Lately I've been revisiting my childhood, and I finally realized something: My childhood was GREAT!! So, if any of you were in suspense about why I am the way I am, here are a few references that, combined, are the essence of all that is Green Gremlin.
#1: Curse of Monkey Island:
No. 3 in the Monkey Island saga, it's by far the best in animation (till no. 5 came out on the Wii), Storyline, casting, depiction of Elaine, and humor. Brief synopsis:
Guybrush Threepwood one day washed ashore Malay Island, where he fell in love with its Governor, The beautiful red head Elaine Marley. She was also the Apple of the eye of the evil Zombie Pirate, LeChuck. For a recap, you can just watch the beginning of CMI:
#2: Peter Pan
There will be no web clip of this, seeing as I've never found a depiction of Peter, or any of the characters, that I'm satisfied with (Though, I'd have to say that Disney's was the best).
When I was little, and even when I wasn't so little, me and my sister would climb into our older sister's bed, where she'd read us a chapter out of Peter Pan, the ORIGINAL novel by J.M. Barrie, every night. So far no one has ever captured Peter the way I see him; one of the reasons for that being is that no movie has ever even tried to depict Neverland as the Island of Children's imagination, where all their games take place. They never mention that everyone has their own different island. They show the ties between Mr. Darling and Captain Hook (Both are seeming antagonistic characters, traditionally played by the same man) Captain Hook wants to destroy Peter, the symbol of all things "gay and innocent and heartless," that ties over to Mr. Darling and his roughness towards Nanna and the children's gaiety. Proving my point:
Captain J.A.S. Hook: "Smee, no child loves me!"
Mr. Darling: "Oh, sure, cuddle Nanna. No one ever cuddles me!"
But worst of all: most movies of Peter Pan depict two very, VERY wrong things:
1) Peter is too old. my point from the book:
Wendy was "every inch a woman, though there weren't very many inches" (she's short)
And peter is her same size, meaning he can't be very tall either. They are both YOUNG. Peter Pan is supposed to still have all his baby teeth.
2) The Peter-Wendy Romance. Ugh. They are only eight-years-old. Tops! Maybe there are crushes, but never to the extreme that people try to pin them down with and hardly at all in the book.
Peter Pan represents all that is Gay and Innocent and Heartless. "When a child dies, a little piece of [Peter] goes with them so they will not be afraid.
Peter Pan is that magical place under bed covers and behind bedroom doors where you went as a child, that place "Second star to the right and straight on till morning." You remember. Every child has one.
#3: Harry Potter, Heartbeat, Ella Enchanted, Phantom Toll Booth, and all Diana Wynne Jones
Books are things very dear to my heart. There are many, and I can't name them all, that really shaped my as a child--I can honestly say I wouldn't be the same without them. So be careful, all you young-adult writers out there. You are shaping children in small, secret ways that they themselves do not at first notice.
#4: Clouds, trees, birds, and those little squirmy things in water
I believe it is important for every child to have adventures. Times when the house is just out of sight and parents long gone, when you are on Safari, and discoveries for the benefit of the little world that is your mind are found. When I was still living in California (3-7 years old), I used to imagine running away and living like Robin Hood--specifically like Robin Hood. Not because I was angry at my parents and that I did something wrong and didn't want to face the consequences; I just wanted to be on my own, just because I thought I could. I never did run away, of course. I knew I'd get lost, starve, be kidnapped, but that never deterred me from dreaming about it.
#5: Disney/Pixar
This is one I don't feel I have to explain, since this is part of everyone's life, but I wanted to pay homage to it all the same. I can't help but feel that if it weren't for Disney, all the classic Fairy tales would be lost in our culture forever. Disney, I think, was necessary for us when we were children. Kids need to believe in Right and Wrong, and that Right always comes out on top. They need to believe in doing the right thing because it's right. They need to believe that things turn out all right in the end, no matter how bad things get. Also, I think the world needs places like Disneyland/world/etc. Clean, safe, happy places where we can revisit our childhoods shamelessly.
