Youtuber and Musican Alex Carpender uploaded a vlog today about how our experiences shouldn't be tainted or somehow devalued because they didn't last forever. That letting go of good things rather than "holding onto them for dear life" actually makes them more valuable rather than less. It was a really thoughtful video and and it made me reflect on past experiences as well as events yet to unfold.
Tons of experiences and people have come and gone for me, and I'm not even out of High School! Some of these things I was eager to be done with, but a lot of great things have ended too. What about my best friend from elementary school? We grew apart in distance and then in other ways, or maybe the other ways came first? Sometimes I wish we were still friends, but that shouldn't change all the hours of scootering in suburbia and made-up games and trampoline flips and dressing like boys and being chased (literally) by boys. My years of being a little kid had to end, and even if our friendship did not have to go along with it, I'm glad she was there. I'm glad I have those memories to remind me that our friendship had value and continues to be important.
I made a huge decision this year regarding my summer plans. I'm going somewhere completely different from the beloved place I have been returning to since I was eight, leaving all my best friends behind. It was a hard choice for me and not completely my own, but I think it is the right one. I'm probably never going to be as close with them as we were those seven summers which has been making me rather sad, but I'm learning that, well, it's okay. It's okay because I had an amazing unique experience with them that will continue to be a valuable source of memories, inspiration and general happiness. And I get to create another amazing unique experience with a new group of people!
The Epiphany: It's not fair for me to devalue things that are over. Those things were valuable to me when they were happening, and that shouldn't change just because they aren't happening anymore. A lot has ended for me, but even more things are beginning, now more than ever. Nothing lasts forever, but that doesn't mean that everything that ends becomes depressing and obsolete. I am so grateful for everything I had and ready to appreciate all the new, coming my way.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
A List: Top 10 Eleventh Doctor quotes
In honor of the series 6 premiere of Doctor Who this past Saturday, I thought it would be fun to make a list of my favorite Matt Smith quotes as the Eleventh doctor. Sorry if you don't watch watch Doctor Who, but really, you should. It is fantastic.
10. "How are you doing that? I am loving it! You're like Houdini, only five slightly scary girls. And he was shorter... will be shorter. I'm rambling. - The Vampires of Venice
9. "No, I have a thing. It's like a plan, but with more greatness." - Vincent and the Doctor
8."The universe is big, it's vast and complicated, and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles." - The Pandorcia Opens
7. "Annihilate? No. No violence, do you understand me? Not while I'm around. Not today, not ever. I'm the Doctor, the oncoming storm... and you basically meant beat them in a football match, didn't you?" - The Lodger
6. "Ah! Yes! Blimey, sorry! Christmas Eve on a rooftop, saw a chimney, my whole brain just went... what the hell!" - A Christmas Carol
5. "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant. And we definitely added to his pile of good things." - Vincent and the Doctor
4. "I'm being extremely clever up here, and there's no one standing around looking impressed. What is the point of having you all?" - The Impossible Astronaut
3."Oh that box. Amy, you'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue... ever. And the times we had, eh? Would've had. Never had. In your dreams, they'll still be there. The Doctor and Amy Pond." - The Big Bang
2. "You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine, but you really think they're lying to make you feel better? ...Everything's going to be fine." - The Eleventh Hour
1. "You're not the first lot to have come here. Oh, there have been so many. And what you have to ask yourself is... what happened to them? Hello. I'm the Doctor. Basically... run." - The Eleventh Hour
And so many more great ones! What is your favorite Who quote, if you have one?
10. "How are you doing that? I am loving it! You're like Houdini, only five slightly scary girls. And he was shorter... will be shorter. I'm rambling. - The Vampires of Venice
9. "No, I have a thing. It's like a plan, but with more greatness." - Vincent and the Doctor
8."The universe is big, it's vast and complicated, and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles." - The Pandorcia Opens
7. "Annihilate? No. No violence, do you understand me? Not while I'm around. Not today, not ever. I'm the Doctor, the oncoming storm... and you basically meant beat them in a football match, didn't you?" - The Lodger
6. "Ah! Yes! Blimey, sorry! Christmas Eve on a rooftop, saw a chimney, my whole brain just went... what the hell!" - A Christmas Carol
5. "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant. And we definitely added to his pile of good things." - Vincent and the Doctor
4. "I'm being extremely clever up here, and there's no one standing around looking impressed. What is the point of having you all?" - The Impossible Astronaut
3."Oh that box. Amy, you'll dream about that box. It'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue... ever. And the times we had, eh? Would've had. Never had. In your dreams, they'll still be there. The Doctor and Amy Pond." - The Big Bang
2. "You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine, but you really think they're lying to make you feel better? ...Everything's going to be fine." - The Eleventh Hour
1. "You're not the first lot to have come here. Oh, there have been so many. And what you have to ask yourself is... what happened to them? Hello. I'm the Doctor. Basically... run." - The Eleventh Hour
And so many more great ones! What is your favorite Who quote, if you have one?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tragic Springtime Love (aka procrastination)
I really should be studying but I wrote this instead. Procrastination at its finest!
