my whole day.
12. Better This Way - 7th Heaven
      This song gives me the strength to accept the situations life throws at me and just roll with it.
13. Starstrukk- 3OH!3
      Girl, you so hot you make the boys whistle.
14. Hold On- Wilson Phillips
       Another one of those songs that encourages you to hold on, because the bad times will always pass.
15. Tied Together with a Smile- Taylor Swift
      Even if the lyrics are a bit melancholy, but it reminds me of the inner strength we all have, such that we can smile even when the weight of the world is crushing us.
16. Just Keep Swimming from Finding Nemo the Musical
      On a totally optimistic note, Dory of Finding Nemo reminds us to "Just keep swimming...life isn't all that grim."
17. Firework- Katy Perry
      "Baby, you're a firework. Come on let your colors burst."
18. Rockstar 101- Rhianna
       This one came under my radar when it started appearing on the commercials for Nikita, a new show about a woman trained as an assassin. This girl looks like she can kick some serious butt. Rhianna's song reminds me of Nikita and inspires me to be a tough gal too.
19. Respect- Aretha Franklin
      Aretha has been described as a music queen. In general, she projects an image that is strong, confident, bold, and comfortable in her own skin. This particular song by this strong diva encourages you to put your foot down and demand respect.
20. I Gotta Feeling- Black Eyed Peas
      It's a sign of good things to come. :-)

Hope these brightened your day.

What songs inspire you to do great things?

Music Monday!

2010-08-30T18:38:00.001-05:00


Coffee and Music by Cracking Jokes of Flickr

Happy Monday, Readers!

Because many of you went back to school today, I'd like to treat your efforts to a music break.

Music is a big part of my life. Lyrics and rhythms can take you away from the not-so-great things in life, give you the freedom to dance, and even give you the words to say what you feel.

For your musical enjoyment, I present to you five cool music tidbits (new and old) that made me smile today.

1. Glee Radio- I don't know about you, but I'm a Gleek. It's basically the glorified story of my life (because I was a band geek). Great storyline aside, the show features many talented young adults singing covers to classic songs that are sometimes even better than the originals. Glee Radio, an internet radio station, streams music performed by the Glee Cast as well as songs by the original artists covered in the show. There's nothing like these bubbly young voices to perk up your day. Listen here.

2. Pianotte- Tickling the ivories can be a very relaxing way to blow off some steam and channel your creative energy into a beautiful work of audio art. This website hosts pages and pages of free pdfs of piano music from songs you actually know. It took me a lot of shifting through free piano music sites filled only with classical music with titles I can't even pronounce to find this. Check out this treasure.

3. Mine by Taylor Swift- This sweet song that leaked August 4th quickly became one of my favorites. It's a sweet story about love and supportive relationships that I find to be very heartwarming, similar to the way Love Gives Me Hope makes me melt. This country princess released her music video "Mine" on Friday.
I love how her music videos actually visually tell the story of her songs, unlike those of other artists that have seemingly unrelated themes. This video has another cute love story featuring sweet moments of romance and a growing relationship over the course of a lifetime.

4. The Cure to Songs That Get Stuck in Your Head - as much as I love my music, hearing the same lyric in my head repeatedly for a period of hours or even days can get just a tad annoying. My cure is to listen to the entire song and get my fill. This article from KROQ radio suggests another way to clear your mind.

5.Audacity- This free download software is a relatively easy-to-use audio editing tool. I've been using it mostly to create custom ringtones. You can open an MP3 in the program and cut out sound clips until you have a text tone or ring tone that you can't stop playing. It's also good for changing sound quality on mp3s, putting together medleys, or creating a soundtrack for a video or slide show. The software is completely free (and virus free) to download, leaving no guilt for downloading it just for fun. You can get your free copy of Audacity on its official website.

With a smile and a song, may your day be bright!

What did you think of these links?

What are your favorite music treasures that you have found buried in the world wide web?

Apples in Stereo

2010-04-29T15:25:00.002-05:00

Another article I wrote for my school paper. Apparently they only wanted to publish one of my articles this week instead of both.

Apples in Stereo is back again with another album, “Travellers [sic] in Space and Time.” The alternative pop group delivers a time-machine experience. Some songs, like “Strange Solar System,” offer glimpses of the future with out-of-this world topics and tons of synthesizer and voice modulations. Others, like “Hey Elevator,” are a blast from the past, featuring upbeat disco rhythms and groovy moods. Although the cosmic sounds and lyrics in some of the songs can be just a bit too quirky, others are more down-to-earth with a style similar to a song from “The Brady Bunch” and “The Partridge Family” era. Each song incorporates a variety of interesting sounds, giving your ear an acoustic buffet. “Travellers in Space and Time” has the potential to soar to new heights in popularity and revive the musical styles of eras past while bringing to the stage some futuristic flair.

Raymond v. Raymond

2010-04-20T14:32:00.001-05:00

So I wrote this article for my school's paper. However, since I was quoted as a source in another article, the paper ethically could not print my article.
So, why let a good thing go to waste? Here's my review of Usher's new album Raymond v. Raymond.

Usher’s latest album, “Raymond v Raymond,” features songs suitable for everything from dancing to kissing your honey to “Making Love (Into the Night).” The artist’s smooth voice does not disappoint as he croons his ballads about love or the loss of it. His songs feature strong R&B beats that vary in tempo as Usher shows yet again that he can speed it up and slow it down. “Raymond v Raymond” also shares the mic with other notable voices, such as Nicki Minaj, Ludacris, will.i.am, P. Diddy and T.I., all of whom seem to have lower voices than the album’s main man. Don’t let the weak first track, “Monstar”’s, out-of-place techno background tracking turn you off. The rest of the album does not fail to bring to your ears the easy to listen to, fun to groove to music of Usher that we all know and love.