#6: Cats, the musical
It's very easy to believe that I watched this show at least three times a day. And I did. It's also easy to believe that after watching it, I would turn it off and roam the house, pretending to be a cat. Even as a child, Memory made me cry. That show spurred my imagination and I fantasized nonstop about not only cats, but mystical places of mystery and stealth.
I had a great childhood!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
13 Personality Types
1. The proclaimed Optimist: "The glass is half full."
2. The Real Optimist: "I think it's actually more than half way, and I'm sure I can fill up the rest."
3. The Proclaimed Pessimist: "The glass is half empty."
4. The Real Pessimist: "It's less than half full, and eventually it'll evaporate totally away and we'll all die of thirst."
5. The Proclaimed 'Realist': "It's both half full, and half empty."
6. The Real Realist: "It's not 'full' until I fill it, and it's not 'empty' until it's totally gone. It could go both ways."
7. The Scientist: "Fifty percent of the volume (LxWxH) of that cylinder is H2O, and the other fifty is 70% Nitrogen, about 20% oxygen, and 10% other various gases."
8. The Psychiatrist: "It's half empty because I never got a full glass as a child."
9. The Philosopher: "What is half full to some is half empty to others, but is that what really matters?"
10. The Dyslexic: "The empty is half glass."
11. The Paranoid: "Why do YOU care about how full/empty my glass is?"
12. The Stalker: "Her glass is half empty. Believe me, I know."
13. The Fence Sitter: "Um... isn't there a third option?"
2. The Real Optimist: "I think it's actually more than half way, and I'm sure I can fill up the rest."
3. The Proclaimed Pessimist: "The glass is half empty."
4. The Real Pessimist: "It's less than half full, and eventually it'll evaporate totally away and we'll all die of thirst."
5. The Proclaimed 'Realist': "It's both half full, and half empty."
6. The Real Realist: "It's not 'full' until I fill it, and it's not 'empty' until it's totally gone. It could go both ways."
7. The Scientist: "Fifty percent of the volume (LxWxH) of that cylinder is H2O, and the other fifty is 70% Nitrogen, about 20% oxygen, and 10% other various gases."
8. The Psychiatrist: "It's half empty because I never got a full glass as a child."
9. The Philosopher: "What is half full to some is half empty to others, but is that what really matters?"
10. The Dyslexic: "The empty is half glass."
11. The Paranoid: "Why do YOU care about how full/empty my glass is?"
12. The Stalker: "Her glass is half empty. Believe me, I know."
13. The Fence Sitter: "Um... isn't there a third option?"
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Once upon a land, in a time far, far away...
Why do humans tell stories? Sure, the historical ones are to understand why things are the way they are today politically and culturally and to help ensure that we don't make the same mistakes as our progenitors (though it doesn't always work out that way, does it?). But why novels? Why weave stories in galaxies far, far away and spin tales of adventure in far distant lands? Why make tell of something so detached from us that it can hardly relate to our own day-to-day occurrences?
Perhaps we want to escape. We think this life is boring. Daily routines and dull safety and surety make us naively long for some excitement. But what is life to be boring? Should we be entertained by our surroundings? Why not take a break from trying to find excitement elsewhere and create our own here? The world isn't entertaining enough for you? Try entertaining the world. Could that be why we create stories?
Or perhaps we like stories because they have problems that, more often than not, get resolved. The future to us worldly mortals is terrifyingly unsure. We are faced with conflicts and decisions and so many "other hands" to get on! We're afraid of looking back and realizing our choice was wrong. So then a story, all orderly written out, gives us assurance that things will turn out alright. Perhaps they give us hope that our own little climaxes will eventually resolve and we, too, can live live "happily ever after."
Then again, it might be the newness of a fleshly woven tale that captures us: new possibilities and never-before-thought thoughts. I believe we, as sapient beings, are alive in order to learn. It's possible we love stories because they offer the chance of a new experience, the opportunity to learn of an artificially experience in distant lands with unfamiliar cultures and ideas. Maybe if this life isn't teaching us enough, then we need some breath of fresh air to reawaken our yearnings to learn something new.