I dream you would stay a bit longer
Your departure is sadly twisted
That though you are of stunning height
Your lovely looks would be your plight
With hard black claws and razor jaws
Those sinister convex eyes
They will devour your sugary flesh
Your meat to them tastes very best
There is no stopping their decent
In rows of four or sometimes more
All I can do is crawl into this hill
I want to save you but never will
This happens every single cycle
Just as werewolves awake in full moon
Those first warm rays stir the appetite
Of the beasts that bear your untimely doom
Your beautiful bloom I will be missing
Rest in peace, my darling daisy
Spring will bring us together again
Perhaps next time a bit longer, Maybe
I dream you would stay a bit longer
Your departure is sadly twisted
That though you are of stunning height
Your lovely looks would be your plight
With hard black claws and razor jaws
Those sinister convex eyes
They will devour your sugary flesh
Your meat to them tastes very best
There is no stopping their decent
In rows of four or sometimes more
All I can do is crawl into this hill
I want to save you but never will
This happens every single cycle
Just as werewolves awake in full moon
Those first warm rays stir the appetite
Of the beasts that bear your untimely doom
Your beautiful bloom I will be missing
Rest in peace, my darling daisy
Spring will bring us together again
Perhaps next time a bit longer, Maybe
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
My Family's Hilarious Rendition of a Passover Seder
My family is not very religious and our annual Passover Seder makes that pretty clear. Our usual approach toward the Jewish holidays is to disregard most of the typical praying and services and "boring stuff" and just skip right to the food. In fact, my family sees nearly all of the Jewish holidays as an excuse to eat. A lot. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Personally I've never felt compelled to be a more observant Jew. However, Passover is the one holiday that gets my family feeling a bit guilty, I suppose, for not being the "good Jews" we ought to. Passover is a pretty big deal after all.
So yes, my family does attempt a Passover Seder every year. It's always...interesting. We all gather in my grandparent's apartment which is definitely large enough to accommodate everyone comfortably but is shaped in such a way that two separate tables are needed to seat everyone. Our Haggadahs are a packet of 12 pages stapled together that have been photocopied, consisting of all the parts deemed important by my grandfather. None of us know the real prayers for the eggs or the bitter herbs or anything else on the Seder plate, so my grandpa just goes, "baruch atah adonai Elohienu Meleh Ha-Olom l'had'lik neir shel EGGS!" The paragraphs we are supposed to read together sound ridiculous because everyone reads at different speeds. During the song Dayenu, my uncle interjects a comment about a passage that was read 3 minutes earlier: "if God left us stranded in the desert, that certainly would not have been sufficient!" Nobody minds the interruption because most of us don't know the words anyway and all of us have awful singing voices.
By the end of the Seder we are starving, though honestly the entire thing never takes longer than 30 minutes. I always see passover as a race against ourselves, a challenge to beat the "fastest seder ever" record we set last year. To me, we always seem to. Every year is more chaotic than the last. My uncle's voices get louder, their comments more ubsurdly hilarious. My baby cousins grow up, my older cousins get even older, but passover is always passover. Sometimes not everyone shows up, but people always seem happy when they do.
There's quite a story that goes along with Passover, by the way, but that's not what this blog post is about. Instead, watch this clip from the Dreamworks animated film "The Prince of Egypt." Or you could read the Bible which admittedly is a lot more accurate. But this is more fun, and more musical.
Obviously I really just wanted to put this clip in.
