lil' sis

So, this post is for my sister, even though I'm not entirely sure she reads my blog. But here I go anyway.

Lil' sis,

There are a lot of people out there that like to tell you to give up on your dreams - to ignore your passions and just take the world as it is.
You'll never stop meeting people like that.

And then there are the people within the industry you dream of being a part of that'll take a little pity on you and just say that it's tough - but if you keep at it, you can make something of yourself.

And then there's SNL who make a video about people getting punched in the face when eating which ends with a zombie dance and the phrase 'Believe in Your Dreams'.

With all these types of people out there, it can be a little tough to stay hopeful - to continue pursuing that dream job whole heartedly.

So can I be the person that you hardly ever meet and say if it's something you love, never give up. I mean, hey - one day you may stop loving it and decide to do something completely different with your life and that's fine. But until that day comes, don't for one second let someone tell you that what you're aiming for is impossible. Because that is the furthest thing from the truth.

I guess this is where personal experience comes in...

As someone who has been holding fast to the same dream for I think eighteen years now, I can't tell you how many people I've met that have told me to give up - to find something new, something easier. But every day that I keep at it, I become a little more experienced, so how can they tell me that it's all for naught?

There's this book that I like to read on occasion - I have to admit, I pick it up more on the days when I feel hopeless and tend to ignore it a bit when I'm doing fine, but somehow I always read exactly what I needed to hear.

I've read that my Father who loves me, he gave me some gifts (I'm not entirely sure what all of them are yet, but I know I've got some)...
And just like any father, he loves the look on my face when I open them. But what he loves even more is the look on my face and the awesome drum solo my heart does when I use them. And the best thing about my Father is that he doesn't give gifts that he knows will just sit on a shelf. He's not the type to give his kid a snowboard when they live in Hawaii. He loves His kids too much to do something like that to them.

But sometimes you may feel like you're the exception - you're the kid he's given a snowboard to and you're standing in the middle of Hawaii. Well, in that case, I think the only thing you can do is be patient. Because if you throw down your board then, you may miss him when he comes around the corner with a ticket to Whistler.

If I had let what people say get to me, I would have given up on my dream ten years ago - the first time someone told me the stats I'm up against.
If I cared about stats, I'd never get behind the wheel of a car and I definitely wouldn't eat anything but celery since almost everything out there causes cancer these days. So do everyone a favor and ignore the stats you're up against, ignore the words said by people who just don't get it, and fight for what you love. Show the world what you're made of. You've got people in your corner and you're tight with the Man Upstairs - that may not necessarily be a recipe for success, but I can tell you that it definitely ain't the recipe for failure.

Okay, pep talk over.

No, wait - one last thing: Go get 'em tiger!

Love,
Big sis.

Keep it real.

and the oscar will go to...

As of this moment, the 83rd annual Academy Awards are about 52 hours away, but who's counting? Oh, right - I am. Counting down the hours - check. Watching the movies... not so much. I've seen a decent amount of them. I got two more in over my reading week, but I still feel a bit like I'm having that dream where I show up to school pants-less. It's like the Oscars snuck up on me.

I guess the only important movies I haven't seen (of the nominations) are True Grit, Black Swan and 127 Hours. And, in my defense, I want to see two of the three. (...I don't know what it is about Black Swan that makes me never want to watch it... but I just couldn't care less about it... maybe it's that rumour I heard about girl on girl. I really don't want to pay to see that and then hear people call it cinematic genius...)

Random fact: I've seen all but one of the movies nominated for art direction... but that's one of the awards you use as a bathroom break...

When I was in grade eleven, I took a media course (and it was the best course of my liiifee) and when the Oscars rolled around, we all put down our predictions about who would win what. I got a prize out of it... for having the least amount of correct predictions... so this year I think I'll try it again.

If I had money, I'd put it on Colin Firth for best actor. I'm pretty sure Christian Bale will win for best supporting (which will make me cry a little because it will mean Geoffrey Rush didn't win for his amazing performance in The King's Speech).

Oh! Can I insert here my theory about how to win Academy Awards? Here's the secret: play a real person. And BOOM! You win. History doesn't lie:

Jamie Foxx won for his portrayal of Ray Charles in 2004;
Philip Seymour Hoffman won for Capote, 2005;
Sean Penn - Harvey Milk, 2008;
Nicole Kidman - Virginia Woolf, 2002;
Reese Witherspoon - June Carter Cash, 2005;
Helen Mirren - Queen Elizabeth II, 2006
Sandra Bullock - Leigh Anne Tuohy, 2009.

I could go on and on...

But I won't.

I'll get back to my bets... I mean, predictions...

I haven't seen any of the performances in the best actress category, but I'll take a shot in the dark and say Natalie Portman for the win. As far as supporting actress goes, that's a tight race, seeing as three of the five women were in movies I have seen and they were all fantastic. I'm sure it'll go to one of them (that is, Amy Adams, Helena Bonham Carter or Melissa Leo).

Toy Story 3 will probably win for best animated feature, but if it wins for best film, there's something wrong with the Academy. I really hope The King's Speech will win for Music (Original Score), but now I'm just getting into the nitty gritty stuff that no one but me and the people who actually worked on the movies care about.

I'm pretty sure the big winners will be The King's Speech, The Fighter, The Social Network and maybe Black Swan. I guess that's what everyone's saying, so I don't sound that smart, I just sound repetitive. But, if I can just stay on this repetitive note for one more second -- I read a short article today about the hosts' plans for the Oscars and James Franco said, and I quote, "A lot of the show will definitely be about bringing in a fresh crop of movie viewers. But also, one of the backbones or arcs of the show is to appreciate the history of film."

Sounds like my kind of show!

