Sisterhood

People that are associate with usually comprise and impact a person's character. This can either lead to either the betterment of one's self or hurtful memories that ultimately produce many lessons. I am aware of this because I have experienced both sides of the equation. The people that you can always fall back on is your family. I know that is what I have done in countless situations. Specifically, I have fallen back on my sister seeking help and guidance, which was provided. And she is an AWESOME sister for being there, no matter how many time zones away she may live :).

Sisters can help in a myriad of scenarios. Sisters are there for you when you need help with a friend or when you need help with an outfit. They can also be of help in competitive instances, being your biggest cheerleader. Sisters are always the shoulder you can always cry on because you can bear your insecurities and fears to you sister without fear of being judged or told you're not important. Sisters are the guiding forces in your life sometimes, telling you when to take hold of the opportunity presented to you and when you need to stop being so selfish or self absorbed. Sisters are there for you when no one else is.

Sisters may not always be present though. You may not have a biological sister, just a house full of brothers, or you may be an only child, but that doesn't mean that you don't have a sister. Sisters can be found anywhere you have friends. Sisters can be found in your dorm room or home room, your sports team, or your choir. I was in choir since I was in the sixth grade, and I know that the time I had the most sisters was when I was a part of the Women's Chorus in college. That chorus was made up of 50ish girls who all loved the exact same thing that I did, singing. In this group I was able to make close friends that I hope to have for the rest of my life. These are girls who I hung out with on the weekends, went on trips with, and will hold good memories with until our memory starts to go away. These girls became sisters of mine because of the friendship we held and still hold.

In the end, I have been able to get through life because of the sisters I have at home and at school. These are the girls who are there for me in the good and the bad times, and I am glad to have them.

The New You Tube Sensation "Walk off the Earth"

So the other day I was just randomly going through You Tube and happened upon this awesome video made by the group 'Walk off the Earth'. The video I am referring to is the cover they performed for the song "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye. The reason that I am so amazed by this performance is because it has all five members of the group gathered around ONE guitar each doing a different part. It is performed in such perfection that it sounds as good, if not better, than the original version. Some one needs to give this group a record deal. The vocals of the group are strong and on key. They need no help from a computer in the background, unlike many pop stars today. Additional instrumentation that the group does is also phenomenal. In other performances they have posted on You Tube they use not only guitars of different varieties, but also percussion instruments like cardboard tubes and maracas. 'Walk off the Earth' has one of the most original sounds I have heard in a while. Now I am in no way the first to find this group. They appeared on Ellen two months ago after their rendition of "Somebody That I Used to Know" received a massive 76,871,876 views after being posted on You Tube. But I know that there are still people out there that have not heard of this group so here is one of their videos and if you like it, go on you tube and look up more of their songs online.

"Somebody That I Used to Know"- Walk off the Earth; Gotye Cover

Wanderlust a Total Bust?

I saw the new Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston movie, Wanderlust, with one of my friends this week. It was an interesting experience. I had no real knowledge about what the plot of the movie contained or centered around. Given this lack of familiarity my friend and I had with the movie, our expectations were low. As we watched Wanderlust, a movie riddled with awkward moments and images that you wish you could purge from your memory, my friend and I were introduced to a humorous script that was well performed by the leading actors. The plot line is not always clear in its direction, but David Wain and Ken Marino, the writers of Wanderlust, were able to make sure that this comedy had jokes and hilarious scenes spread throughout the hour and a half that the movie ran. This was one of the good characteristics of this movie because, all too often, comedy movies have just a few entertaining parts, and they are all usually shown in the previews, which the audience has already seen numerous times. Another positive element of Wanderlust was the inclusion of Alan Alda, who played Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce in "MASH", one of my all-time favorite TV shows. The cast in filled with extraordinary actors which makes this movie worth viewing. Wanderlust may not become a classic movie mirrored in generations to come, but it is a laugh-out-loud feel good movie to see with your friends.