RIP Chet

2010-04-18T22:59:00.009-05:00

Crime never seemed real to me until it hit so close to home. I'd seen it in the movies, heard about it in the news and was even paranoid that it would happen to me, but it never seemed real, not really. My neighborhood is what I have in the past described as a "sleepy little town." Though on the outskirts of the third biggest city in the country, my neighborhood is usually quiet, and nothing that interesting ever happens. In recent years, we've had some suicides and a gang-related shooting, but major crimes are usually few and far between.

On March 29, 2010, crime became more real to me. The man who lives across the street from me was found stabbed to death. His body was found on a residential street about a mile from my home. He was stabbed to death and found near (or in?) his running car. The police have not released much more information, and I dare not post my speculations like others are doing on the comment section of news websites. My neighbor was so young and will be missed.

In today's post, I'd like to take a few moments to remember my neighbor.

I've known this man for more than five years. My parents guesstimate that he and his wife moved in when I was in seventh grade. Over the years, he became my sister and I's favorite neighbor.

My earliest memory of him was in my freshman or sophomore year of high school. As my mom was leaving to take me to school one morning, we found that my neighbor's car had gotten stuck in the snow outside our house. Although we had barely had any contact with him before, we thought we'd go play superwomen and give him a push. My neighbor, who was a man, felt bad having two women push, so he had my mom "drive" his car while he and I pushed. While my mom was freaking out about his fancy car sliding around in the snow with her in the driver's seat, I slipped in the snow and landed on my hands and knees while trying to push the car. My neighbor freaked out and was like, OMG ARE YOU OK? Haha, of course I was. My mom changed spots with my neighbor, and we got him out of the snow.

So, after that, I started seeing my neighbor more often. He'd always say hi to me and ask me about my life. Usually he'd make a joking comment, like asking me if I was on my way to a party at nine in the morning.

My sister and I found it absolutely hilarious that this neighbor was totally unhandy. As a young man, he should have been capable of mowing his own lawn and shoveling his own snow. Instead, my sister and I found it absolutely hilarious to find landscapers mowing his lawn, his father-in-law watering his lawn, and his wife shoveling his snow. Such incidents earned him the title of lazy in our house (jokingly, of course). It got to the point that my sister and I would give him standing ovations and cheer when he took in his own mail.

Recently, my mom, sister and I watched my neighbor do some gutter work. With the help of his father-in-law, he leaned a ladder against his house and started climbing toward the gutter. Having seen my dad do this hundreds of times, my mom exclaimed that the ladder was not tilted at the proper angle, and that he and the ladder would end up falling backwards. As we three onlookers were torn between recording an "America's Funniest Home Videos" moment or yelling out the window to him, his father-in-law told him to get down, flipped the ladder completely over (apparently it had been upside-down), and began to climb the ladder himself. This, of course, brought on the LOLs as we were amused by my neighbors lack of handyman skills.

The weird part is that I had just seen my neighbor a couple days before he died. We had waved to each other while he was leaving for work and me for school, which happened most mornings anyway. His death hasn't really hit me yet. I found out about the funeral hours after it had ended, so I didn't get my chance to say good-bye. Some days, I still expect to see him around. I just can't believe he's gone.

I hope the police crack the case and catch the person responsible. The sick people in this world hurt so many lives by ending the life of one.

RIP Chet, you will be missed.

Eternal rest grant unto him, o Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May saints and angels lead you on, escorting you where Chirst has gone.
Amen.

(Photo courtesy of legacy.com)

Just in case I wasn't enough of a freak already, let's add a tiara.

2010-03-22T14:22:00.007-05:00

I fell in love with the Princess Diaries back in 2001.
The movie gave me lots of hope, as the clumsy, geeky girl with atypical beauty and nerdy interests becomes a beautiful, graceful (at times) princess.
Later, I fell in love with the book series, clinging to every word in Mia's diary as she went through high school, became a big sister, had her first kiss, FINALLY dated Michael Moscovitz, and had an epic dinner/movie date with him while watching Star Wars.

I saw a lot of me in Mia. Her life wasn't overly dramatic, but it was eventful.
Even as an extremely public figure (past the age of 15), she knew what it was like to feel invisible.

At the same time, she taught me to stand my own ground and be proud of who I am. I can be an individual. I have to like myself, and nobody else's opinion really matters.

Maybe what I really liked about the Princess Diaries was that it brought the childhood dreams of being a princess into the teen years. A more mature fairytale, if you will.

Little did I know, Mia and I have more in common that I could imagine.
I have not been handed the throne to a fictitous country (yet), but I do have some royal blood in me.

According to my mother, her family is descended from King Brian Boru of Ireland.

King Brian is known for ending the High Kingship of Ireland, a government system in which one king ruled over all of Ireland and was aided by lesser kings. He ruled southern Ireland but was also acknowledged as a high king of northern Ireland for a while. King Brian was involved in bloody battles with other kings who disputed his kingship and control of parts of Ireland. He was killed in the Battle of Clontarf on Good Friday, 1014, at the age of 88, according to Wikipedia.

Despite my royal roots, I won't be receiving my tiara.
Brian Boru is said to be one of the most prolific kings in Irish history. So, I share my royalty with countless others.Not to mention that the republic doesn't recognize a king anymore.

