Thinking and Contemplating

My blog is called contemplations and ramblings. Even though few people read it, that's really not the point of this blog. It's more for me to be able to reflect on the thoughts in my head. So What's been in my head recently?

Friends. God. Proverbs 3:5-6

I have this friend who's been in my life for years. I love her a lot, but she drives me absolutely crazy sometimes. We got into a fight...or more like, she got mad at me, so I got mad at her, and then stopped talking to her. It was not my best moment. I just need to do a lot of thinking...I don't know what I should do in this instance...more contemplation needed.

God is always a constant contemplation. Especially since I've started down this path of discipleship. I seriously need a stronger foundation in God and His Word.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Fingerprinting Forensics

The is a pretty well known Phenomena known as 'The CSI effect." This phenomena lets people think they know all about forensics and they think forensic evidence is a seal all prove all. Well here's some food for thought:

• Fingerprinting is hard and getting a reliable fingerprint is the hardest part
• The show CSI is false on many counts
• The part I look forward to least about becoming a police officer would be the forensics part.

I bring this up because one, I got to try fingerprinting in class today, and it sucked. And two, all the paperwork involved in a crime scene makes me cringe.

Family Drama

In every family, there is drama. This is normal right? So, how come while I think, "oh, this might make her mad, better not do it," everyone else thinks, "oh, this won't make her mad, so I don't need to really ask her"?

I sometimes think life would be a lot easier if we could read minds. It would be horrible in the long run, I know, but in fantasy world, It would be wonderful don't you think?

Interesting things happen during the last week of the Semester

So It is the last week of the semester before finals, and a few interesting things have happened. 

Interesting Thing #1

Either someone died in this stall in the communal bathroom...or some girl is very very very very nasty when she's menstruating...

Interesting thing #2

Small towns have night watch to keep them safe, my college has a night watch to get us hyper with Red Bull. And no college Night Watch is complete without our very own version of the white flag:

Interesting Thing #3:

Choice: white flag or special emergency kit as you fly out of your room?

An update on the life of Liz

Yeah so, It's been a terrible while since I posted. But here I am again, and here is a grainy picture of my delicious dinner last night at Bugaboo Creek Steak House. It's a Prime Rib, Medium Rare with a Loaded Backed Potato. DELICIOUS! Of course, a prime rib is nothing without some raw horseradish and extra juice, yum!

2012 The Movie

This movie is awesome. I especially like the part where the USS J.F.K smashes into the White House. It's hilarious. This movie is epic. The acting is pretty good, I'm not an expert by any means, but this movie is worth seeing, definitely.

I Miss My Shorts

Did you ever have that favorite pair of shorts, that you wore all the time and they were trusty and comfortable and you've had them for ever? I did. Mine were a black pair of cargo capris, that ran over my knees. I had them for about 5 years or so, and I LOVED them...and then they tore this summer, during work. The tear was in the crotch area, so it was irreparable. I could have just patched them, but it didn't occur to me. So, I threw them away. And now, that spring is coming again, I find my myself wishing that I had never done that. I haven't found a pair that are quite like them. I miss them so much. and the funniest part? I don't have a picture of me in them.

Laptop Troubles, what is this world coming to?

So, granted not everyone in the world is wired, but most of us are these days. It's common for the average middle class person to have an iphone or other high-tech phone, itouch or ipod, a laptop and possibly an e-reader which seems to be the next big thing. I mean, yeah...I have all of these things too because I am your average middle class college student. What really threw me is, I broke my laptop yesterday. It's fixable, but because I don't have my repair cd with me, I have had to go a whole day without my laptop, and it is so hard. I guess I didn't really notice how impaired I am without it.

Last night, I was so bored at work, even with my Nook and my phone. I didn't have access to facebook, or my email (since I don't have data plan on my phone), I didn't know what to do with myself. Normally I would read a book, but since I gave up fiction books for Lent, can't read any of those. You would think hey, college student, well hey! perfect solution, just study! But I couldn't becuase all of my study material is on my laptop. And it leads me to think, what the heck is this world coming to???