Overseas Movie Going Experience

I recently had the chance to go visit  my sister and her boyfriend in Australia, the land down under. While I was there I was able to see some of the most amazing sites. I saw the Sydney Opera House, the Blue Mountains, Koalas at the Taronga Zoo, ghosts at the Quarantine, and the Botanical Gardens in Sydney. One of the experiences I had while I was on this trip that was the most fun was the visit to Mrs. Macquarie's Chair Open Air Cinema. 


At Mrs. Macquarie's Chair Open Air Cinema viewers are able to watch a movie outside. Chairs are lined up on a gradually raised platform in the Botanical Gardens in Sydney. From the seating area both the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge can be seen. In short, the view is spectacular. The screen is elevated over the water so that the audience can watch the movie while also taking in the impressive view. An amazing sunset takes place just as the movie gets started. If you are lucky, like I was, an impromptu fireworks show will begin during the movie giving you something else to watch if the movie is not your fancy. One good thing to note is that if it does rain on the day of your movie, ponchos are provided to the viewers in attendance to protect you from any unplanned rainfall. A small warning though, if it does rain on the day of your viewing, take caution when leaving the seating area, because I can attest, it is very easy to slip and fall while descending the stairs. The pain goes away after a few minutes, but the embarrassment stays much longer.
Food and beverage can be purchased before the showing if you wish to arrive early. When I went viewers were also given a complimentary chocolate, which was delicious. The extras provided make this movie going experience a full and eventful one. I recommend this to all who end up venturing down to Australia. However, one piece of advice I give to all who go, check the movie you will be viewing. Do this only to ensure that you will enjoy the experience fully.

Hunger Games: Book Before the Movie

The Hunger Games Trilogy is an excellent book series written by Suzanne Collins. This book series follows a sixteen year old girl, Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world divided into twelve districts. Each year one boy and one girl, ages 12-18, from each district are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games in which the survival of the fittest yields one champion.

I was able to read the Hunger Games Trilogy a year ago and immediately became engrossed with the books. In the first book The Hunger Games, the reader is introduced to the main characters and their relationships with each other and their perceptions of the government of the Capitol. These elements of the book captivate the reader because the ideas are easy to relate to and sympathize with.  Each person wants to have their own individual character not tampered or forcibly changed by some outside force, and this is effectively mirrored within the book series. This is also the obstacle that the main characters have to fight and overcome within The Hunger Games. It becomes a struggle in which people have to decide what they are willing to give up and how much they are willing to compromise in order to survive.

The relationships between the main characters are also tested with the existence of the Hunger Games. Alliances are made between fellow members of the games and estrangement must be held with those who only wish harm. This deals with the essence of humanity. Good versus evil becomes a main theme throughout the series. Honor, pride, strength, humility, and selflessness are just a few characteristics that describe not only characters within the book series, but also qualities that correlate with what determines how a person can be categorized with respect to good and evil. As the Hunger Games begin and develop, characters make their true disposition evident to the readers, and fellow players like Katniss Everdeen. This becomes a way for the reader to analyze the pros and cons within humanity as a whole.

The first book, however, is not the end of the series. The other two books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, only expand on the story between the characters and the state of the government. My personal favorite is Catching Fire because within this book the reader is exposed to how the relationships between the players affect their functioning not only within the Hunger Games, but also within their life after the games. The relationship between Katniss and her fellow games competitor Peeta Mellark, grows throughout the book series. The problem of determining where friendship ends and a deeper romantic relationship begins is explored within this pair. This same conflict is mirrored in the relationship Katniss has with her lifelong friend Gale Hawthorne. It comes down to one person feeling stronger emotions than the other. I love this dynamic of the book because it hits on a real struggle that most teens face. This adds to the relatable nature of the story to the reader. Through this readers get a deeper look into how extreme experiences, like the Hunger Games, affect the people who live through them. I think this is a major lesson that all people could use a little insight on. Mockingjay is also an excellent book, but the plot is a bit more outlandish and I found the end to be disappointing. I think this is because the end of Mockingjay not only acts as the end of a book, but as the end of the Hunger Games Trilogy as a whole. So just when you want it to continue, it ends very abruptly. Additionally, it does not end as you may have imagined it to end in your mind. So it comes as a disappointing finale.