Either way, it's still cool to have royalty in the family.

If You Like It, Then You Shoulda Put a Ring on It

2010-03-17T13:50:00.007-05:00

"My heartbeat's a jig/and me blood it flows green" -Kiss Me I'm Irish, Gaelic Storm

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I don't care what nationality you are; everyone is Irish today.
So, wear the green, drink up, dance and celebrate this lovely day.

I'm only half Irish, but my mother taught me to be very proud of those roots.
I took Irish dance for three years, and I still fit in my fancy dress, curly wig, and gillies (dance shoes). And, there's something about Irish music that makes me feel good.

I don't speak Gaelic (pog ma thoin), and I've never been to Eire, but I'm still plenty proud of my roots.

The one way I rep it, is with my claddagh ring.
(As do many other people, Irish or not. But hey, everyone's Irish today).

The claddagh ring has been noted as one of the most culturally rich pieces of jewelry ever crafted. According to Kai Silver, the claddagh has a rich history, dating back more than 300 years. The best guess is that the rings came from the small Irish fishing village Claddagh. It bears the symbol of two hands holding a crowned heart. The hands holding the heart represent friendship, the heart represents love, and the crown represents loyalty. Kai Silver sums up the claddagh's message as, "Let Love and Friendship Reign Forever."

The way the ring is worn says something about the wearer.
Married or engaged persons wear the ring on their left hand with the bottom of the heart pointing towards them (because their heart is taken). Those who are in a relationship wear the ring on their right hand in the same fashion.

Those who are single and seeking love wear it on their right hand with the bottom of the heart facing outward (because their heart is open).

My claddagh ring has special significance to me. My grandfather brought it for my mother from Ireland. When she outgrew it, she gave it to me. The ring is so small that it only fits on my pinky fingers, and it's missing the garnet it once bore, but I love it nonetheless. Even though I'm not married, I wear it on my left hand, because I already have my high school class ring on my right hand ring finger, and the two would just clash.

Slainte!

Free Hugs!

2010-02-22T22:44:00.002-06:00

A while back, I stumbled upon a Facebook event for a Free Hugs Day. My immediate response was to click "attending" and take full advantage of hugging my friends that day.

For my group of friends, however, hugging is nothing new. The group of people I hung out with in high school used hugs as greetings, to say good-bye, and pretty much whenever we felt it was needed.

This past week, while discussing social norms in my marketing class (of course, this concept doesn't click until the fifth time I studied norms), I realized that my friends and I break a social norm with our friendship ritual. Members of our group come up against this norm all the time. If one group member brings a new person to the group, when it's time to say our good-byes, the ingroup members stand about awkwardly, wondering if they should hug the new person or not. After all, we don't want to scare anyone away.

In fact, one night last summer, I went for a walk with a friend from my high school group and another friend I had known since first grade. At the end of the walk, I said good-bye to the grade school friend and hugged the high school friend and left it at that. I thought about hugging the grade school friend too, but I figured I didnt have that type of relationship with that friend at the time. Months later, the grade school friend recounted the story of that night to me, telling me he or she had wanted a hug too (but was too shy to ask for one).

Out of fear of breaking a social norm, I left out a friend.

Juan Mann of Sydney, Australia is on a mission to make sure nobody is left out.
Mann started a free hugs campaign in 2004 to help others to feel loved and supported. The campaign has a random acts of kindness philosophy and offers hugs to total strangers on public streets.

Although Juan Mann has come up against some legal and social obstacles, the campaign lives on and has since spread around the globe thanks to the following youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

Don't let your friends feel left out.
Hug a pal today!

You can learn more about the Free Hugs Campaign here: www.freehugscampaign.org

It's Centrifugal Motion, It's Perpetual Bliss XOXO

2010-02-03T22:41:00.003-06:00

Did you ever wonder why it is that people kiss? Who was the first person to look at another person and think "I wanna swap saliva with him/her"?

According to Sharon K. West's article in Historical Mysteries, most people believe that kissing originated as a primitive eating ritual. Mothers would prechew the food and then spit it into the mouths of their children. Being that this was done from mother to child, this 'kiss' became associated with signs of affection as well as meeting basic human needs.

By 2000 B.C., people believed that kissing joined two souls together (How sweet! But that's some pretty deep commitment). The Ancient Egyptians associated kisses with giving life (ahem, or one thing led to another and....).

According to
anthropologist Vaughn Bryant Jr., the first erotic kiss was exchanged in India around 1500 BC. (Score two for the Indians. They started indoor plumbing, too!)

Over time, kisses became used in many different instances, such as greetings, sealing deals and even betrayal (Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.).

Russians were the first to incorporate kisses in their marriage ceremonies (changes your view of the Russians, right?).
The French were the first to consider kssing as an acceptable form of courtship (surprise, surprise). The French are also given credit for the French Kiss or "Maraichinage," a long kiss that developed into the erotic, tongue twisting kiss we know and love today.

In honor of Valentine's Day, here are some kissing tips adapted from Seventeen Magazine (December 2009 issue):

1. Make sure your lips are moist. Put on chapstick in advance, so your lips aren't sticky but still moist. Make sure it tastes good too!

2. Start your make-out session with small close-lipped kisses until you can match each other's pace.

3. It's not just in the lips. Use the tongue in creative ways too. You can practice by trying different types of tonguing on your own skin and see what feels good.

4. Add a few more actors to the show. Use your hands to carress your partner's face or hair or even add some sensation by stroking their arms or shoulders.