So yes, my family does attempt a Passover Seder every year. It's always...interesting. We all gather in my grandparent's apartment which is definitely large enough to accommodate everyone comfortably but is shaped in such a way that two separate tables are needed to seat everyone. Our Haggadahs are a packet of 12 pages stapled together that have been photocopied, consisting of all the parts deemed important by my grandfather. None of us know the real prayers for the eggs or the bitter herbs or anything else on the Seder plate, so my grandpa just goes, "baruch atah adonai Elohienu Meleh Ha-Olom l'had'lik neir shel EGGS!" The paragraphs we are supposed to read together sound ridiculous because everyone reads at different speeds. During the song Dayenu, my uncle interjects a comment about a passage that was read 3 minutes earlier: "if God left us stranded in the desert, that certainly would not have been sufficient!" Nobody minds the interruption because most of us don't know the words anyway and all of us have awful singing voices.
By the end of the Seder we are starving, though honestly the entire thing never takes longer than 30 minutes. I always see passover as a race against ourselves, a challenge to beat the "fastest seder ever" record we set last year. To me, we always seem to. Every year is more chaotic than the last. My uncle's voices get louder, their comments more ubsurdly hilarious. My baby cousins grow up, my older cousins get even older, but passover is always passover. Sometimes not everyone shows up, but people always seem happy when they do.
There's quite a story that goes along with Passover, by the way, but that's not what this blog post is about. Instead, watch this clip from the Dreamworks animated film "The Prince of Egypt." Or you could read the Bible which admittedly is a lot more accurate. But this is more fun, and more musical.
Obviously I really just wanted to put this clip in.
Happy Passover to those who celebrate, Happy Easter to those who celebrate that, and Happy whatever! to those who are celebrating whatever else there is to celebrate.
Monday, April 18, 2011
To the Moon
This is a short dialogue I wrote. It doesn't go with anything and it is not part of a longer story, but I think it works just fine by itself. Feedback and contructive critsism please, if you wish to share any. It's one of the best ways I can become a better writer.
“I love you to the moon and back,” he told her.
“I love you to the moon…,” she began, but her reply faded into a string of inaudible syllables as her gaze shifted toward a mosaic window behind him.
Through the translucent glass fixed inside the hollow walls of the cathedral, past the metal cars and buildings and people, Beyond the interstate with its networks of malls and material, even past the patches of trees permitted to transpire only to alleviate the boiling urban heat, sat a gold coin.
The coin looked to be about the size of a coat button though her distance made it difficult to judge. But it was bright, brighter than anything she had ever seen, anything that existed in this so called beautiful world. Brighter than his eyes. Or hers for that matter. The beams of light began to blend to together and blinded her, engulfing the parameters of her vision. That coin, probably worth nothing at the shops downtown, but that is not why it mattered. It was what it could be with all that radiant potential energy. Shinier that all the gowns in all the malls off the highway. Brimming with more clarity than church bells.
The boy just stood there, clearly uncomfortable with his fiancée’s lapse of consciousness. “What was that?” he interjected.
“I love you to the moon,” she replied.
The boy gave a nervous half smile and blinked a few times. Why she had left her part of their routine dialogue seemingly incomplete for the second time he did not understand. He wanted to ask her what she meant, but decided to let it go when she told him impatiently,
“You know, like the Space Shuttle Challenger crash of ‘86.”
She gave him a wide smile. It was evil and rude but she couldn’t help it. The boy’s face grew into a pathetic mixture of horror and defeat, his eyelids drooping at the corners is a way that only filled her with more certainty. She turned around and left without another word through the double doors located behind him, directly underneath the mosaic window.
She didn’t look back once.
“I love you to the moon and back,” he told her.
“I love you to the moon…,” she began, but her reply faded into a string of inaudible syllables as her gaze shifted toward a mosaic window behind him.
Through the translucent glass fixed inside the hollow walls of the cathedral, past the metal cars and buildings and people, Beyond the interstate with its networks of malls and material, even past the patches of trees permitted to transpire only to alleviate the boiling urban heat, sat a gold coin.
The coin looked to be about the size of a coat button though her distance made it difficult to judge. But it was bright, brighter than anything she had ever seen, anything that existed in this so called beautiful world. Brighter than his eyes. Or hers for that matter. The beams of light began to blend to together and blinded her, engulfing the parameters of her vision. That coin, probably worth nothing at the shops downtown, but that is not why it mattered. It was what it could be with all that radiant potential energy. Shinier that all the gowns in all the malls off the highway. Brimming with more clarity than church bells.