Maybe we write stories because we hope to teach others. We want to convey a truth with a fictional weaving, the "Moral or the story". Maybe we create characters who experience something or act in some way in extreme, vibrantly colored settings to make our point obvious in order to teach people: make them learn a lesson that is too monochromatic in this real life is for them to see it clearly.
Or maybe fictional stories are really shields we use to fend off the real world. We're so dissatisfied with--even afraid of--own problems or mistakes that we'd much rather listen or read of some one else's woes totally removed from our own. Or it could work the other way. Could stories be more like pillows than total shields, meant to soften the harsh realities of this all too real world? If we could just see a fictitious person handle a conflict successfully, we can then use the character as as our crash-test dummy and feel out the possibilities in how to confront a sort of problem and maybe save some face, too.
Which ever the reason certain people decide to compose a work of fiction and for whatever reason people decide to listen to them, I think stories are good and did not write this rhetoric to slam the classic tales (though maybe the writers and readers a little). This is merely my recorded train of thought. But whatever category you or I fall into, I want you, dear reader of aimless blogs, to know that I love stories. One of my own personal philosophies is that the entire world--nay, universe is made of stories, from the shortest of short stories, to the most eloquent of novels, to the utmost dull of tomes, to the most exciting of epics. I refuse to believe that we humans have imaginations for no eternal purpose.
For now, as far as I can tell, I read and write stories because they help me learn about myself and comprehend how I look at the world (I'm not yet totally sure) and how I think of other people. I think my characters are really only pieces of myself, cut and stretched into seemingly different people. I read and write stories because they are an escape, a little, and padding so I can safely experiment on Life's Great Unknown. They let my push the boundaries, both outward and inward. And yes, I write because it is fun. Nothing is funner--and yes, I said FUNNER--than taking a small, seemingly unimportant thought and spinning it into a full-fledged adventure on the spot. It's fun for me, and I hope it's fun for whoever my audience chances to be at the moment. Which is you. I hope you liked it.
Perhaps we want to escape. We think this life is boring. Daily routines and dull safety and surety make us naively long for some excitement. But what is life to be boring? Should we be entertained by our surroundings? Why not take a break from trying to find excitement elsewhere and create our own here? The world isn't entertaining enough for you? Try entertaining the world. Could that be why we create stories?
Or perhaps we like stories because they have problems that, more often than not, get resolved. The future to us worldly mortals is terrifyingly unsure. We are faced with conflicts and decisions and so many "other hands" to get on! We're afraid of looking back and realizing our choice was wrong. So then a story, all orderly written out, gives us assurance that things will turn out alright. Perhaps they give us hope that our own little climaxes will eventually resolve and we, too, can live live "happily ever after."
Then again, it might be the newness of a fleshly woven tale that captures us: new possibilities and never-before-thought thoughts. I believe we, as sapient beings, are alive in order to learn. It's possible we love stories because they offer the chance of a new experience, the opportunity to learn of an artificially experience in distant lands with unfamiliar cultures and ideas. Maybe if this life isn't teaching us enough, then we need some breath of fresh air to reawaken our yearnings to learn something new.
Maybe we write stories because we hope to teach others. We want to convey a truth with a fictional weaving, the "Moral or the story". Maybe we create characters who experience something or act in some way in extreme, vibrantly colored settings to make our point obvious in order to teach people: make them learn a lesson that is too monochromatic in this real life is for them to see it clearly.
Or maybe fictional stories are really shields we use to fend off the real world. We're so dissatisfied with--even afraid of--own problems or mistakes that we'd much rather listen or read of some one else's woes totally removed from our own. Or it could work the other way. Could stories be more like pillows than total shields, meant to soften the harsh realities of this all too real world? If we could just see a fictitious person handle a conflict successfully, we can then use the character as as our crash-test dummy and feel out the possibilities in how to confront a sort of problem and maybe save some face, too.