5. Don't think. Just go with the flow.

6. End the kiss by rubbing your nose against your partner's. It's a sweet way to end the kiss (and I think it's totally adorable!)

And if you feel about guilty about indulging yourself in the kisses (I mean, hey, sometimes you wonder if too much kissing makes the relationship too physical), calm your worries with these great insights into the benefits of kissing from West's article:

1. Kissing sends signals to our brain, which produces oxytocin, a hormone that creates an overall good feeling.

2. According to psychologists, people who kiss their spouse before they go to work miss less work because of illness. Also, people who kiss make 20-30 percent more in wages per month, get in fewer auto accidents and live up to 5 years longer!
(Easier than eating an apple every day, right?)

So, treat your honey good on Valetine's Day.
Impress him or her with your knew knowledge on the history of kissing, please him or her with the simple tips to improve your kissing and enjoy being with each other.

All the best in life and love!

Oh, and don't forget to check out West's article:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_bizarre_mysterious/110045

xoxo

Spread the Love and Tell Her About It

2010-02-01T14:40:00.001-06:00

To my dearest boys,
We girls cannot live without you. However, we do want to make it pleasurable to live with you.
Communication between the genders is often difficult. While guys are more visual and express their love through actions, girls are better at understanding the verbal. Girls need to be told how you feel, and told repeatedly.
As hard as we try, we can't get inside your heads. We won't know what's going on if you don't tell us. And, if you neglect to tell us sweet things for a long period of time, we worry that you've changed your minds.
So the best advice I can give to you comes from Billy Joel:

Listen boy
Don't want to see you let a good thing
Slip away

You know I don't like watching
Anybody make the same mistakes
I made

She's a real nice girl
And she's always there for you
But a nice girl wouldn't tell you what you should do

Listen boy
I'm sure that you think you got it all
Under control

You don't want somebody telling you
The way to stay in someone's soul

You're a big boy now
You'll never let her go
But that's just the kind of thing
She ought to know

Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason to accept
That you're for real

Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means

Listen boy
It's not automatically a certain guarantee
To insure yourself
You've got to provide communication constantly

When you love someone
You're always insecure
And there's only one good way
To reassure

Tell her about it
Let her know how much you care
When she can't be with you
Tell her you wish you were there

Tell her about it
Every day before you leave
Pay her some attention
Give her something to believe

Cause now and then
She'll get to worrying
Just because you haven't spoken
For so long
Though you may not have done anything
Will that be a consolation when she's gone

Listen boy
It's good information from a man
Who's made mistakes

Just a word or two that she gets from you
Could be the difference that it makes

She's a trusting soul
She's put her trust in you
But a girl like that won't tell you
What you should do

Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason
To accept that you're for real

Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means

Tell her about it
Tell her how you feel right now
Tell her about it
The girl don't want to wait too long
You got to tell her about it
Tell her now and you won't go wrong
You got to tell her about it
Before it gets too late
You got to tell her about it
You know the girl don't want
To wait--you got to
Tell her about it

Don't worry though, boys. We love you too, and we can't live without you either.

Don't forget, 13 days til Valentine's Day. Make it special for her, and remind her how you feel.

Love Always,
~Passion4Words

I hate Mondays...

2010-01-05T23:24:00.001-06:00

And I never even realized it until college. Not that there was anything newly bad with Mondays once i started college. I just found myself saying that more often at that juncture in my life.

Every time I said it, my mom would tell me this story of how, when she had her first job out of college, she carried a tote bag with Garfield the cat on it that read, "I hate Mondays."

Mondays are the rude awakening to the beautiful dream that is my weekend.
Monday means back to the grindstone of classes and work. I wake up every Monday morning saying, "Wait, wasn't it just Friday?"

So, I'm not usually the happiest camper on Mondays.
This past Monday, the first day of my Winter Quarter for the school year, I happened to pick up a free copy of the Chicago Tribune (thank you, College Readership Program). Much to my delight, columnist Barbara Brotman offered me the following ways to fight the Monday/winter blues:

-"Get out of yourself. Get out of your head. Do not ever use the term 'personal happiness' unless you're using it ironically. Happiness is not personal; it's relational. Think of your happiness in terms of relationships with other people -- family, friends, co-workers, strangers or, if you want to be metaphysical, your relationship with the universe."
On that note, I'd like to throw in my own suggestion: share a smile. Smiling releases endorphins and really does make you feel better. Plus, they're contagious.

-"Squelch envy. Envy is the only one of the seven deadly sins that has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. And it is toxic when it comes to happiness."

-"Do not win the lottery. It will not make you happy. Or rather, it will make you happy for a short period, but then you will return to your set point of happiness."

-"Express gratitude on a regular basis. People who express gratitude are happy."
I particularly like this piece of advice. I say thank you a lot to people. I've even thanked people after I help THEM. Crazy right? My friends have told me I say thank you too much. Here's why!

-"You can buy lots of stuff, but don't be materialistic. It's the attitude of being materialistic that makes people less happy."

-"Have sex. People with active sex lives are happier than people without."
Lol, thank you, Barbara!

-"Eat chocolate. It contains chemicals that trigger the release of serotonin in the brain."

-"Combine the last two activities in some way. Messy, but effective."

-"Shorten your commute. People with long commutes are not happy, not only because of the frustrations of commuting but in terms of opportunity costs. Time spent commuting is time spent away from things like forming relationships with people that would make you happy."

-"And don't think about happiness too much. Happiness is a byproduct of life lived well. It is when we try to tackle it head-on that it slips out of our grasp. Don't buy books on happiness. Except for one. And give that to your friends."

