Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Florida!

I thought I would let you all know that I am flying to Florida tomorrow! I will be without a computer until Christmas night. My plan is to write blog entries during the trip about all of my adventures and post them when I get home! On a different note, my classes are almost over. My last final is tomorrow morning and then I'm DONE! No more stressing, no more worrying, no more tedious assignments, no more anything. I can just....... be.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

A Klingon Christmas Carol

You can tell you are a Trekkie when you go to see the play "A Klingon Christmas Carol" instead of watching the new movie of the original version... Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen the original version... Anyway, I went to see this tonight with my parents. It was surprisingly humorous and very good! I felt like I was with my own kind in the audience because, obviously, they were all Trekkies! "Scrooge has no honor, nor any courage. Can three ghosts help him to become the true warrior he ought to be in time to save Tiny Tim from a horrible fate? Performed in the Original Klingon with English super titles, and narrative analysis from The Vulcan Institute of Cultural Anthropology." That Vulcan narrator, in my opinion, got the logical Vulcan persona spot-on! It was very interesting to see a Klingon coward because you normally only see warrior Klingons while watching Star Trek. Klingon Tiny Tim was actually a puppet, but he had some of the best lines! Example - Tiny Tim: "Scrooge, pass the gagh." Scrooge: "What do you say?" Tiny Tim: "NOW!" I cannot wait to see this play again next year! Any Trekkie living in Minnesota who happens to read this post, I really recommend it!

Candles, herbal tea, and harmony...

I was inspired by Sub-Commander T'pol from Star Trek Enterprise. I have started drinking tea, and meditating with a bunch of candles. The candles are very pretty and have actually helped me to obtain a sense of peace while I'm in my room. Drinking the tea is turning out to be a great idea, particularly since it's so cold in Minnesota lately (for example, right now it is 14 degrees Fahrenheit outside). Drinking tea is also very calming, especially when I drink it before I go to sleep. Last night I meditated in a darkened room with lit candles and a glass of tea. At first I focused on the steam coming from the hot tea. Then I began to drink the tea in between deep breaths while focusing on the candles. This was a very enlightening experience, and I hope to achieve more peace of mind tonight.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Peace and Serenity


I have 2 Buddhist things hanging on the wall in my room, a mask, and a sarong. I also have tons of different beach scenes hanging on my wall, like a calendar of beach paintings, a beach poster, a Japanese beach painting, and postcards from Hawaii. I have Chinese symbols for harmony and tranquility, I have flowers, I have candles, I have relative neatness... but I cannot find peace. I am always stressed and lately I always wish I was living alone. I also wish that I could be completely cut off from society and live in complete silence by the ocean. Well, a year and a half, and then I'm free to do as I please.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Meditation


I want to learn how to use meditation to escape materialism and achieve happiness. Sometimes I wish I was Vulcan, but I'll settle for becoming Buddhist. I have tried meditation before, but I don't think I did it right because I didn't feel all that peaceful... Maybe I just didn't put enough of my thoughts or my heart into it. Starting the practice up again might be a good idea... I was also thinking I might take up yoga or pilates or something. Here's a link to an article I think everyone should read. It's about finding happiness and escaping materialism, which is where I got the idea in the first place: www.wikihow.com/Escape-Materialism-and-Find-Happiness Hopefully I'll be able to figure out this meditation and happiness thing in the meantime.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Major Disappointment