Which ever the reason certain people decide to compose a work of fiction and for whatever reason people decide to listen to them, I think stories are good and did not write this rhetoric to slam the classic tales (though maybe the writers and readers a little). This is merely my recorded train of thought. But whatever category you or I fall into, I want you, dear reader of aimless blogs, to know that I love stories. One of my own personal philosophies is that the entire world--nay, universe is made of stories, from the shortest of short stories, to the most eloquent of novels, to the utmost dull of tomes, to the most exciting of epics. I refuse to believe that we humans have imaginations for no eternal purpose.
For now, as far as I can tell, I read and write stories because they help me learn about myself and comprehend how I look at the world (I'm not yet totally sure) and how I think of other people. I think my characters are really only pieces of myself, cut and stretched into seemingly different people. I read and write stories because they are an escape, a little, and padding so I can safely experiment on Life's Great Unknown. They let my push the boundaries, both outward and inward. And yes, I write because it is fun. Nothing is funner--and yes, I said FUNNER--than taking a small, seemingly unimportant thought and spinning it into a full-fledged adventure on the spot. It's fun for me, and I hope it's fun for whoever my audience chances to be at the moment. Which is you. I hope you liked it.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Because I'm Different
Now, for some quotes you've probably heard me say once or several dozen times, and where it came from. And because I'm in a non-committal mood and feel like posting random things about myself, you have to suffer for it.
"FREE FOOD!"
From: Seminary class
The story:
Bro. Stucki: Why do you think people go to ward socials but not to church?
Me: To get free food.
Bro. Stucki: FREE FOOD!!!!
Amanda Rawlins: >sitting in Bro Brown's class, hears a distant yell< Did anyone else hear that?
"I don't need intelligence drugs, Tom, because I don't know what they are! But I will put anything in my mouth that's given to me, whether it's supposed to go there or not! Because I'm different. Just different. Is that clear with everybody?"
"I'm a knife...Knifin' around.... cutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcut..."
"Tell this woman that she's crazy! Just because I'm famous and sexy doesn't mean someone can go marry me the second I leave the room!"
"... ...What room?"
"I have a giant brain that can turn any complex machine into a simple, yes-or-no question."
"Ok, but that not the CD Bur--"
"Moltar! Yes!"
All From: Space Ghost, Coast to Coast
The Story: I don't think you want to know, but you can look it up on Youtube if you type in 'Knifing Around'.
"That's more high-tech than her blow-up pillow!"
"I don't need yellow pants to be cool!"
From: Pioneer Trek
The Story: 1) one girl had an inflatable pillow, another had a pillow that you could plug your iPod into.
2) A girl had a yellow slicker suit, complete with size 100 pants. I thought they were awesome, and she, well, you know.
"I may run on a high, but I never tell a lie: that's me in a nutshell."
"Well, it's very flattering being greeted with your latest model, but let me warn you that anyone who approaches carelessly is gonna die!"
From: Duo Maxwell, Gundam Wing
"You're gonna need ice cream in a second if you don't quit asking me that! Cuz, I'm gonna punch you, and... you'll need the ice cream... to stop the swelling..."
"What the sense-make?!"
"We're saved!"
"Thank Groodness!" (no spelling error)
"You gotta have the blue hair."
"Whoa! You look like a fox's mother!"
"If you mean I look like a 'foxy Mama,' that actually more offensive."
"Well, you'll be glad it didn't work out. I learned The Cheat's declawed, and I can be with someone who supports that kind of cruelty."
"This'll be a piece of cake! it'll be a piece of pie! It'll be a piece of cobbler! It'll be a piece of novelty dessert pizza! Now go out there and do your thing!"
From: homestarrunner.com. Check it out.
I feel better now.
"FREE FOOD!"
From: Seminary class
The story:
Bro. Stucki: Why do you think people go to ward socials but not to church?
Me: To get free food.
Bro. Stucki: FREE FOOD!!!!