College students bring their laptops to class to pretend they're taking notes when they're really just playing games. Phones are no longer just for calling people, their for everything that you could possibly think of. Paperback books are not necessary because there's electronic e-readers now and who needs live musicians now when you can listen to them from your laptop, phone or ipod??  Everything is so accessible now that no one of my generation would know what to do if it suddenly went away.

I read an article in the Washinton Post yesterday that blew me away. Parents are neglecting their kids because they're too busy on their iphones. One person in the article reported that her husband started cheking his email DURING intercourse. People are so wired that if there isn't a screen in front of them that they don't know how to have fun anymore. One of my friends once told me that she has trouble expressing herself outside of IM sometimes. Even me, I don't really remember how to have a friend outside of the internet. I don't know how I did it in high school, easily making friends, meeting guys, having boyfriends, having fun PERIOD without a computer attached to me. Sometimes...it just doesn't seems possible anymore.

The Time Traveler's Wife

I watched The Time Traveler's Wife, today, with my sister and father. This movie, is sad, happy, heartwarming and heart-wrenching. There are up times and down times, cute times and times you just don't understand what is happening. If you don't like movies like The Notebook or Marley and Me, then you won't like The Time Traveler's Wife. However, I loved it.

This movie, It goes into a genre of movies, that aren't the normal type. As the years go by, it seems to me that more and more movie are all of the same type. Like they have all been done before over and over again, same plot, different characters and a different setting. But these movies, They go into a genre of things that could be very real, they just seem like things that would actually happen. Now of course, time traveling isn't real, but they portray it in such a way, that....it totally seems like it could.

This is a movie where you just might cry. You have been warned. Definitely a movie to see once, or a movie to see with your girlfriend. Make her see the softer side of you, even if you hate gushy movies.Two thumbs up!

Good Coffee and Good Music = FUN TIME!!!

So, I went to Showcase Showdown at Ebenezers Coffeehouse in DC. I went in support of my friend Joe Mikey Mapa, who is a great musician. He competed against two other artists, Olivia Mancini and Dave Chatel. I recommend that you check them out! http://ebenezerscoffeehouse.com/

So the coffee at Ebenezers was awesome, I got the mocha coffee, because it is go to coffee (besides the regular coffee 3 creams 5 sugars that is). It was very yummy, coffeey and chocolaty. So, perfectly fine coffee, if you're around Union Station and need some joe, it's just around the corner on F street, so hit it up.

Olivia Mancini played first. I really liked her music, it was catchy and really entertaining. Two of her songs that really stood out to me were Easy Way and Jealous Type. I liked her music so much I bought her cd, so that I can listen to her music whenever I want. Check her out at http://www.oliviamancini.com/

Joe Mikey Mapa is already a rockstar in my eyes, but today's performance was funny and entertaining both with his antics, anecdotes and music. He played roughly 6 or 7 songs, some christian some not. I really liked his song Not For Sale, which he wrote for an organization called, Not For Sale, a End Human Trafficking Campaign. I also enjoyed the song that he played when he was 14, it was funny how he presented it and cute. Too bad I don't remember the name of it. For more information check him out at http://joemikeymapa.com/

Last but certainly not least, since he got the most applause, Dave Chatel. My personal opinion is that he got the most applause because he brought the most people. But, that doesn't mean he wasn't also an awesome performer. Dave's words were so true when he said that writing music is like therapy without the therapist. His music was so emotional and just FILLED with emotion, that you could tell he put his whole soul in each of his songs. The only thing I didn't like was that it seemed like most of his songs were love songs, but then hey, so was Joe Mikey's. So, props to Dave, your music was awesome. If you would like to hear his music or just find out more about him you can do so at: http://www.davechatel.com/

My Nook

So, I don't remember if I posted about this or not, but E-readers are really the best. I love paper books, I really do, but having an E-reader is just way more convenient. For example, I was on the metro the other day, and I've had The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson sitting on my dresser waiting for me to read it for 2 months. It's a HUGE hardback book, but I took it on the metro with me anyway. Since I was going home for the week, I already had my laptop bag and a plastic bag filled of stuff I needed to bring home. On top of that, I had to bring an extra small backpack, just for my hulk of a book.