I am working on catching up on The X-Files. I've seen most of them before, but I don't remember a lot of the episodes, so it's like watching the seasons for the first time. So anyway, I knew that Mulder pretty much left for seasons 8 and 9, but I forgot this fact when I was watching the season 7 finale today. When I realized he was going to get abducted, I was majorly disappointed. When a main character decides to leave a show, it always disappoints me, but this one hit me harder than most, probably because one of the main reasons I watch The X-Files is for Mulder, and particularly for his relationship with Scully. The picture is from one of the best Mulder/Scully moments from the season 7 finale (or really from all of the seasons). I also happen to be a HUGE Stargate fan, so I have been making this comparison: The X-Files without Fox Mulder is like Stargate SG1 with Jack O'neill. With Stargate, I still love the last 2 seasons, but it lost something with Richard Dean Anderson gone. Same thing with The X-Files. From what I remember of the last 2 seasons, I still liked the show with Doggett and Reyes, but it just wasn't the same without David Duchovny. I guess we'll see... I'm planning on starting season 8 within a month, depending on when I can get the DVDs. But for now, I'm going to find another show to watch the DVDs of... I'm thinking about rewatching one of the Star Treks, probably Voyager or Enterprise. If you have any suggestions of something I should watch, please feel free to comment. I like a lot of different TV genres, so chances are that I will like whatever you suggest. Thanks! :)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A Split Second


When you stop to ponder the meaning of life, eventually you'll realize that a split second can change your life forever. The smallest thing can result in the most drastic of outcomes. What if you had done this instead of that? What if you wore blue instead of green? How would your life change if you woke up 10 minutes earlier? We can never know because there are infinitely many ways the world could be different. If you could change one decision in your life, would it be small? Would it be big? Sometimes I wish that life would slow down, so that we could notice the smaller things, the beauty of life. Wind catching a strand of hair, snowflakes landing on a little girl's face, morning dewdrops on a field, sun shining through a cloud, ripples in a pond... the smallest things are sometimes the most precious, as well as the most influential. Do we have fates? Is our life pre-planned? No matter what decision we make, will it always have the same end result? Or can we change our destiny? Everyone likes to think we have control, but do we really? I'll leave you to ponder that little snippet in the meaning of life.

It Just Keeps Coming


It started to snow on Monday night. It is now Wednesday morning, and it hasn't stopped. By my guess, we have approximately 10-12 inches of snow and the estimated high for today is 11 degrees. The snow is turning Minnnesota into a gorgeous winter wonderland! Isn't it wonderful? I get to experience my "White Christmas" before Christmas. And then I get to go be on a beach! So many conflicting emotions. On one hand, I love snowy Minnesota winters, and on the other, I love beaches and sun. It's too bad I can't have both... Anyway, I bought boots yesterday, and I am so glad I did. If I hadn't, my shoes, socks, and feet would've gotten soaked while walking from the Liberal Arts Building to the College Center. So the moral of this story is to be prepared for anything. (Okay, you probably don't need to be prepared for a foot of snow if you live in California, but it couldn't hurt, right?)

Monday, December 7, 2009

Chocolate EPIPHANY


I got this amazing book yesterday! It has so many different recipes that are made with chocolate and they are all too gorgeous to eat. I am in love and I don't want to destroy my creations. They even have directions to do the really fancy decorations, like chocolate fans or flowers. I am always looking for a challenge in my baking, and this is just what I need. I want to start with the Gateau de crepes with Green Tea Cream. It is so pretty! Layers of decadent chocolate crepes with thin layers of green tea cream... absolute heaven!

I'm turning into my mother!!!!


It's happened. My mother has turned me into herself. She is an obsessive compulsive neat freak who must have everything spotless and organized. She absolutely cannot deal with messes, so if I don't clean it up, she will. I'm not as bad as her, but it's happening. Example: Yesterday I was at my friend's house. Me, her, and her younger sister cleaned their room for 2 hours. I had fun doing this and now their room looks like mine. What is happening to me?!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

The Hot Zone


I started reading this book by Richard Preston last night. It is a bit disturbing with very vivid detail, but that's part of the thrill. We like to think we don't like sex scenes, murder scenes, terrifying disease scenes... but we all do and we all know it deep down. This book has some horrible death scenes, intensely describing the progression of a lethal disease. It is riveting medical thriller that will chill you to the bone. The fact that it is a true story makes it all the more frightening and is turning me into a severe hypochondriac.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

White Christmas

I'm going to Florida for Christmas this year and I really wish I wasn't. I wish I was staying home in the freezing cold temperatures and the snow and the wind chill and the ice and the icky brown trees. It is not natural to have Christmas in a warm climate. Period.