a birthday bash & poem!

Today is a very special day. Today is my best friend's birthday and she is now 18 years old [like me!]. Sadly, because we are both in University, I can't just walk to her house and give her a big ol' hug or surprise her at school with a huge note on her locker. I can't really plan a surprise party and ship it five hours away... I just don't have the connections to pull off such a stunt.

What I can do, though, is tell you why she is my best friend and why I love her so.

doesn't she look beautiful in whip cream?

us.. feb 2009

Bananer, as I call her, is a beautiful young woman of God. She's smart [though like anyone, she has her blond moments] and talented. She's a graceful dancer who loves what she does. She knows music way better than I do and watches French recipe shows--which is awesome. She puts her heart in everything she does, though she often takes on a whole lot at once.

Ana puts up with my silly antics and even joins in when I go to cause mischief... which can be often. She makes me laugh by doing the silliest things and I know I make her smile through the weirdest/most random things as well.

because her name is anastasia

Ana knows that sometimes, all she can do is listen when I spill my guts, but then she also knows that at other times, she needs to kick my sorry but into place. Though her words aren't always what I want to hear, they usually are needed to be heard and I appreciate her for that.

Ana is a precious jewel who shines brightly for Christ. She knows who her Saviour is and seeks Him with her whole heart. She is my best friend, a counsellor, a cohort and my sister and I love her so very much!

Today, Ana, have a happy birthday!

Why I love you

a poem by rae b

Chocolate curls dance around your face,

you navigate at your own pace.

Hazel eyes catch my smallest cue,

let me tell you why I love you.

Dancer supreme with lots of flair,

you move with grace, a debonair.

Bright (blonde) one, intelligent too,

let me tell you why I love you.

Plans and charts, for crazy antics,

you remain through my silly tricks

tossing in an idea or two.

Let me tell you why I love you.

You listen when there's words to say,

when there's not, you stay anyway.

A strong shoulder and force to boot,

let me tell you why I love you.

Your light blazes amidst the dark;

a diamond with no secret spark.

Take up the cross, always stay true,

let me tell you why I love you.

You are my best friend--nay--sister,

together we're a tongue-twister.

Allow me an end with this clue,

let me tell you that I love you.

best of friends...

     

Where I'm From...

a poem...

I Am From Dreams and Memories
I am from movie nights and pizza,
from family fun and games.
I am from summer days and winter forts,
adventuring hikes and painted tree art.
I am from moving homes, tree top climbs,
roaring fires and mosquito massacres.
From water to land, I have no true sport.
I am all of the above.

I want to be the very best!
I am belonging to the light crest.
I am from the inquisitive land,
journeying for les réponses.
I am disguised by my hat, a shadow of my prey.
I am from secret hearts and open minds.

I am a player of games and a joker at heart,
one who stands firm for what she believes is right.
Wordsmith am I, opinionated, too,
though, deaf, I am not.
From the book of KleeWyck, I am,
laughing late unto the day.
A friend of all though silence is no stranger,
I am from tranquility and yet know and welcome storms.

I've travelled through doors within,
seen many worlds and creatures beyond,
creating my own guide of the universe.
I am from many cultures.
I am from one culture.
I'm from a relationship of truth and I can FROG it, too.

I'm from cloud watching afternoons,
from hide-and-seek in pews.
From picnics by the riverside to campouts in basements.
Many things have shaped me.
I am from a famille des amigos,
and a home built with care.
I am from a place of dreams and memories,
a place of hope and love.
That's where I'm from.

A Clash to Remember

A Movie Review for my school's newspaper...

“Better than Troy though not better than Gladiator,” says my friend.

The gods rule all. They control life, death, prosperity and poverty. In a moment of anger, a hand wave may bring about unexpected famine or storm, destroying a chunk of humanity in the process. It’s no surprise that the people grew restless. They were angry at always having to appeal to the gods and wanted to have control. The people rebelled against them and tore down their statues, daring to insult the mighty Zeus (Liam Neeson –Oskar Schindler, Schindler’s List & Aslan, Chronicles of Narnia). Enraged, Zeus chose to punish the people for their arrogance.

