oscar nominations were announced today, and the big winner was (of course) "Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King" with a whopping 11 nominations. "Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World" was right behind ROTK with 10 nominations. most of the nominations were as expected for me, but there were some interesting surprises.
among the biggest surprises: Keisha Castle-Hughes, the 13 year old star of "Whale Rider," which i posted about a few days ago, was nominated for best actress in a leading role. i am very pleasantly surprised with this recognition of a great performance. the most amazing thing is that this was her first acting role ever. a win would make her the youngest oscar winner since Anna Paquin won at 11 for "The Piano," and i think the youngest lead actress winner ever, but i'm not sure about that. i should look it up sometime. i don't expect Keisha to win, because she's going up against some pretty tough competition, but it took some guts for the academy to recognize her wonderful performance in "Whale Rider." so go rent the movie. you'll thank me for it.
another nomination that surprised me was Jonny Depp's best actor nomination for "Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl." hey, are you beginning to notice a trend with some of these movies that get nominated? they all have really long, two-part titles. anyways, i didn't expect Depp to get nominated, even though he does a really good job with the Jack Sparrow character, because big mindless blockbuster summer action flicks rarely get recognized for their performances. overall i don't think i disagree with the academy here though. Depp always has the amazing ability to give his characters life.
i wish i could say i'm surprised that ROTK didn't get any acting nominations. if Depp could get one for a film like "Pirates," why can't another big budget special effects movie be recognized for its performances as well? maybe a nomination for Andy Serkis is asking too much, but what about Sean Astin? the most amazing thing about the acting in ROTK is that despite being a special effects laden fantasy film, the performances aren't only utterly convincing, but emotionally moving as well. you try having a conversation with a non-existant character while standing in front of a blue screen sometime. i say being able to act in those conditions is even more challenging then in a realistic setting.
a few other pleasant surprises: Djimon Hounsou and Samantha Morton for "In America." you may remember them best from "Amistad" and "Minority Report," respectively. i really need to see that movie. also, Ken Watanabe for "The Last Samurai." i personally thought his performance was miles above Tom Cruise's in that movie, and Cruise wasn't bad at all, and it's nice to see that the academy feels the same way. Watanabe could have carried that film, but hollywood doesn't have the guts to make a japanese actor the central character. they have to have their american hunk to sell tickets. Bill Murray got his first oscar nomination too, but he'll have a tough time going up against perennial nominees Ben Kingley and Sean Penn. i thought Scarlett Johansson would be nominated for her performance in one of the two critically acclaimed films ("Lost in Translation" and "Girl with a Pearl Earring") she was in last year, but she's got a long career ahead of her. she'll get an oscar someday, trust me.
and in the "shoo-in-guarantee-no-doubt-about-it" category: "Finding Nemo" for best animated film. "Brother Bear?" yeah...gimme a break. i haven't seen "The Triplets if Belleville" though, so hey, i may be wrong. but i doubt it.
much thanks to everyone who's praying for my aunt.
please pray for my aunt. she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor today. thank you.
i've started posting on a fairly regular basis again and i've yet to stir up any controversy...so here we go...
rock for life is a teen anti-abortion organization. they are holding a huge march in washington d.c. right now that is getting national attention. the website is worth checking out.
and you gotta love their slogans:
"making the womb a safer place to live"
"you will not silence our message
you will not mock our God
you will stop killing our generation!"
if you know me, then you know that i have a lot of issues with many "conservative christian" ideologies, but this is one of those issues that i will not waver on. i got to thinking about abortion this week as i was watching news coverage of the scott peterson trial. in case you've had you've been living in the bubble for the last few months, scott peterson is being charged with the murder of his pregnant wife. what makes this case relevant to the issue of abortion is that peterson is being tried for two cases of murder: one for his wife, and one for their unborn child.
it really made me wonder, why are we so upset over the death of this child, and yet we don't give a second thought to the ones that are being aborted every day? why do we consider this one a child, and the others just fetuses? what gives this baby enough humanity to be considered a murder victim? so, if we can try someone for the murder of an unborn child, how do we judge what constitutes a child? is it because this child was wanted? does the fact that someone loved him/her enough to consider him/her a person make it murder? since when was the desires and affections of another person the criteria for humanity?