You can check out the full article here : http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-talk-brotman-get-happyjan04,0,979874.column

May you find happiness this week :-D!

Gossiping Girl

2009-12-14T00:52:00.002-06:00

So, for those of you who read my last post, I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me.

I actually really enjoyed my teenage years. There's so many great memories that I wouldn't trade for the world.

So, to indulge you all, I thought I'd leave some gossip about myself in my teenage years, sort of as a memoir.

Let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start).

I was thirteen when I got my first 'boyfriend.' I still remember our first date pretty vividly. We went to see Grind, a skateboarding movie with Adam Brody that I thought would be a lot more amusing, at a small theater by our house. Brilliant me decided that we should get there half an hour early. So, because the movie theater wasn't exactly up with the times, it didn't bother to show ads or puzzles prior to the previews. So, my date and I sat in the dark screening room for half an hour while I searched my brain for engaging conversation topics (to little avail). Awkward experience- slightly. Still, it was a good learning experience for me. I learned to be prepared to make conversation on any date.

For those of you wondering, I actually did have a great time with this guy. The 'relationship' didn't last (surprise, surprise, since we were so young), but to this day, he's still one of my best friends. (lol, and he'll probably smack me for writing about him :-P)

I was fourteen when I started high school. I definitely did not like it in the beginning, but I leared to love it. I really grew and learned a lot about myself in high school. I found some great friends and had some great times. I still miss my high school and my related activities. I was one of those kids who was super involved, from Marching Band to NHS to serving as president of WYSE (Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering, similar to an academic team). Being involved really helped me to feel as though I was part of the community, and I made some great friends and memories.

When I was fifteen, I took driver's ed. Probably one of the scariest experiences of my life. I did not see any reason to put my uncoordinated self behind the wheel of a four-wheeled death machine. In my first couple days at range, when we were learning how to drive the car in reverse, I backed the car up over the curb. My instructor was pissed and watched me like a hawk from then on. I did manage to pass driver's ed, however, and I'm a pretty decent driver (knock on wood).

I was the girl who turned sweet sixteen and was never kissed. Did that drive me nuts? Absolutely! I was totally boy crazy. My most prominent memories from that age are about fighting over boys with other girls. Not that I won any of those fights.

Seventeen was an exciting age for me. I had a car, money from a part-time job, and my legal curfew was midnight on weekends. I felt like the world was my sandbox (yes, I just quoted Rugrats), and I played in it all weekend long with my friends. This was probably my most social experience in my life. Thursday nites were always spent planning for Fridays and Saturdays. I don't even wanna think about how much money I wasted, but it was good times.

Turning legal was not celebrated as scandalously as I would have hoped. I still have not purchased porn or been to a strip club. I bought a lottery ticket on my 18th birthday (the guy almost didn't sell it to me, either!), and I've bought maybe one other one since. I'm such a good girl :-P
That year had lots of other fun moments, though. I went to two senior proms (one with my bestie and one with my current boyfriend), gave a pretty awesome valedictorian speech at my graduation, and started college (finally, classes with boys again!)

Nineteen was finally the age at which I did all the stuff I should have done before I hit Sweet Sixteen.I got my first real boyfriend, my first kiss, and all that fun stuff. This was definitely the highlight of age 19 for me. It was the perfect finale for my teen years.

Now that I'm a few weeks into being 20, I'm realizing it's not as bad as I had anticipated. I don't feel all that old. In fact, I'm just as immature as I was a few weeks (and years) ago. A couple weeks ago, I was skipping- yes skipping- down my driveway and singing. My sister was like, "How are you 20?"

I definitely loved my teen years, but I'm determined not to let the fun die down. Here's to the next decade!

I Love Teenagers

2009-12-13T23:55:00.001-06:00

That's kind of a bold statement, isn't it?

Maybe it isn't love so much as an understanding though. They're not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. They're just misunderstood.

In my last days as a teenager, I feel the need to make this rant: It's not easy being teen.

Seriously, teenagers are probably the most looked down upon age group in society. It feels like EVERYONE is out to get you. Most people have this notion that because you're in that age group, you're automatically up to no good.

I've had friends stopped by the cops for doing nothing illegal. We're just an age group to harass as a 'preventative measure.' It seems like more than enough adults are ready to combat this menace to society. Sadly, most of us don't do anything about the crappy treatment. We just take it.

I recently dealt with some adults about a harassment situation. I played by the rules, went through the proper channels and presented my case the adult way. Their advice to me was to put up and shut up. Because I'm a teenager, I'm supposed to put up with discrimination and not say anything about it. I'm supposed to be naive and not realize that I'm being slighted. Really? I feel like if I was ten years older, people would take me seriously, and the advice would not be to shut up and take it.

Being one who is easily offended, I often took note of when adults treated my friends and I differently for being teens.

After band in high school, my hungry friends and I used to frequent local restaurants. I spent so many nights waiting a half an hour or more to be seated in an empty restaurant. To top it off, the manager had the nerve to threaten to throw my group out if we weren't quiet while in the waiting area. On more than one occassion, I was ready to have a throwdown with the manager. Seriously, if you sat us at a table and gave us some food, we'd keep quiet, and everyone would be happy. Is that so hard?

But again, I feel like if my friends and I were just ten years older, we'd be treated a bit differently.