Zeus called forth his brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes – Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter), whom he had tricked eons earlier into ruling the underworld, and told him to unleash the Kraken in order to annihilate the Greek city Argos. Unbeknownst to Zeus, Hades was more intent on destroying his brother along with the people that worshipped him with such earnest. Putting on a loyal facade, Hades secretly plotted his revenge.

Meanwhile, on earth, a young man sets out on a journey for his own vengeance against the gods. Perseus (Sam Worthington – Jake Sully, Avatar), son of Zeus and demigod, has lost his earth family because of Hades and vows to punish the gods for their insolence. He is tired of the gods playing with people’s lives and wants to set things right. Setting out on a mission to knock the gods off their high horse, Perseus sets out to kill the Kraken.

Thus the mission begins and the adventure takes flight. Clash of the Titans came out on April 2, 2010. A movie full of excitement and adventure, this film greatly outshone the 1981 version from which it was derived. Though a talented film in its day, the past 1981 version provides more laughs than heart-thumping adventure footage with jerky transitions and makeshift costumes. Not only does the new film have a storyline both more in-depth and elaborate, but with the years that have gone by, the special effects were greatly improved and flowed smoothly into the fabric of the film. The musical effects topped off this fantastic feature, spurring emotion and suspense with the different tones and complexities, all in all enhancing the movie.

“It wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be,” said my friend, Ana. “It was definitely worth seeing but not in 3D. I was flicking my glasses the entire time.” Unfortunately, Young had a point. The credits had more ‘pop’ than the actual screen play and the plot itself would draw a solid fan base without the 3-dimensional aspect. It also wouldn’t hurt to save a buck or two by not seeing the film in 3D.

On the other hand, an anonymous student said, “It was awesome!” Judge for yourself and discover if Perseus can accomplish his mission to break free of the gods and destroy the Kraken.

A Torturing Brain!

Why is it that our brains can be our most fearsome enemy at times? Shouldn't our brain help us through our endeavours and aide us in our tasks instead of creating problems that deter us from our goals? It just doesn't seem logical for our brains to trip us up and yet they do constantly on a sometimes daily basis.

During tests and exams, those most crucial brain moments, they choose to wander away, leaving a blank mind to stare at blank questions. When we hope to say something intelligent in order to impress people, the brain steps away and BAM! mistake city here we come! Embarrassment Avenue, we seem to be in the need of a vacant lot. Oh! That torturing brain. It likes to watch us struggle, eh?

The worst part is, we don't always see it coming until it's two late. Think of twenty words, we were told. Twenty words pertaining to a sentence selected by the rest of the class. My sentence ended up being, "If the sun were purple would light be different?" First torture technique right there! I didn't really have anything on my mind and so my brain stepped in with something random as it usually does.

All right, so I have this sentence. Next, twenty words. Okay, no big. I can think of twenty words. Here we go:

surreal, laughing, water, space,
crocodiles, river, stars, awake,
golden flowers, world, dreaming, fields,
blue, borealis, grey, mountains,
valley, rural, pale, tinge

Okay. Can you see the next mistakes already? My brain thought of CROCODILE! Geez. Where that came from I will never fully know. I will blame the colour purple. It most likely hangs out with crocodiles when it's not being used and decided to bring it along for the ride. Purple is very social, don't you know.

Anywho, so there I was, sitting at home with these twenty words, trying to think of how I could squeeze them all into a poem without making it sound forced or retarded. Well, at least my brain was good for something, I must say. When in doubt, use SYMBOLISM! Hip-hip-hooray for 4 years of high school English! Symbolism is now emblazoned upon my cerebral cortex.

I must admit though, I enjoyed trying to think of what different words could represent in my poem and I am proud of the outcome. If I had had to rhyme the poem... well, let's not even consider that torturous endeavour now, okay?

Anywho, I entered the poem in a contest through my class and cannot post that here on my blog, but I will share with you the short story that I made at the same time, using the same 20 words. I hope you enjoy!


~Rachel

A Purple Sun?