i really dislike the labels of pro-life and pro-choice. if i'm not pro-choice then it makes it seem like i don't support a woman's right to choose, which makes me a chauvinist. and if i'm not pro-life, then i'm pro-death, which makes me a monster. i do support a woman's right to choose. i'm very big on free will and choice actually, but i only support choice when it comes to matters that affect yourself. once your decisions become harmful to another person, then that's where choice becomes a public matter. and i guess that's where the controversy really comes in. i consider an unborn child a person. "so what about rape or incest or if the child is deformed?" it's still a child. "well, if the pregnancy isn't the consequence of a choice the mother made, then she shouldn't have to face the consequences." it's still a child. "well what if the brain of the fetus hasn't developed to the point where...." it's still a child. and that's why all debate and argument is useless. neither side will ever be able to change the opinion of the other on abortion because they have different fundamental beliefs. my goal isn't to argue with people about policy or politics. i'm not aiming to change legislation. i want to reach people's hearts and minds. children are dying. once people believe that, things will change.
now, i will never support those who bomb abortion clinics or attack women trying to get abortions. there is no place for hatred or judgement in our message. but abortion is not a means of birth control. there are over 1 million abortions performed each year in the united states alone. hate has not been the answer.
the war of the ages is over the human soul. this is a war not fought on the battlefields, or in the courtrooms, but in relationships with the people around us.
i just watched the most wonderful film called "whale rider."
it came out last year to great critical acclaim but i didn't get a chance to see it until now. it's about a 12 year old maori girl who is born into a line of chieftans, but her grandfather does not give her the oppurtunity to prove herself because she is not the boy he wanted. the plot may not sound like much, but it is a moving film and is absolutely beautifully filmed. there are some wonderful performances, including that of 14 year old keisha castle-hughes as the young paikea. rent this movie if you get the chance. it'll leave you with tears in your eyes, but in a good way.
i've really been trying to see more independent and foreign films. i do enjoy some big budget hollywood movies, and some can even be very impactful, like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (which isn't really hollywood), but these smaller films always amaze me with their beauty. there are still a bunch of recent indie films i haven't seen that i'd really like to: "elephant," "in america," "21 grams," "lost in translation," and a few others. i saw a bunch of feature films last month during break, most in the span of one week ("last samurai," "love actually," "cold mountain") most of them were really good films, because i don't really go to movies i don't think are going to be good, but i'm beginning to understand why so many film buffs view hollywood filmmaking as a cheap form of popular entertainment and indie and foreign films as real art.
i highly recommend "dirty pretty things" as well. it's a great british drama featuring audrey tautou.
and if you enjoy cheap movies, take advantage of cinema savers in milpitas while it's still here. it's going to be closing down soon when they redo that entire plaza. they're putting in a safeway and stuff. this sucks. i don't want to have to pay freakin' $10 to go see a movie.
well, this is the end of my attempt to introduce you to some wonderful movies that you may not have previously heard of or considered watching. i seriously reccomend checking out one of these films the next time your in the mood for a movie, instead of watching some mindless action or gross-out comedy movie. your brain will thank you for it.
amaya got spayed today. she came home from the vet tonight all woozy from the drugs. she has to wear one of those cone things on her head to keep her from licking the wound. she was all sad and pathetic looking because she doesn't like the cone and she doesn't have the strength mess with it. and it hurts too much to lay down so she just sits their with her head hanging down looking all miserable. poor pup pup. there's nothing in the world more heart wrenching than a sad puppy.
here's something for the geeks among us: the H-Wing Car Mod
some star wars fan modded his civic del sol into an a-wing style starship/car, complete with R2 unit. as incredibly dorky as this is, it's pretty still pretty darn cool. the attention to detail is amazing, from the muzzle blast on the side to the lightsaber brake handle. it's truly an amazing piece of geek art.
in other geek news, the RIAA is facing some resistance now in it's lawsuit attempts. a month ago the courts ruled that the RIAA could not subpoena the ISP's for customer info without filing a lawsuit first. the RIAA clamied they had this right under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act), which is one of the crappiest pieces of legislation this country has seen in a long time. anyways, there's a good article about all this here.