Speaking of throwdowns, I actually did have one with a lady at church once. The woman had the gall to sit there and tell me that because I am a teenager, I obviously couldn't know as much as she did. My response: Oh no you didn't! I earned myself the brand of disobedient and rude teen that day for standing up for myself. But to be fair, the adult started it :-P

It's interesting to see the teen situation from the other side of the fence. I recently got a job for the holidays at a suburban mall. On every shift, I get to deal with my fair share of high school students. When I was in high school, I learned to tune out obnoxious girls, so I usually don't notice them approaching until my manager groans. Although I've never had a problem with any of the teenagers I've encountered at work, my manager and coworkers can usually find something negative to say about even the sweetest teenager that comes by. Why? Because they are teenagers.
When I come to their defense, my coworkers tell me I'm too nice and willing to put up with people. That's when I argue that I've been there, done that and bought that t-shirt. And now I'm gonna flaunt it.

Most adults who know me don't believe that I'm capable of being a 'typical' teenager. People believe I can't be moody or rowdy. It's the people who don't know me that are the problem. To them, I'm probably just a disrespectful person who will make a scene, create a mess and not leave a tip.

While I'll admit there's some bad eggs among us, don't let the bad ones spoil it for all of us. There's good in us. The groups of people I hung out with high school and those I continue to hang out with are great people. We'll leave generous tips, respond to you politely and sometimes even be more mature than the average adult.

We're people, just in a different packaging than those who are respected in society. Most of us probably wouldn't do anything an adult wouldn't do anyway.

The funny part is, any adult who looks down on a teenager was probably just as bad or worse than the poor soul he or she is scorning. I've heard stories from adults reminiscing about their wild high school and college days and wondered how they can scorn someone else for trying to have fun.

My theory is that these once fun-loving teens turned into hypocritical adults because they didn't care that they were mistreated as teens. That's the kind of stuff in life you just let go. If you're not being hauled off to jail, you shouldn't let a grouchy adult spoil your fun. Or, maybe most teens just don't notice that adult in the corner giving them the evil eye at all. Life IS more painless when you're brainless, after all.

I, for one, hope I won't turn into that.

So teens, know that people do love you. Have your fun, but be polite about it. Don't give them the chance to judge you.
If any of you are a cynic, like me, know that your consolation will be that you can do this to the next group of teens in a couple of years anyway.

Adults (if any of you read this), remember what it was like to be a teen. In most cases, there's no ill intentions. Let them have their fun. Or, maybe consider adopting the age-old addage, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

P.S.- Thanks Kristy & Luis for motivating me to update :-)

I Made the News! :-D

2009-09-23T20:09:00.001-05:00

Where Magic Lives

2009-08-13T09:53:00.001-05:00

"All you need is faith and trust. Oh! and Something I forgot-- dust...Yup! Just a little bit of pixie dust." -Peter Pan

For those of you who don't know me, I am a self-proclaimed Disney fanatic.
Disney movies have provided me my philosophy for life-- from believing that true beauty lies within, to true love conquers all, to the essential "Hakuna Matata" ("no worries").

In addition to the magic of the movies, I have fallen in love with the real-life magic Disney offers. I have visited Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida 26 times in my short 19 years of life (not a bad record for someone who lives in the Midwest) and Disneyland in Anaheim, California once.

I was inspired on my recent visit there to write a blog piece on WHY I love Disney so much and why it's not just for little kids, which is what many of my friends tell me when I am visiting Walt Disney World yet again. Please note that this is not an advertisement or meant to promote Disney, but rather an explanation of my passion for it.

Walt Disney World offers a magical experience like no other. For the most part, my experience with the Walt Disney Company has been positive. It has so many unique little aspects that make it seem all the more wonderful.
For example, employees of the Walt Disney Company are called "cast members," as they are always to put on a show for the guests, not customers. Cast members are trained to be polite, respectful, courteous and cheerful, making any interaction with a member of the Walt Disney Company magical.
As I mentioned, customers are referred to as "guests" and treated as such. Cast members are always happy to assist guests, help them meet their needs, and please them in any way possible (within reason, of course).
Being called a "guest" rather than a "customer" makes me feel more valued. I feel as though it's not about the money I'm spending there, but rather my personal happiness.

Walt Disney World is my favorite vacation destination because it feels so secluded. When touring a major city, the people you interact with are going about their daily lives and are not there to enjoy life as much as you are. People are rushign off to their jobs, picking up their kids, etc. At Walt Disney World, everybody (with the exception of the cast members) is on vacation! Everyone is there to have a good time and make some memories. There are fewer people working on their cell phones and computers, emailing that important file to their boss or trading stocks. The absence of this makes it easier to "forget about your worries and your strife" (Bare Necessities, The Jungle Book) at home and focus on having a good time. While I'm in Disney World, I'm not worrying about my duties at work or the drama I'm involved in with friends. I've been transported to a magical world at the moment I cross the property line. In this world, I can truly embrace the Hakuna Matata and enjoy myself.

Also, because other guests are also on vacation, people are much friendlier. Everyone is there to have fun. It's much easier to strike up a conversation with someone while waiting in line than it usually is in the outside world. In Disney World, it is socailly acceptable to smile at and wave to people you don't know. While people in the outside world would give you a weird look and assume that you are crazy, in Disney World, people smile and wave back. Such interaction brings about a feeling of unity and renews faith in the goodness of people.

