Dreaming with eyes open (and a bit of faith)

When I save enough money from whichever craft I choose to pursue after college (web designer/ film-maker/theater actress/ photographer/ animal advocate/interior designer/ travel show host - hopefully I get to try out all this in a span of 10 years), I would settle down at some peaceful little country somewhere in France and own a lot big enough so I could begin working on my real life project, that which is to design a home that looks something like this:

Publish Post

and a treehouse that looks like this on the inside

YELLOW YELLOW YELLOW

Awesome yellow pics taken from this link.

French home designs

French homes are too awesome for words.

Source:

Alkemie 

Double Time

Up until yesterday, university life has taken its toll, and that has put a temporary stop to my blogging existence. But as we all learn, sooner or later, something good could spring from months of hurdling. One of the things I've been preoccupied with for the past month was my final submission for film class. Admittedly, there's a need for improvement, but let this be my first attempt on a narrative.

*Click on the link*
Double Time (a short film)

I failed our lovely creatures. :\

First of all, can I just say that I've been such a terrible little creature who, despite having a soft spot for animals, hasn't done anything about helping these animals get saved. A few days after Ondoy hit Manila last year, I told myself that I'd participate in PAWS (The Philippine Animal Welfare Society) come sembreak. I actually wrote down my plans of diverty all my efforts and non-productivity into helping out these poor innocent ones. But came the break, I was stupid enough to give into nothingness. So it disheartens me that, until now, I have not yet pushed myself hard enough to actually sign up and volunteer. :\ Needless to say, my summer shouldn't just be all about the internship. As we've taken up in philo class, a human being needs to escape the "il y a". :\

In light of my sentiment towards my lack of motivation, I'm reposting this entry from someone's blog I came across while looking for cupcake icons for my Mac. 

So random. So stupid in some ways. 

I hope this serves as a reminder for me, and everyone else, that animals have a right to be treated well and to be loved.

Read this:

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When You See A Fur Coat, Speak Up! November 25, 2008

Posted by Pulin Modi | Permalink | Comments ( 188 ) | TrackBack 

TAGGED: fur   furisdead  

There's possibly nothing more abhorrent than seeing someone in a full-length fur coat. Every time I see someone in a fur coat, I ask them if it's real, and then proceed to drop some knowledge about the industry which kills animals by gassing, trapping, drowning, and electrocution. What do you do when you see someone wearing fur?




(This photo is from something I did a few years ago in NYC)
...So now let me tell you the story of this past Saturday morning.
I was sitting there doing some work and enjoying some soy hot chocolate at the local coffee shop.
These two couples came in.
One woman was wearing a full-length fur coat.
She sat down right in front of me!
I asked if it was real.
She said "no." (an obvious lie)
I said "That's good because no one wants to see animals suffer or be killed by anal electrocution and neck breaking."
The woman's husband got very defensive and immediately started calling me a stupid prick and other names which I haven't heard anyone throw around since middle school. (Mind you, this gentleman must've been at least sixty years old.)
I replied with, "You're a grown man and you're talking to me like that? You really don't have anything else to say?"
At some point they tried to ignore what I was saying just so they could sit in ignorant bliss.
However, I was there first and this lady was sitting directly in front of me so there was no way to ignore it.
Then, I had an idea!
I turned on the Martha Stewart fur video and peacefully went about my work.
(My headphones must've been unplugged because they overheard the audio and weren't thrilled at all!)
Both women's husbands at that point starting saying how I'm an asshole, uneducated, and all that type of stuff.
I explained that I went to Vassar College and have a degree that's all about human rights and environmental issues. And that I was simply trying to talk about compassionate living.
Plus, if her coat was really fake, there was no reason for anyone to take offense, right?
They were furious.
I was amused, yet disheartened by their inability to hold a simple conversation without acting so immaturely!
They stormed out of the place creating quite a scene and everyone laughed at them.
I got back to work and enjoyed the rest of my day!

...I doubt that I made her a member of PETA, but I sure did make these people aware of cruelty to animals and I'm sure they'll think twice before putting on that coat ever again! Plus, everyone else agreed that these fur-loving folks were totally out of line with their cursing and yelling while I sat there calmly just trying to have a conversation.
Please, make sure you say something to everyone you see wearing fur, or at least hand them a leaflet. Do you have a story to share? We'd love to hear it. Post your story below or email it to us at peta2@peta2.com for consideration in future blogs.
-Pulin


- - - - > Source: http://blog.peta2.com/2008/11/

Have your Mac and Eat it Too

A perfect combination of the 2 things I'm madly in love with: Mac and cupcakes. J'adore ça!!!

...And here's more:

... and I just love these pillows:

Plenty more where these came from. *Clickie*:
Apple Gazette
Mac Life
Best Creative Designs

Watching "Tuesdays with Morrie" on a Tuesday

Not an advisable thing to do unless you want to leave class with runny nose and a pair of puffy eyes. I haven't had that much sleep for more than 2 weeks now and this class, being the lightest one I've had this sem, I was so tempted to cut to get a good 3 hours of sleep but then I've never really been the type to cut class (even when I needed to). In fact, it always makes me feel like I've missed out on a lot of things "in life" when I do. So I guess I made a rather smart choice today, opting to go to class just because I wanted to.