"If the sun was purple, would light be different?" I ask my mum as we walk through Walmart. "Would colours be the same? Would the world be different?"

My mum glances at me sideways, an eyebrow raised to the side as a smile tugs at her lips. "Well," she begins, "I think they would pale in comparison. Things would be grey, dull--or they might adopt a bluish tinge."

"Hmm… Makes sense, I suppose. Without a yellow sun, there'd be no golden flowers, orange-red sunsets or vibrant green fields and valleys. The river waters may no longer be so in-depth." We turn down an aisle and slow our pace to study the many paintings that line the walls. "That's kind of sad, really. To think that a mountain sunrise would be lacking a primary colour… It would be surreal!"

"You want to see surreal, take a look at this painting," my mum says from a few feet away, "This artist has painted a crocodile in space. Just look at his pink neon spacesuit! He clashes like crazy among the stars."

We start laughing at the absurdity of the piece and turn to look at the next. Equally obscure, a cow grazes in solitude under the aurora borealis, completely oblivious in his rural landscape. I tilt my head to the side and see an eye hidden in the colours of the borealis.

"Awake and Dreaming," my mum says, "that's what this piece is called."

I chuckle. "Well, I certainly don't think that cow is awake! Can you imagine the craziness that would ensue if the world was indeed different? Who knows, maybe if the sun were purple, crocodiles would become astronauts…" I shudder. "On second thought, I think I like the current colour."

My mum chuckles.

A Strike Among the Hired Help? Down with Writer's Block!

I sit and stare at the blank screen, the little typing do-hickey flashing on my screen, mocking me. It knows I want to write--no!--it knows I need to write and yet it flashes it's rebellion, refusing to produce the words I need, the words I want.

"Stare all you want," it says, "but I shall not budge. I shall not yield to the whims of you writers. All day long I'm at work! All day long I move across your screens and make words appear for you. I go here, and there and back again, correcting YOUR mistakes. I've had enough, I say! For once, I shall not do as you bid. I shall stand here and rebel and no matter how much you stare, I shan't move an inch. All those words in your head, that's where they will stay as I stand up in protest today!"

... Okay, so that doesn't really happen and that little flashing line doesn't ever go on strike in reality, but when you find yourself stuck in a story that is what it feels like. As much as you'd like for things to progress and as much as you try different ideas and tactics, you may find yourself moving nowhere. And all this because of writer's block. [Or, the STRIKE AMONG THE HIRED HELP!].

Write a line, then erase it. Write once more, and back goes the line, preventing you from moving forward and keeping you held back. As it flashes on and off, it taunts you. Daring you to make it move and yet telling you, as it stays in one place, that you can't. Curse that mocking line!

There are many different ways to get over that road block and many ways to move that line. One way is simply to leave. Stand up, walk away and do something else. Clear your head of all thoughts. If you spend too much time over analyzing or thinking about a situation, you will not be able to derive an answer. Your brain will simply be too tired and too tangled up in itself to see straight. Never good for writing. So, leave that mocking line and go outside, go read a book, watch a movie, just let your thoughts wander to where they will and you may find the answers coming to you soon enough.

Another way could simply be to close your eyes [if you can type without looking]. Put that text cursor out of sight and out of mind and just let your fingers explore the keyboard, writing what comes to your head without worrying about how it sounds or how it looks. In this you can better visualize what you're typing, too, which might also help, it depends on the person.

I find talking a plot out with people is also useful. Even if you don't use any of their ideas, they can help unlock the doors hidden in the corners of your mind so that new ideas may spill forth. I'll ask my one friend, how do I kill my villain? and she'll give me all these good ideas, but I won't like any of them, and yet, through talking to her, I can devise my own method.

We can boycott the strike and win if we just try hard enough! That little text-line shan't win in his rebellion and words will prevail in the end! Just find what works for you and force it forward!

The cursor blinks at me. I blink back and smile and close my eyes. Try to mock me now, little do-hickey, I think. I am the wordsmith and you are my employee. There is no escape. And with that, my fingers begin their dance...


~Rachel