Disney World is overflowing with a sense of magic. Your wildest childhood fantasies come to life here as you fly with Peter Pan, ransack the Caribbean with pirates, hang glide over California, soar to new heights on a mission to Mars, interact with wildlife, travel under the sea with Nemo and Friends, and land right on the set and behind the scenes of some of the most beloved non-Disney movies of all time -- all in one day (if you're really ambitious)! Having the opportunity to do such things can really bring out someone's inner child. Once people learn to let their guard down, all bets are off. Adults will dance in the streets and wait in lines to hug Mickey Mouse just like the toddlers do. Reliving the carefree days is, I think, the best way to spend a vacation.

Character meet-and-greets, shows, and parades bring some of your favorite Disney storybook characters to life. I still get excited when hugging Mickey Mouse, doing the princess pose with Belle, or waving at Ariel as she swims by in the parade. Coming face to face with those characters I loved as a child rekindles those positive thoughts and feelings in my heart that are brought on by watching the happy-ending Disney movies.

Speaking of Disney movies, these films definitely shaped me as an individual and helped me grow up to be a moral and optimistic individual with a deep belief in the magic in the world. I have trouble watching movies that don't have a happy ending. After watching a Disney movie, I feel touched by the magic. I feel inspired that my wildest dreams can come true, if I believe they can and am willing to work for them.
Disney films have inpsired me to believe that the quiet, sheltered girl can be noticed by the handsome prince (Cinderella), you never have to fully grow up (Peter Pan), and that poverty shouldn't get you down in life (Aladdin). Disney movies teach you some of the more practical life lessons too. For example, you shouldn't trust the strange old lady offering an apple (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), don't touch sharp objects (Sleeping Beauty), and of course, evil never pays off (insert any Disney villain here).

The magic of Disney makes life all the more bearable for me. It helps me to look on the bright side of life and inspires me to achieve my goals. Disney has taught me to "Just keep swimming" (Dory, Finding Nemo) when times are tough, reminds me of "Hakuna Matata" (The Lion King) when my worrywart self comes out, that "I [can] beat the odds/I can go the distance..til I find my hero's welcome right where I belong," (Hercules) and "If you can dream it, you can do it," (Walt Disney). ºoº

Smells Familiar

2009-07-16T16:51:00.003-05:00

I love the smell of suntan lotion.

I wouldn't say it's the most attractive smell in the world, though. Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies or Polo or Tommy cologne for men are usually more enticing for me. However, the scent of suntan lotion usually falls among my top ten favorites.

But anyway, one day I was sitting in my Social Psychology class when I was suddenly struck by the scent of suntan lotion on the girl in front of me. The hybrid of bitter and sweet scents with the hint of UV protection and coconut fragrance [forgive my horrible description] made me melt. It started a daydream of summer memories of concerts in the park, beach bonfires, pool parties and sunny days of roaming the city. I was struck by the impulse to grab my bag and make a run for the lake. All of this was because of a burst of fragrance.

Whenever I have a smell moment like this, I'm reminded of the 2004 Old Spice Red Zone body spray commercial. In the commercial, two guys are watching a football game while their annoyed girlfriends look on. When the game goes into overtime, the boys prance around with excitement and one of them runs to hug his girlfriend in celebration. The girlfriend gets a whiff of his body spray and starts reminiscing about romantic moments with her man. As she completes the reverie and her boyfriend rejoins his buddy, she swoons about how amazing her man is.
Anyone remember this? [I had to look it up, not gonna lie.] Anyway, the only part of the commercial that has really stuck with me all these years was the announcer's line, "Scent is the strongest sense tied to memory."

I remember my first date. The guy I was with smelled amazing (Sorry, that was not supposed to come off as creepy). I assume it was because of whatever body soap he had used when he showed that afternoon, because we were 13 and probably too young to even consider body spray, cologne, etc. Now, whenever I get a waft of that same scent, I think of that former crush. However, the scent-memory link becomes a curse. Last weekend, my cousin smelled the same as the boy I went on my first date with. Needless to say, throwing my cousin into the memory mix was a tad awkward. On the upside though, I'm still friends with the boy I went to the movies with almost six years ago, and he still smells the same way. Even though a lot has happened between us in the past six years, because of his scent, I have a hard time staying mad at him. When I'm standing downwind of him, I catch his scent and recall the good old days.

According to Kristen Cole's interview with Rachel Herz (see Cole's article "Whisking up a memory with a whiff"), who explored the "psychology of scent," people often take their sense of smell for granted. However, those who have lost their sense of smell report a loss of "emotional intensity toward life," and "experiences are flatter" for these people.

According to Kristen Cole, it is still being debated whether or not smells trigger more accurate memories than other stimuli. However, researchers have found that smells trigger more emotional memories than other stimuli. Cole uses the example of memories of the deceased and emotional reactions to such memories. When viewing a photograph of a deceased loved one, we may be able to hold ourselves together. However, when we smell a scent that relates to that loved one, we may feel like breaking down.

Clearly, the sense of smell is a blessing. Even though the scent of skunks, spoiled milk, rotten eggs and dirty diapers may not he be highlight of our lives, think of how less rich our lives would be and how our memories would be affected without the sense of smell.

You're the Idiom!

2009-06-23T11:06:00.002-05:00

"I told the elephants to forget it, but they can't." -Zazu, The Lion King

When I was little, my dad used to describe me in terms of animals. He would often give me the compliment that I have a memory like an elephant or that I was "strong like bull." I've also heard analogies such as: she has the ears of a snake, he's sly like a fox, she's mean like a snake, he's slow like a turtle, she's quick like a cat, he's as quiet as a mouse, she's as gentle as a lamb, he's as mad as a wet hen, "don't you wish that you could be a fly on the wall?"(Miley Cyrus) etc.

So, I was wondering, how much truth do these analogies hold?