had this conversation with lisa yesterday:
lisa: well enough about me tell me about you
naziriteSOG: ok well
naziriteSOG: lets see
naziriteSOG: ive been dating this girl for the last month
naziriteSOG: shes really awesome
naziriteSOG: i think im falling in love
[pause]
naziriteSOG: the only problem is she's 12
lisa: stop it
lisa: you almost made my heart skip a beat
naziriteSOG: haha
lisa: i almost had a heart attack
naziriteSOG: one of these days im really gonna have a girlfriend and i'll tell you and you won't believe me
naziriteSOG: hopefully she won't be 12 though
lisa: i want you to find a very special girl....not just any girl deserves you
lisa: i want to meet her and become best friends
lisa: hahah jk
odd thing is, relationships have been more on my mind recently. most of you know my stance on dating, and i'm sure most of you will be shocked if and when i ever fall for a girl, but i must admit that i too sometimes feel those wistful longings and desires. yes, it's true, sometimes ben wants a girlfriend. but i'm still rational enough to know that i really DON'T want a girlfriend right now, so i'm able to push those thoughts into the back of my mind. dating just isn't an option for me. first of all, the way young people carry out relationships these days is just ridiculous and i want no part in it. i believe there's one person out there who's right for me, and when i get into a relationship i've got to be ready to go the distance. and i'm not. not yet. i still see too many flaws within myself to be truly commited to someone at this point in my life. it's so strange that our whole culture is obsessed with true love, and yet no one has the patience or commitment to find it. true love waits.
we read a simone de beauvoir article for my english class today. we got to talking about families and the roles of women. in davis, if we were to begin discussing women's roles, instantly we would have all this outcry about how women are stuck in these patriarchal roles and they're dominated by men and families and motherhood are chains used by men to bind women and keep them docile and yadda yadda yadda. but in my class at de anza i was surprised to find that most people spoke out in support of marriage and families. i guess not all young people are as crazy as i thought. don't get me wrong, i have great respect for the women's rights movement and for many women's issues scholars and "feminists," but so many feminists nowadays speak out against traditional roles for women because they believe they are restricting and belittling. i think the real problem is that our traditional patriarchal society has viewed the role of mother and homemaker as something inferior to other professions, but they're not! to be a mother is one of the greatest callings a woman can have. caring for the home and for children is something wondrous and amazing and takes a great deal of effort and ability to carry out. i believe that these roles are just as, if not more, important than any other job a person could have. it just upsets me that feminists, instead of working to raise the esteem of these roles, have further degraded them by fighting against them.
like marie says, they're not housewives, they're "domestic engineers."
don't know why but i've been feeling rather stupid lately. like my brain is slowing down and i can't really think well. i can't seem to articulate my ideas properly. somehow the media corporations are to blame for this. i'm sure of it.
edit: new link for H-Wing car; changed troy to marie (now there's a magic trick i'd like to see!)
...well, maybe only sisters who have sociology degrees from berkeley and are studying theology at seminary
here's a convo i had with shirley today. it's long, but there's some good stuff. we came up with a lot of questions, and not so many answers, but i think it's a worthwhile read for any of you who still peek in here despite my lack of updates.
HisPassionSeekR: how was service today?
naziriteSOG: very good
naziriteSOG: ghana team was back and they shared
HisPassionSeekR: ahh
naziriteSOG: and ralph gave a little message on sacrifice inspired by the ghana trip
naziriteSOG: which was excellent
HisPassionSeekR: ha
HisPassionSeekR: sacrifice seems to be a prevalent theme
HisPassionSeekR: what did he say?
naziriteSOG: yeah
naziriteSOG: he talked about giving till it hurts
naziriteSOG: and how we have all these safety nets so we don't have so much faith
naziriteSOG: we fall back on our own things
naziriteSOG: but the people in ghana dont have anything
naziriteSOG: if theyre sick or hungry they have to pray for miracles because they have no backups
naziriteSOG: and they see miracles and great outpourings of the spirit because they have such faith
naziriteSOG: and they pray so hard and give with such selflessness
naziriteSOG: it was good stuff
HisPassionSeekR: mm
HisPassionSeekR: how do we get rid of our backups?
naziriteSOG: we have to be willing
naziriteSOG: to sacrifice our own desires and wishes
HisPassionSeekR: mm but how?
naziriteSOG: how should i know?
naziriteSOG: if we had a practical answer to that we'd be all set
naziriteSOG: my personal answer is daily sacrifice
naziriteSOG: making choices daily to let go of your own things and turn to God
naziriteSOG: but even that isnt really a practical answer
naziriteSOG: just more religious rhetoric
HisPassionSeekR: yeah i guess i'm just wondering what sacrifice really is.... what part of us it entails, what we can expect from it after
HisPassionSeekR: cuz we hear lots of sermons on abraham sacrificing isaac
HisPassionSeekR: that's what che was preaching on today
naziriteSOG: my thing recently has been choices
naziriteSOG: im realizing more and more how every little decision has such an impact
HisPassionSeekR: and there's almost this expectancy that if you sacrifice what you hold most dear out of obedience, God returns it to you
HisPassionSeekR: so if you sacrifice with the intention of receiving back from God, is that really sacrifice?