Now, when I was waiting for the train to arrive, I was reading my giant book, and this guy walks over, stands next to me and pulls out his Kindle. I have a sort of prejudice against Kindles, because Kindles are so ugly. I am very superficial and shallow when it comes aesthetics of technology. My Nook, looks sleek and nice and it has a touchscreen pad while the kindle has a full QWERTY keyboard on it. It just looks....awkward. Ok, so back to my story, he pulls out his kindle and gives me this smug look. So I, being the competitive person I am, put away my giant book and pull out my wonderful and aesthetically beautiful Nook. I give him a smug look of my own. Stupid isn't it? but then, my Nook is better than you!

 

See? It's pretty!

Ok so, It's about 8 inches tall, 5 inches wide, and weighs about 12 ounces.

Not big at all. The touchpad screen works like a charm, and the updates come in regularly so that the Nook gets better and better.

The only problem it really has is that it freezes from time to time if you push too many buttons to quickly. Critics say that the Kindle is better still, but then, the Kindle has had more time on the market, and it's had more time to fix it's kinks. 

The NOOK is the E-Reader of the future!!!

The Night Angel Trilogy, awesome book, awesome author

   So, The Night Angel Trilogy, by Brent Weeks, is awesome. Just finished it. A friend of mine once commented that this series is like Assassin's Creed mixed with D&D. The reader gets to follow a boy, Azoth through his wildly exciting life from young street rat to immortal assassin to savior of the entire world. The series has something for everyone, excitement of battle, the thrill of assassination, the heart wrenching of many types of love, even the madness of a large amount of characters with every character's plot intertwining and yet separate.

   Towards the end, I was wondering how Weeks was going to be able to bring all of the characters to the end and finish the story, but he managed it without suddenly killing off too many people and didn't forget about any of those whose stories he told. For a first series, this guy did well.

   The only complaints I had was that I did get confused towards the end because of all the characters and the jumping around from character to character, especially when many times I wasn't sure if the time line of each character was the same in each part. The other major issue was the grammar. There were so many mistakes that I was getting thouroughly annoyed and wanted to start writing all over the book to fix them. They annoying part was that it was the same mistake OVER and OVER!!! But, if you can get past that, it's a fine story, with interesting comments about religion and other issues.

Cuteness Prevails

So, there is about 4 feet of snow outside my door, from the huge snowstorm. I don't know if their calling it a blizzard or not, but it was definitely the biggest snowstorm in years! I spent my entire day eating, and hanging out with my sister who had the audacity to wake me up at 9am!

On a nice note, here's a cute picture:

 

Props to: http://www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/cat/720/display/20087228

New Food Blogs

So one of my friends has decided to start up a food blog. Check it out:

http://emnemx3.blogspot.com/

and here's mine as well:

http://weekendfoodgalore.blogspot.com/

^_^ Check em out!!!!

Hilarious Attack Ad for Senatorial Campaign

This is so funny....check out 2:25 of this thing.

Here's an article about it on Washington Post
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/02/carly-fiorina-ad-features-trip.html?hpid=artslot

FCINO: Fiscal Conservative In Name Only

I Surrender!!! Don't Eat Me!

 

Sammie, one of my dogs, got a new toy to play with because she destroyed the old one. I woke up the next morning and found it like this. It surrenders.

February - The shortest most loving month.

It's February 3rd already, a whole month of this new year has gone by. Does it seem fast to you?
Highlights of this month include:

• Groundhogs Day/Hai Tu's Birthday
• SuperBowl
• Valentine's Day/Chinese New Year
• 25 (that's 28-3) days until my Spring Break

Yesterday was my ex-boyfriend's birthday. Most people don't contemplate men they dated over 5 years ago...but Hai Tu is special. You see, Hai Tu and I were best friends and pseudo family for 3 1/2 years immediately after we broke up, which means, he will never be far from my thoughts since I somehow see him as family. A little bitter, but then that's just life. It makes me think that it's about darn time that I stop moping about him. He's unworthy of it, and I deserve better.