According to naturehaven.com, elephants actually do have good memories. The Web site says that elephants will often remember relationships with those they come in contact with, even if they have not seen that other person or animal in a long time.

Does anyone remember The Wild Thornberry's? When I read the above fact on the Nature Haven Web site, I was reminded of one episode in which Eliza talks to elephants. Eliza's family tends to an elephant stuck in the mud, giving Eliza a chance to bond with the elder elephant of the pack, Rebecca. Eliza's parents had worked with Rebecca twenty years earlier, and Rebecca claimed to remember them and their kindness. As Rebecca dies, she recounts for Eliza some of the events of her past and the other people and elephants she had had relationships with.

Another example of this analogy used in fiction is in Disney's The Jungle Book.
Colonel Hathi (an elephant) asserts that an elephant never forgets. However, moments later, the colonel forgets to tell his company of marching elephants to halt, thus causing an elephant pile-up. Mowgli then proceeds to laugh at the irony. "An elephant never forgets," he says, laughing.

Most of the other analogies I mentioned are common sense. For example, one of the most common images of a bull, at least in American culture, stems from the Spanish bull races. Bulls are depicted as ferocious animals that are easily agitated and could cause a great deal of damage to someone who gets in the way, hence strength. However, one that I havent understood is the "ears of a snake" analogy.

For those of you who are not familiar with this analogy, I heard it in the movie Jingle All the Way (with the Govenator!!! and Jake Llyod, a.k.a. the young Anakin Skywalker). In one scene, Myron (Sinbad), a father who is trying to obtain a hot Christmas toy for his son, go as far as to threaten a radio dj and a squad of cops with a bomb he picked up at his post office job in order to get his hands on the desired "Turboman" action figure. When he leaves the bomb squad with the bomb and escapes, he threatens, "I'll know if you move 'cause I have the ears of a snake."

For me, this didn't seem logical. Have you ever seen a snake with ears?

Turns out, snakes lack the external ear parts that humans have, but do have the internal ear parts. According to Highlightskids.com, snakes sense vibrations in the air or on the ground. Their skin and muscles receive the vibrations and transport them to the audial region. Therefore, snakes can sense movement, as Sinbad declared in Jingle All the Way.

All these analogies have made me wonder why humans feel the need to compare ourselves to animals. With our advanced brains, shouldn't we have been able to create better ways to describe ourselves?

Supposedly, some of the animal analogies we use today are from the Ancient Greeks. The Greeks had a saying, "A camel never forgets an injury," which may be the origin of our saying, "An elephant never forgets."

Maybe we use animal analogies because they are easy to understand. Animals and nature are all around us and are easily observed. Most people have some basic knowledge of animals and are more likely to understand an animal analogy than a psychological explanation or a Lewis Dot Diagram. This use of analogies could be proof of how evoluationary theory permeates our culture. Evolutionary theory suggests that humans are evolved from other types of animals. Perhaps, when we use these analogies, our roots are showing. Maybe humans are trying to find ways to relate to their origins and the world around them.

Belly Buttons

2009-06-11T19:23:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago while at a graduation party, one of my friends started asking people what type of belly button they had. She claimed that this question would be a great getting-to-know-you activity that would reveal something you probably didn't already know about your closest friends. She was right. I definitely had never checked out my friends' belly buttons before that night.

But then I got to thinking, what determines whether a person gets an innie or an outie belly button? From what I recall, all of my friends that were present that night, including myself, revealed that they have innie belly buttons. Is one type any better than the other? Does the type of belly button mean anything?

A belly button is one characteristic that indentifies humans as placental mammals, or mammals that grow in the wombs of their mothers. The belly button is the spot where the umbilical cord, which connected us to our mothers and brought us the oxygen and nutrition we needed to survive those first nine months of life, was attached to us. I think it's safe to say that without belly buttons, we would not be here today. Everybody has one, with the exception of Kyle XY, of course, but that's another story.

According to Wisegeek.com, 90% of the human population has an innie belly button, while the remaining 10% have outies. This means that if you have an outie belly button, you are as rare as a left-handed person. Obviously, you're pretty darn special.

From what I found in my research, it seems that scientists have not come up with an exact conclusion as to why some people have outies and others have innies. According to Wisegeek.com, it's random. The belly button is the scar left over from the umbilical cord, and the scar tissue determines the shape of the belly button.There are other theories -- such as that innie belly buttons are the norm, and outies are a genetic abnormality; it depends on how the doctor/nurse cuts the cord; or that a muscle hernia in the abdomen causes the belly button to pop out-- but according to Wisegeek.com, these theories are possible but not probable.

Interestingly, the belly button can change during pregnancy. According to Bermant Plastic Surgery's Web site, the walls of the abdomen push out as the baby grows, which changes the position of the scar tissue and the shape of the belly button. For some women, their innie becomes more exaggerated, while for others, their outie pops out even more, according to the site. But no worries, girls. The Web site assures that these changes are usually temporary and typically go back to normal after giving birth.

Some people like to decorate their belly buttons with piercings. Hey, if you've got it, you may as well flaunt it. For those of you who choose to do it, more power to you! I don't think I could go through with that. It looks a bit too painful for my liking.

Even with your decorations, if you're still not happy with your belly button, fear not. With today's modern technology, there are options for reshaping your belly button with plastic surgery. However, this does not mean that you should feel self-conscious of your belly button. If you've ever been around a baby, you've probably gushed or at least heard others gush about how adorable his/her belly button is. Channel some of that good energy and love the one you've got. :-D