naziriteSOG: hm
HisPassionSeekR: well i asked one of the girls
naziriteSOG: well we know everything God does is to benefit us
naziriteSOG: if we truly understand that, it wont be about getting back
naziriteSOG: even if we do want the benefit
naziriteSOG: we just have to understand that the benefit isnt always what we think it will be
naziriteSOG: which is that difficult part
HisPassionSeekR: and she said that, you know you really sacrifice when the thing that you give up, you're willing to let it go and receive it back in a way that you didn't initially hope for
HisPassionSeekR: like if you wanted to serve God in your vocation
HisPassionSeekR: and you want to do missionary work
HisPassionSeekR: and God asks you to sacrifice that dream.... would you be content with being a carsalesman if God asked you to do that?
naziriteSOG: hmm
naziriteSOG: i guess that really depends on how certain you are of God's calling then
naziriteSOG: so it comes back to your personal relationship with Him
HisPassionSeekR: well, even if you are certain, sometimes He asks you to give up the things your feet through to be firm
HisPassionSeekR: i mean, abraham trusted that isaac was the child of promise
HisPassionSeekR: why would God ask him to sacrifice the instrument through which God was going to bring about His promise?
HisPassionSeekR: but he obeys in the moment rather than cling to certain things of the past, knowing that no matter what God would be faithful
naziriteSOG: so how do we achieve such a ridiculously blind faith?
naziriteSOG: or is it by sacrificing that we gain this faith to sacrifice further?
naziriteSOG: making it a nutty cyclical paradox thing?
HisPassionSeekR: i think it's cyclical
naziriteSOG: heh
HisPassionSeekR: we start out with a little bit of faith when we say yes to God
naziriteSOG: how interesting
HisPassionSeekR: and then we're given tests
HisPassionSeekR: and the more we mature spiritually, the more faith we're given as we withstand trials and stuff
HisPassionSeekR: and it all goes back to intimacy
HisPassionSeekR: abraham was able to hear the commands of God
naziriteSOG: yeah
HisPassionSeekR: what if Abraham had been so bent on obeying the word of the Lord to sacrifice isaac that he didn't listen to the angel's call to stay his sword?
naziriteSOG: so we should be obedient, but flexible?
HisPassionSeekR: gotta be sensitive to hear from God because sometimes He tells us different things depending on the time
naziriteSOG: so, obedient, but always listening
HisPassionSeekR: yeah
naziriteSOG: yeah
naziriteSOG: i may have to put this convo in my blog
naziriteSOG: its good stuff
naziriteSOG: we should write a book
naziriteSOG: haha
HisPassionSeekR: sometimes i think God expects too much of us sometimes
HisPassionSeekR: but i'm glad that He takes chances on us like that too
naziriteSOG: yeah
naziriteSOG: it is hard
naziriteSOG: but really simple at the same time
naziriteSOG: which is strange
HisPassionSeekR: i read this on a xanga somewhere... wait let me find it
HisPassionSeekR: over a lifetime, there will without a doubt be times when:
HisPassionSeekR: God will ask you to wait longer than you think is necessary
HisPassionSeekR: God will ask you to trust Him more than you believe is possible
HisPassionSeekR: and God will require greater faith from you than seems reasonable
HisPassionSeekR: haha i love that
HisPassionSeekR: and hate it all at the same time
naziriteSOG: heh...yeah
naziriteSOG: those treasures in heaven had better be worth it, eh?
naziriteSOG: haha
naziriteSOG: just kidding...i think
HisPassionSeekR: yeah... but i think we can look forward to good things while we're here too
naziriteSOG: yeah
HisPassionSeekR: David was confident that he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living
HisPassionSeekR: and dang it, so am i
i know i promised to start updating my blarg regularly again...well, i guess we all know how much my promises are worth now. but i figure when my front page goes blank because i haven't updated in so long, i should probably post something.
school started up for me last week. i had been dreading returning to class, but not as much as previous quarters because i had actually done well last quarter and i'm taking classes that i thought might actually be interesting...i was wrong. dead wrong. i'm taking english writing 1A (not because i thought it'd be neat, but because it's a required ge), phil 8 ethics (for some reason that i can't recall anymore i thought this would be enjoyable), and intro to film.