The boy just stood there, clearly uncomfortable with his fiancée’s lapse of consciousness. “What was that?” he interjected.
“I love you to the moon,” she replied.
The boy gave a nervous half smile and blinked a few times. Why she had left her part of their routine dialogue seemingly incomplete for the second time he did not understand. He wanted to ask her what she meant, but decided to let it go when she told him impatiently,
“You know, like the Space Shuttle Challenger crash of ‘86.”
She gave him a wide smile. It was evil and rude but she couldn’t help it. The boy’s face grew into a pathetic mixture of horror and defeat, his eyelids drooping at the corners is a way that only filled her with more certainty. She turned around and left without another word through the double doors located behind him, directly underneath the mosaic window.
She didn’t look back once.
Monday, April 11, 2011
10 things I know to be true
The idea for this list comes from a talk given by spoken word poet Sarah Kay at TED2011.
1.Nobody can love something as much as they will miss it later.
2.People are not mind readers (but I wish they were).
3.If I ever met David Tennant, I would probably cry.
4.Ice cream always tastes better with gummy bears.
5.I will never stop loving mud fights or Disney.
6.Words are as pretty as pictures.
7.If God plays favorites, he is no God of mine.
8.I have a wonderful life, and I'm wasting it.
9.A few people have me figured out better than I ever will.
10.Magic is real.
The idea behind this is that if you started to compare your list of 10 true things with the lists of other people, you would discover the following: 1) Someone has the exact same thing or something very similar to something on your list, 2) Someone wrote something the complete opposite of what you wrote down, 3) Someone had something on their list you've never even heard of before and 4) Someone addressed something in their list that made you see that thing in a new way.
It is fascinating that when given the same assignment, each person will react in a completely different way, and still have certain aspects of their list be exactly the same as someone else! Hmmmm... I think a profound message about the nature of humanity is hidden somewhere here, but I am way to tired to figure out what it is. Getting three hours of sleep is awesome.
Anyway, goodnight! Comments are always welcome.
1.Nobody can love something as much as they will miss it later.
2.People are not mind readers (but I wish they were).
3.If I ever met David Tennant, I would probably cry.
4.Ice cream always tastes better with gummy bears.
5.I will never stop loving mud fights or Disney.
6.Words are as pretty as pictures.
7.If God plays favorites, he is no God of mine.
8.I have a wonderful life, and I'm wasting it.
9.A few people have me figured out better than I ever will.
10.Magic is real.
The idea behind this is that if you started to compare your list of 10 true things with the lists of other people, you would discover the following: 1) Someone has the exact same thing or something very similar to something on your list, 2) Someone wrote something the complete opposite of what you wrote down, 3) Someone had something on their list you've never even heard of before and 4) Someone addressed something in their list that made you see that thing in a new way.
It is fascinating that when given the same assignment, each person will react in a completely different way, and still have certain aspects of their list be exactly the same as someone else! Hmmmm... I think a profound message about the nature of humanity is hidden somewhere here, but I am way to tired to figure out what it is. Getting three hours of sleep is awesome.
Anyway, goodnight! Comments are always welcome.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Spoken Word Poetry
A couple days ago, the YouTube spotlight bar featured the playlist of a spoken word poet named Sarah Kay. And let me just say that I am so thankful I clicked on it. Her playlist introduced me to a whole world of poetry that I didn't even know existed!
Spoken word poetry is a different experience from written poetry. The author's voice provides a more emotional experience for the viewer. The poem is being presented in exactly the way the author intended because they control the speed, inflection of voice, and where to pause for effect. They are able to supplement their words with hand gestures and facial expressions that give the poem a kind of energy. Not that traditional written poetry isn't lovely and even more appropriate in the case of some poems, but some poetry just needs to be performed.
Sarah Kay has a lovely poem entitled "If I should have a daughter", which is beautiful and touching. And the thing is, if I read that poem, I might not have liked it. In fact, there's a very probable chance my eyes would have skimmed past it. But her delivery was engaging and spot on. Her performance made me interesting in what she had to say.