Now that I have seen the movie, I can safely say and recommend this movie as a MUST see for all viewers out there. It accurately represents the book staying as close as possible to the plot line of the published story. The acting is top notch and I cannot get over how connected I became to the characters during the movie. It was just like the book. At times I felt as though I was in the Hunger Games with them living and going through the same experiences they were. The audience becomes enwrapped in the story relationships and character activity.

The one critique I do have of the movie is the exclusion of the character of Madge Undersee, the daughter of the mayor of District 12. Madge Undersee is a friend of Katniss's and in the book she is the one who gives Katniss the mockinjay pin. This shows how District 12 has a unique unity, and as the mockingjay pin later becomes a symbol of rebellion in the other books, Madge's inclusion in my opinion is necessary. However, Madge Undersee is not included in the movie and this takes out a huge piece of the book which will not otherwise be explained. The character of Madge Undersee could have been easily added in a 5 minute scene and I cannot understand why the movie makers could not have allowed this to happen. Without Madge Undersee, the mockingjay pin is just something Katniss's sister gave her as a farewell gift of sorts. It does not hold all of the meaning and significance that the pin has in the book.
 
However, with all of this in mind,  I still urge all of you Hunger Games fans out there who can't catch the movie, to go and READ the books because there will be things in the book that are not included in the movie. And if you don't read the book, YOU will be missing out.

Music Tells All

I have often heard that when things go bad, there is a deeper purpose or lesson to learn from the experience that you are forced to live through. It could be a religious revelation or intellectual knowledge, but it is not always obvious or even seen. I think most people spend their lives searching for this deeper purpose/lesson so that they can become wiser and learn from the screw ups experienced in life, but the ultimate realization remains elusive.
I think I have found one way to access this meaning and lesson life has for us all. It is a part of everyday life and follows people around in the background.

Music.

Each piece of music contains an emotional tone written in to communicate universal feelings. It may be happy, or it could be sad. A musical piece might also contain a sense of loss or despair, while another might be in celebration of a moment in time. I have also heard music with anger interwoven into the notes and phrases filling up the listener without them even knowing or understanding that they could feel that type of emotion.

The emotion and tone connected to a song determines how it is received and perceived by the audience. The tone of a piece of music is what gives it a tangible quality for a listener to connect to and relate to. Once a person hears this emotion and connects to it, music can accomplish what few other things in life can. Music will then allow the listener to express and acknowledge their emotions in a productive and truthful manner letting people grow wiser and more mature from the bad times in life.

I have been in different choirs over the past eleven years, and I know that in all that time, the most fun I ever had singing is when I am in the car all by myself with the stereo turned up all the way, singing off key, because in that moment I am not trying to impress anyone with my singing ability. I am just singing to feel the emotions of the song and the actual emotions that I am experiencing without anyone telling me to stop.

I write this to communicate that music is not the instrument of life because someone is a good singer or good musician, but because music allows people to throw away all their inhibitions and vocalize their true feelings that lie down in the essence of their soul. Music allows people to say what that they want and need to say without the fear of being judged. Because when you are in a car listening to your favorite song, no one is there to judge you. So here's to the music of your soul!

Next time you feel down or depressed or life has found a way to kick you in the butt, put on your favorite tunes and hopefully that will brighten up your day :)

Big Bang Theory is Brilliant!