Back to the movie, I've read the novel back when I was 13 years old but never really found myself appreciating it.  I guess it was the chicken in me, scared of facing reality. I still have that in me now. But given that I've been thrusted into situations wherein I simply didn't have a choice but to face, such as this one, I can say that "Tuesdays with Morrie" is more than just a tear jerker. It's a deep and beautiful movie, with a beautiful plot, a great set of actors, cinematographers, director, and even the video-editor. Except for the cross fade editing techniques employed in the film, and some of the falling autumn leaves used as symbols every once in a while, I've developed a tremendous respect for the movie and its actors.

TRIVIA: Did you know that Jack Lemmon, the guy who played Morrie, passed away just 2 months after the movie was filmed? That could mean that he was slowly dying in real life in the process of filming his last ever movie...What coincidence!

I'm not sure if this is going to make its way to the list of my favorite movies (the types that I could just watch over and over again without tiring), but this is definitely a movie that I'll make time to watch every once in a while...for inspiration, perhaps? Also, when I feel like crying? hehe.

Actually, now that I brought that up, may I just say that I haven't cried for months? Seriously, I can't remember the last time I did. And this film just made me shed almost a river of tears. And I didn't have any tissue with me when I was watching it. Good thing, my seatmate and beautiful friend,  Bananalou (Anna Lou Lagman), had a napkin she saved from somewhere. It was the only one she had left, and she gave it to me pa. Now that I think about it, I might have ruined her movie experience by taking her last piece of tear wiper, and she might have to keep herself from crying cos' of that! Oh what movie-ruiner I am!!! *smacks self in the head*

Anyways, this is good. This movie, I mean. And choosing not to cut class so I could get some sleep before I continue on with the list of works I have piled up for another 3 weeks is a smart move (even if I feel like my brain and my eyes are giving up on me now as I'm writing this entry). School sucks when it comes to all the requirements you have to  juggle, alongside the things you have to do outside school. But if there's one thing I got to affirm with myself today,  it's that I just love going to classes. I really do. I learn something new in Philosophy class everyday. Dr. Garcia is just a sweet man of wisdom who still has that youthfulness that keeps perpetuating itself in him somewhere, even deep into his sixties. Philippine History class under Dr. Gealogo is surprisingly turning out to be quite an informative class, that out of so much fascination for the analysis of Rizal's character in Noli Me Tangere and El Fili (Elias, Ibarra & Basilio), I rarely take down notes now. I just listen to him in class, as if I were jsut listening to a real story teller, as I skim through our required readings occasionally when I feel like reciting to raise my recitation points. And finally, my last class during Tuesdays:  Elements of Screen Arts under Father Nick, who is the main reason why I'm writing this review-ish entry about "Tuesdays with Morrie" is just so adorable. He might look a little grumpy at first, but when you go up to him after class to ask him certain insights about the movie, he'll gladly oblige.

In philo class this morning, Dr. Garcia was tackling Levinas and his take on God being felt the most when we are in the midst of traumatisms, and he was looking for anyone who could give a perfect analogy of what the subject matter. After class, i went up to Dr. Garcia to ask him if my interpretation on the whole struggle with text was somehow on the right track (being that God is most known during our most disturbed times), he told me that that was exactly what he was trying to imply in class but no one was able to answer. I was later on able to link it to what we took up in class last year - - - the part when we realize that we are in a state of "il y a" and we're finally aware that we have to find ways to escape them. - - - Too bad I didn't raise up my hand and answered. I was way too sleepy, half-dozing off already. But it's good, knowing that I'm finally getting the hang of understanding Dr. Garcia's mind, and trying to put to apply  in my real life the concepts that I've spent 1 1/2 weeks studying for the first oral exam - - - which I got a B+ in , and everyone knows that getting  a B+ in his class is already getting  an A. Boy am I just glad that I'm finally learning to appreciate the things I spent months loathing!

Actually, I've been hating school for year! Since the day I was born, if I might add. I studied just so I could make the grade. Not so much passion for the essense of learning.  But now that I look at it, I just have a love-hate relationship with school. And all it takes for me to realize that is watching Tuesdays with Morrie. Maybe I should try to take some time off from all this school work every single afternoon (or night), make time stand still and just reflect on what I got to experience during the day and write about them. It makes me appreciate the things in life more. And what's even better about this is that it gives me even more motivation to work on the things I dread to do now because of the 3 weeks we have left in school.
One more thing, I'm now hating theology class. I love the prof but I hate what we're taking up. Maybe I should find ways of making the topic I'm reporting on next week  a bit more interesting to try to make it a little less tormenting for me to type down a report/paper on the preachy canonical text about introduction to marriage as a sacrament and what not.

THAT'S ALL.

See you later when I'm inspired once again. Ciao.