Superbowl!!!!!!!! This Sunday!!!!! Who will you root for? New Orleans Saints  vs. Indianapolis Colts, it promises to be a fun and exciting Superbowl, maybe? My dad and I have this tradition that we each pick one team, and then root against each other. I need to pick a team, anyone got some advice for me?

Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year are on the same day. It's great because that means since I have no Valentine, I don't have to waste my money on a commercial Holiday, AND I get get great food.

Here's a Picture of the food that I tend to survive on:

Caprica

So I watched the first episode of Caprica tonight,and it was interesting. It seems to me that humanity will never lose it's interest in prolonging life no matter what it takes. Granted, this is a spin-off of Battlestar Galatica, and I've never watched much of it, but the ethical delimmas that this series presents, it to me, interesting. Especially since I've been reading a lot of books, that have to do with artificial intelligence. If it was possible to live on in a robot, would you?

A Question of Social Norms

Paternal and Maternal Societies. 99% of the World is Paternal now, save a few small Maternal societies in obscure corners of the world. Males especially that I have seen are expected to be the protectors and women are supposed to be sheltered by protectors. Or at least that is what I have been told and when because my very nature goes against that, I naturally rebel. Now, the question is, am I the exception to the norm or is it just perception? Well according to all the Sociology classes I've taken, I am the exception to the norm because I do not follow the rules. According to my Social Justice class, it depends. It depends on social context and personal views. But even in this, since I live in the United States, the social context that matters is that of the States and the personal views of those in the States as well as my own. So, why did I bring all of this up? Simple, Jesus.

This Nation was built by Christians who wished religious freedom, but also by males accustomed to a paternal society. Women were first seen as property, and then as second-class citizens. Even now, many men still view women as something to be sheltered, protected and ruled over. Now, I do not even pretend to say that Men shouldn't be in a leadership position. In fact, if and when I get married, I absolutely agree that the man should be the Head of the Household, but what I disagree about and the reason I write right now is the part about men ruling women in general.

The Husband has every right to put his wife in her place if she gets out of hand, but he has no right to put other men's wives in their place. Not only is it not right for Men to try to rule over women who are not their family, it is disgraceful. If men have a problem with a women they have no right to lead, then they should either talk to that woman with the respect that the woman deserves, or if they cannot bring themselves to do that, cowards that they may be, they can simply go to a male or leader over that woman. Now, again that implies that the leader may not be male, but you know what? Get past it.

Ok, time for the Jesus part. God gave power to men. I admit, he created man over woman first. Thus, this gives man some power over women, but only as long as they are in a rightful leadership position. This position may be as simple as husband, or as High as President, but they do not have power over women unless they have this position. These titles also do not give them absolute power. There is a scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which the mother says to her daughter, "The husband may be the head, but the wife is the neck!" That is true, and men shouldn't forget it. women have power too. Another point I would like to point out is that men are fallible. Adam was charged to protect Eve. And yet, he didn't. He failed in protecting her from the serpent and THEN went so far as to BLAME her. Nice protector eh? They say the past predicts the future. Ah, so true, for I as I look at the past, I see men blaming women for things and not just in the past, but in the present and it will continue until Jesus comes again.

So to wrap it up, my conclusion is, The Lord God did not giver power for men to rule over women, he merely gave men the power to lead and only over those whom they have rightful power to lead over. Women are very capable, not second-class and shouldn't be treated as such. Men are fallible. By this purely one sided argument, I do not men that women are better, no by FAR, women are just as fallible and there are many women I would never trust in positions of power. And yet, men need to remember women were made to be a companion so that men would not be lonely. Not just something to rule over or as just a companion for the lower regions of the male body.

New Semester and lots of surprise

So, It's been awhile since I posted. Here's the update, my roommate has decided to leave Marymount, I almost didn't come back to school this semester and I washed my camera. Lovely isn't ? Yes well, It's an interesting situations all around. That's all I have to say.