        TV shows today can be very predictable and monotonous. They can be "reality" TV shows in which a group of twenty people must survive on an island without the luxuries of suburban life. There are also dramas in which tragic events happen to the main characters and are overcome within thirty minutes. One show however that some may put within one of these molds, but I refuse to, is The Big Bang Theory. This show tracks the lives of four men who are above average intelligence and live eccentric lives.  This show couples witty humor, science fiction/comics elements, and physic related components to create a humor had by no other show on TV.
        The main characters, Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecik), Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), and Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), interact with Penny (Kaley Kuoco), a girl who lives across the hall from Sheldon and Leonard, to make a dynamic plot during each episode. There is a natural tension and desired friendship between these characters that creates situations out of seemingly common occurrences yielding hilarious comeback and catchphrases. After you see an episode with Sheldon uttering his buzz word "Bazinga!!", you will not be able to stop laughing. Sheldon knocking on Penny's door three times exactly saying her name each time just to get her to answer the door will also become emblazoned on your brain after just one episode. It is comedic elements like this that make Big Bang Theory hilarious to watch without it getting old after just one episode.
        Additionally, the continuous references to science fiction material and comic series keeps every episode entertaining to watch. The numerous times that the characters debate something like Star Trek versus Star Wars, or the value of the Flash versus the value of Batman or Superman as a superhero keeps everyone thoroughly amused and also up to date on their science fiction trivia. The comic book store also gives the show another setting for humorous action that numerous members of the audience can relate to. Tons of people can remember combing through stacks of comics in search of a particular issue even if they don't want to admit it.
        The intellectual element of Big Bang Theory is a unique attribute that no other TV show has. The fact that an audience member can watch BBT for thirty minutes and hear a character like Sheldon or Leonard discuss physics theories, or hear Wolowitz talk about the International Space Station, and still be able to laugh at the episode is an accomplishment I don't think any other TV show could achieve. The intellectual element is also important because so many TV shows today are so simplistic its almost mind numbingly dull. The intellectual facet of Big Bang Theory gives something to stimulate the audiences mind while also still possessing the humoristic quality. This is a change that I think a lot of television viewers want. The unusual relationships and interactions between the characters are funny, but without the intellectual component, Big Bang Theory would just be another TV show.
         Big Bang Theory is a show that I always try to catch when it is on because I love to see how the episodes play out and how the characters interact and play out in the common world. In the end, I think it just comes down to the fact that secretly many of us are geeks and nerds and we just need an outlet for our geekyness and nerdyness to expressed and as Sheldon once said, "You may have gone to Cambridge, but I am an honorary graduate of the Starfleet Academy."

Oh, and if anyone who is like Sheldon or Leonard wants to be my friend, just comment :)

X-Men: First Class- Does it Make the Grade?

       Another link in the X-men series has been produced and released for the enjoyment of followers everywhere. In X-men: First Class, new characters, extensive background, and new special effects are introduced. The X-men team is expanded within this movie by showing many of the old beloved mutants during their childhood and teenage years. Characters like Mystique and the Beast are highlighted with more information given about their mutations and how they are used for the benefit or demise of the human population. I enjoyed seeing how the characters interacted with each other and grew from the connections they made with other people and mutants.
       More background is also told of the main characters Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, more commonly known as Magneto. The childhood of these two important characters is highlighted so that future development of these two men and the reasoning behind their individual character and choices is made more understandable to the audience. This excellent storytelling is completed through the superb acting of James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Magneto. Both actors committed all their talent to the grade A script making the movie possible. How their mutations affected their development as people in general is revealed in a light that all viewers of any age can relate to. Its the idea of not fitting in to the popularly accepted norm that lies at the heart of this movie. It is something that all people have experienced at some point and thus is why viewers can identify with the trials that the characters experience throughout the plot.
       The state of the special effects are another unique feature of this movie. The computer animation utilized displays the characters mutations and powers in a realistic and tangible manner. Because of this, viewers are sent into an alternate reality in which such awesome powers seem possible. The images portrayed realistically display things that seem only possible in a person's wildest imagination like anchors flying through the air, kids flying over oceans and aircrafts, and people transforming into exact replicas of other humans. These qualities make X-men: First Class a movie separate from others. The cameo appearance by Hugh Jackman adds something to the entertainment quality for the viewer familiar with the previous X-men movies.
       One thing that proved to be disadvantageous tot the movie was the disregard of the story from the previous X-men movies. At the end of X-men: First Class, Charles Xavier is confined to a wheelchair while he is still in his late twenties or thirties. This goes against the beginning of X-men 3, when at the beginning Dr. Xavier is shown walking to commission a new recruit for his school. This mistake while unnoticed by some viewers may prove to be disheartening for some of the more loyal followers.
       In the end, X-men: First Class is an excellent movie that completes the series and is entertaining to watch. It adds to the understanding and love of the characters of this comic and movie. Hopefully additional fans will be added to the ranks because of this new and inventive movie.