Amanda Rawlins: >sitting in Bro Brown's class, hears a distant yell< Did anyone else hear that?
"I don't need intelligence drugs, Tom, because I don't know what they are! But I will put anything in my mouth that's given to me, whether it's supposed to go there or not! Because I'm different. Just different. Is that clear with everybody?"
"I'm a knife...Knifin' around.... cutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcutcut..."
"Tell this woman that she's crazy! Just because I'm famous and sexy doesn't mean someone can go marry me the second I leave the room!"
"... ...What room?"
"I have a giant brain that can turn any complex machine into a simple, yes-or-no question."
"Ok, but that not the CD Bur--"
"Moltar! Yes!"
All From: Space Ghost, Coast to Coast
The Story: I don't think you want to know, but you can look it up on Youtube if you type in 'Knifing Around'.
"That's more high-tech than her blow-up pillow!"
"I don't need yellow pants to be cool!"
From: Pioneer Trek
The Story: 1) one girl had an inflatable pillow, another had a pillow that you could plug your iPod into.
2) A girl had a yellow slicker suit, complete with size 100 pants. I thought they were awesome, and she, well, you know.
"I may run on a high, but I never tell a lie: that's me in a nutshell."
"Well, it's very flattering being greeted with your latest model, but let me warn you that anyone who approaches carelessly is gonna die!"
From: Duo Maxwell, Gundam Wing
"You're gonna need ice cream in a second if you don't quit asking me that! Cuz, I'm gonna punch you, and... you'll need the ice cream... to stop the swelling..."
"What the sense-make?!"
"We're saved!"
"Thank Groodness!" (no spelling error)
"You gotta have the blue hair."
"Whoa! You look like a fox's mother!"
"If you mean I look like a 'foxy Mama,' that actually more offensive."
"Well, you'll be glad it didn't work out. I learned The Cheat's declawed, and I can be with someone who supports that kind of cruelty."
"This'll be a piece of cake! it'll be a piece of pie! It'll be a piece of cobbler! It'll be a piece of novelty dessert pizza! Now go out there and do your thing!"
From: homestarrunner.com. Check it out.
I feel better now.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
And I Didn't Even Know It!
I've always been big into poetry, but my passion sort of fell by the wayside in Jr. High. Till recent, that is, when My English teacher forced us to write up stanzas on the spot. While I strongly am against throwing out one's emotions and insights to the general public (and this I'm posting on my blog... haha), it did re-awaken the joy I have in poetry. These are just a couple splurges I did in class or as a late night night assignment. I'm no Frost, but I hope you find them enjoyable or ast least mildly pleasant.
Cumulonimbus
Summer Trees blow in breeze
Make her think of High Seas
Unfurl sails, catch the gale
Over cloud and under sun
Lives a boy having too much fun
O Boy
O Boy, you found me out your gate
Kind Boy, you almost came too late
Glad Boy, your grace grants all I want
Sweet Boy, who repay I could not
O Boy, soon my goodbyes by said
O Girl, I spied you outside my Wall
Sad Girl, my love could cure you all
Lost Girl, would you leave me behind?
Dear Girl, in you I would confide:
My Girl, I don't want to be paid
And there are others but I don't have them with me, so there will have to be a second installment.
Cumulonimbus
Summer Trees blow in breeze
Make her think of High Seas
Unfurl sails, catch the gale
Over cloud and under sun
Lives a boy having too much fun
O Boy
O Boy, you found me out your gate
Kind Boy, you almost came too late
Glad Boy, your grace grants all I want
Sweet Boy, who repay I could not
O Boy, soon my goodbyes by said
O Girl, I spied you outside my Wall
Sad Girl, my love could cure you all
Lost Girl, would you leave me behind?
Dear Girl, in you I would confide:
My Girl, I don't want to be paid
And there are others but I don't have them with me, so there will have to be a second installment.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Then she was like, ''Nuh-uh," and I as was like...