english is wickedly boring of course. it's a ton of reading, and even more writing, and the bane of my college existence thus far has been writing. just trying to do one paper per quarter for a class has nearly killed me in the past, we'll see how i handle 6 for this class. gah.
i thought film would be fun. i've liked every film class i've taken, and even though i had already taken a class similar to this at davis, i figured i'd still enjoy it because i always enjoy my film classes. nope. this prof is wickedly boring. i've never had a boring film prof before. all my previous film profs have been energetic and exciting. this one is totally monotone and the class goes by at a snail's pace. it's right after lunch for me on mondays and the class is 3 and a half hours long, so it's a constant struggle to keep my eyelids up. i loved my film class last quarter, which you guys could probably tell as most of the things i posted about in here were sparked by topics brought up in that class, but this class is just plain boring.
the one class that gets my mind going is my ethics class, but i don't particularly like my prof in this class either. maybe it's the constant swearing, or the anecdote he told the first day about not wanting to go to a sharks game that a friend invited him too. or maybe it's because i don't agree with most of the crap he says. it's not that his ideas on ethics are without basis, since he is merely repeating the theories of aristotle and more contemporary philosophers. but i just can't help viewing these human attempts at finding what it really means to be "good" to be lacking. it seems to me that the philosophical perspective is that there is a relative good for each individual, but it all must work together as a societal good as well. but all human action is aiming towards some good, and the key to a virtuous life is to find the greater good, or the greatest good, which according to aristotle is happiness. but to find what makes you truly happy, you need to discover what true happiness is. it all seems to go so roundabout and all i want to do is shout out, "HEY! THERE'S AN EASIER WAY!" i mean, why go through all this constant struggle to redefine your own notions of virtue when there is a supreme standard already set. and it's not even a standard we have to work for or strive to achieve. it's something that we gain only through sacrificing ourselves and letting the source of real virtue do all the hard work for us. but that's too simple for the world to understand.
to the world, being ethical is finding the better good for yourself; what is most benificial for the individual. i see that as only one level. the next level is to live not for your own benefit, but for others. but even this concept is stretching the limits of human understanding. we see those who would put the need of others over their own needs not merely as ethical people, but as saints and heros. it is so unthinkable that someone would live for the good of many instead of their own good is worth putting into legend for us. now when i say living for others, i don't mean trying to please others, but living for the benefit of other people. this is different than always trying to please other people, because trying to please others is something that comes out of pride, which falls back into living for yourself. when you live for others in the sense that you're always trying to make yourself acceptable and likeable to them, you're just trying to benefit yourself, not anyone else. to really live for others is to lay down your own needs for the needs of others.
beyond this is living for God. this is something so unthinkable to our society that the realm of ethics (except for religious philosophers) won't even touch on this. if we can't even fathom living for the benefit of people we can see and hear, how can we live for an entity that we have no physical evidence of? that is why we need to seek Him for ourselves. i think so many christians get caught up in seeing God as the God of a church or religion. they take Him as this distant deity that they only hear about and read about. so when it comes down to making decisions about Him, they can't push themselves beyond a certain point. no one would give their life for a story, but we would all be willing to sacrifice for our closest friend. and when we live for His good, we find that His will is the greatest good for us as individuals and for all people. isn't that so much easier than the way the world looks at things?
well, that was a whole lot of philosophical mumbo jumbo. i don't actually expect you guys to read any of that. it really didn't come out the way i wanted it to, but it's stuff that's been swirling around in my head for the last week and i figured i should get it out on paper...errr...or whatever. next time maybe i'll actually sort my thoughts before trying to write them out.
ok...so i've fallen behind in my blog (or blarg) updates again. it's not that i lack things to say, i just lack the desire to sit down and type them out. and now that school has started my days are going to grow increasingly boring and monotonous, so there won't be anything interesting to write about there.
i will try to start updating again fairly regularly though. just be prepared for a whole lot of "i went to class then went home and did nothing" posts.
one other thing: if anyone is interested in seeing a hockey game on jan 24, let me know. it's a game against minnesota at 7:30pm. we need 4 or 8 people because we're trying to take advantage of the sharks' family packs which gives you 4 tickets, 4 sodas, and 4 hot dogs for uber-cheap. hopefully the family packs are still available, they tend to sell out fairly quickly. i have yet to get ahold of leon to figure things out with him. i'll have to try to pry him away from cindy for a moment, but that may prove difficult.