Spoken word poetry is a different experience from written poetry. The author's voice provides a more emotional experience for the viewer. The poem is being presented in exactly the way the author intended because they control the speed, inflection of voice, and where to pause for effect. They are able to supplement their words with hand gestures and facial expressions that give the poem a kind of energy. Not that traditional written poetry isn't lovely and even more appropriate in the case of some poems, but some poetry just needs to be performed.
Sarah Kay has a lovely poem entitled "If I should have a daughter", which is beautiful and touching. And the thing is, if I read that poem, I might not have liked it. In fact, there's a very probable chance my eyes would have skimmed past it. But her delivery was engaging and spot on. Her performance made me interesting in what she had to say.
My favorite poet I have encountered so far is Rives. That's John G. Rives, and he is fantastic. The guy is funny as anything and a brilliant writer. He can weave words together in the most beautiful interesting ways, combining irony and humor and nostalgia and vision into the best three minutes of your life. Some of his performances are not that different from stand up, but some of them are more metaphorical and poetic. Some tell stories and others express a concept and most do both. Some are funny until you think about them more and realize that behind all the humor he had something a bit more profound he was trying to get across. The video below is my favorite poem of his.
I really encourage you to search for his other performances on YouTube, or if he doesn't particularly strike you, to explore the work of other slam poets. Because in the world of spoken word poetry, there is something for everyone.
A Link to Project VOICE, a movement to encourage self expression through spoken word poetry created by Phil Kaye and Sarah Kay.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
A List: Top 10 Tearjerkers
Hello lovely person who happens to be reading this. So I love lists. I'm thinking about doing a series of them on this blog because they're fun and don't suck up a whole lot of time. Which is awesome, because the month of April has unfortunately promised me minimal free time. It has however, given me hours of AP studying to look forward to. April sucks.
Also, lists will hopefully create a better picture of who I am, a good thing since I have never formally introduced myself. Hi! I'm Jaime. Well, enough with the long introductions. List numero uno...
Top 10 "Tearjerker" Films (In no particular order)
1. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
2. West Side Story (1961)
3. The Notebook
4. A Walk to Remember
5. Dear John
Hmmm...I'm noticing a pattern. Well I don't care if Nicholas Sparks' movies are cheesy. I love cheese! Who doesn't love cheese? Cheddar is my favorite, but I also like swiss OKAY! Joke taken too far.
6. Dead Poets Society (1989)
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
9. La Vita è Bella (1997)*
10. Pan's Labyrinth
Not sure why I put the year next to some of the older ones, I just felt like it was necessary for some reason. I hope these lists prove to be mildly entertaining, but even if they're not, I probably won't stop doing them because they are just too much fun! There is something so satisfying about seeing the names of a collection of things you love lined up neatly on a page.
I could go on for an entire paragraph about any one of these movies and highly recommend all of them. Write some suggestions of movies that make you cry in the comments so I can rent them!
Thanks for reading, best wishes!
* It just occurred to me that this movie is a comedy, at least in part. But I just remember watching it and being deeply moved by its timeless message of unconditional love and sacrifice. It made me cry, it stays on the list.
Also, lists will hopefully create a better picture of who I am, a good thing since I have never formally introduced myself. Hi! I'm Jaime. Well, enough with the long introductions. List numero uno...
Top 10 "Tearjerker" Films (In no particular order)
1. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
2. West Side Story (1961)
3. The Notebook
4. A Walk to Remember
5. Dear John
Hmmm...I'm noticing a pattern. Well I don't care if Nicholas Sparks' movies are cheesy. I love cheese! Who doesn't love cheese? Cheddar is my favorite, but I also like swiss OKAY! Joke taken too far.
6. Dead Poets Society (1989)
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
9. La Vita è Bella (1997)*
10. Pan's Labyrinth
Not sure why I put the year next to some of the older ones, I just felt like it was necessary for some reason. I hope these lists prove to be mildly entertaining, but even if they're not, I probably won't stop doing them because they are just too much fun! There is something so satisfying about seeing the names of a collection of things you love lined up neatly on a page.
I could go on for an entire paragraph about any one of these movies and highly recommend all of them. Write some suggestions of movies that make you cry in the comments so I can rent them!
Thanks for reading, best wishes!
* It just occurred to me that this movie is a comedy, at least in part. But I just remember watching it and being deeply moved by its timeless message of unconditional love and sacrifice. It made me cry, it stays on the list.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)