You know all those jokes and books that say how much men don't know about women, how clueless they are about what to buy, what to say, and so on? How boys are always so confused about girls and can't make them out? Well, for all you guys out there who feel that way, here's a deep dark secret you'll never ever hear a girl admit to again: We're clueless about us too.
Sure, we act high and mighty; try to show everyone that we have flawless fashion sense, perfect timing, how graceful we are (most girls are laughing at themselves about that last one). While it's true we do have a knack for making things "pretty", when it comes to make up, most of us sort of make it up as we go. I personally think that's where it got its name.
Another thing: Clothes. There is no ONE style that's "in." What may be in for one taste, can be last month's "hott." Clothes are totally up to the girl; There is always a girl SOME where that can pull off any clothes item you could name. So what works for on girl may not be another's cup of tea.
Then there are the emotions. Some girls will deny it and try to act as stoic and cool like all their guy friends, but deep down, every girl is emotional, though usually for different reasons. And when girls seems to get mad at you and you don't know what you did, usually, you didn't do anything wrong. Eight times out of ten, the girl doesn't know either. When she bursts instantaneously into tears, and you want to know what's wrong. Then she says to leave her alone and she doesn't want to tell you. Half the time there is something seriously wrong that she isn't prepared to share, a quarter of the time it's classified as girl-only, and the rest of the time, she has no idea why she is crying and doesn't want to make a scene so give her a minute and she'll get over it.
Then there are the myths, mainly:
A)When she tells you to go away, she really wants to tell you all her problems.
WRONG!! When she says go away, she means it. She DOES want to tell someone, but obviously you aren't the one she wants to tell.
This brief guide is not fool-proof. Every girl is different. But a quick clue-in for the densest of you males: every girl is beautiful. But your girl is the most beautiful. If you haven't figured that out, you are in trouble.
Sure, we act high and mighty; try to show everyone that we have flawless fashion sense, perfect timing, how graceful we are (most girls are laughing at themselves about that last one). While it's true we do have a knack for making things "pretty", when it comes to make up, most of us sort of make it up as we go. I personally think that's where it got its name.
Another thing: Clothes. There is no ONE style that's "in." What may be in for one taste, can be last month's "hott." Clothes are totally up to the girl; There is always a girl SOME where that can pull off any clothes item you could name. So what works for on girl may not be another's cup of tea.
Then there are the emotions. Some girls will deny it and try to act as stoic and cool like all their guy friends, but deep down, every girl is emotional, though usually for different reasons. And when girls seems to get mad at you and you don't know what you did, usually, you didn't do anything wrong. Eight times out of ten, the girl doesn't know either. When she bursts instantaneously into tears, and you want to know what's wrong. Then she says to leave her alone and she doesn't want to tell you. Half the time there is something seriously wrong that she isn't prepared to share, a quarter of the time it's classified as girl-only, and the rest of the time, she has no idea why she is crying and doesn't want to make a scene so give her a minute and she'll get over it.
Then there are the myths, mainly:
A)When she tells you to go away, she really wants to tell you all her problems.
WRONG!! When she says go away, she means it. She DOES want to tell someone, but obviously you aren't the one she wants to tell.
This brief guide is not fool-proof. Every girl is different. But a quick clue-in for the densest of you males: every girl is beautiful. But your girl is the most beautiful. If you haven't figured that out, you are in trouble.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
English is one of the hardest languages to learn. And no wonder! The Eskimos may have 100 words for snow, but we had to invent a Thesaurus just to keep all our synonyms straight!
And then there's an evil place called Context, where a dove dove, invalid invalids means fake sick people, or we ask, "Does a buck mate with does?"
But I love our language. I think it's so versatile and universal, and even more, I love exploiting it! I adore puns and plays on words! And I love Greek and Latin roots to learn what new, big word means: Anthropomorphic, Ambidextrous, Ambiguity, Auspicious, Catalyst, Dictation, Prerogative,Philanthropist, Gregorian! I consider myself a writer and hope to write for the rest of my life.
In closing, I want a thesaraus for Christmas.
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