So, regardless of the fact that I still don't understand why James Franco and Anne Hathaway are hosting (I have come to accept that fact though, so that's a step in the right direction), and I still haven't seen a few of the movies - I am definitely excited for this year's Academy Awards.

I know a lot of people aren't fans of the Oscars, and don't even get me started about my opinion of the entertainment industry (my opinion in a nutshell: they have waaaay too much money to throw around)... but there's something about the Academy Awards that I just find irresistable. My eyes will be glued to the TV from 7pm to midnight. (And yes, I'm well aware of the fact that the show doesn't officially start until 8:30 - I'll admit, I really like the red carpet interviews. And the gorgeous gowns... and ... yeah - maybe I do a little day dreaming about being there one day...)

I like the idea of rewarding people for having amazing imaginations and an abundance of creativity. It's a little sad that these imaginative and creative people haven't figured out a way to make the ceremony a little more entertaining, but hey - they've been working their butts off all year making great movies, so I guess you can't blame them.

Aaaaanyway... I'm going to stop talking about the Oscars now. Did I mention they were my favourite awards show?

Keep it real!

midterms

Does anyone have a breath mint or a stick of gum or something? 'Cause I just midtermed in that trash can over there...

Seriously, I almost feel physically ill after all the BS I just spewed out on paper and handed in to my teacher so she can grade my intelligence (or lack thereof - I haven't gotten my marks back yet, so either could be true at this point).

Not to sound cocky (though every time someone says that, they proceed to say something ridiculously self-praising... and this time isn't any different...) but I think I've actually become a master at the art of pleasing teachers. I've been working at it since kindergarten, so don't feel bad if you're not in the same boat. Plus, you also get called a lot of names over the years like 'keener' and 'teacher's pet', so you should actually be happy about the fact that you're not in the same boat.

Anyway, with my skills as a teacher-pleaser, I've become acutely aware of exactly what teachers need to hear in order for their A+ reflex to kick into gear. Therefore, I'm the a-hole that doesn't do any of the readings but still gets good marks. But as said a-hole, I feel like the education system may be a little bit of a let down. I mean, if I can fly through it getting great marks that don't actually reflect how much I'm learning, what does that tell you about the way things are working?

This whole 'handing in tests and essays' is getting old. It's teaching kids - at least, kids like me - not how to retain information that will someday (so they say) come in handy in everyday life (...I can't wait for the day when my boss at the doctor's office runs to my desk dying to know the definition of a novella...) No - it's teaching kids that if you regurgitate what your prof says in class and pretend you have some sort of an opinion about it, you'll get a good mark.

All that said, I'm not saying getting an education is stupid because I am actually beyond grateful for the opportunity I've been given, the privilege so many people don't get. But what I am saying is that when you learn something, you've learned it. What's the point in proving it by writing some test or essay that just confirms that you were listening in class?

When I take archery, I'm given a bow and some arrows, told a few tips and then pointed in the direction of the target. No test. When I take an acting class, I'm given some lines (sometimes) and put on a stage and then I hear "action!" No essays. When I write a book it either gets published or it doesn't. No "B-". So if university (or education in general) is supposed to be steering us towards 'reality,' then what's with the requirement to spew back information? To prove that we know the stuff? I'd much rather demonstrate my knowledge by simply speaking up in class or trying to write a story that musters up some controversy - taking a page out of Mark Twain's book.

Just, please, no more "we're just wanting to see if you were paying attention" crud, because I'd understand your interest if you actually did something other than give me a pass or fail after I handed in that paper I spent six hours writing. If this education system is really interested in my learning, then they wouldn't stop at grades. Getting a good grade accomplishes nothing but giving me a little self-esteem boost, and getting a bad grade just makes me think less about the class and more about how much I suck.

The best part of this rant is the fact that I come from a long line of teachers...

I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that disagree with me, and maybe this entire post is just craziness spawn from too little sleep and too many midterms, but, for the moment, I stand by my conviction. I never want to write another midterm again.

But I have another take-home midterm due in an hour, so I'd better start working on it. I may need another breath mint after this one too. I'm about to regurgitate a heck of a lot of BS...

Keep it real!

L.O.V.E.

In honor of Valentine's Day, here's a great song by one of my favorite artists. She's got spunk!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Keep it real.

oscars!

Okay, so I'll admit, I've been a little skeptical of this year's hosts... or, maybe just the one host. I like Franco too much to ever be anything but enamored by him... but that's another post altogether.

Anyway... after seeing some of the promos, I think I might be able to accept these two, even though one of them is Anne Hathaway. If they're planning on having as much fun on the actual night as they do in this clip, their hosting segments may actually be entertaining.

Yet again, I haven't seen most of the nominated films, so I'd better get cracking... Regardless, I'm as excited as ever to watch the show. I think it's all the pretty dresses. What can I say? Shiny things impress me.

Keep it real.

mission: possible

I went out for breakfast with my best friend yesterday to catch up. We talked about all sorts of things and of course, the inevitable came up: guys. I mean, two single twenty-something girls - the conversation was bound to get there eventually. Something she said stuck with me for the rest of the day and I guess I should put it on paper… or blog post…

I have these high standards… some might call them unrealistic… and she sort of dropped a comment that sounded a bit like this: “I mean, looking for a guy like that is great and all, but in the end, you sort of know it’s not going to happen.”

She didn’t mean to insult me in any way - nor was I insulted. But it just got me thinking, why not? Why am I not allowed to accept the fact that there are only a select few guys I’d ever really want to share my life with? I happen to believe in a God who can do anything. He made five fish and two loaves into a feast for thousands. So why would it be any less possible for him to put two people on earth that match each other perfectly? Neither would be perfect - I’m well aware of that. But it’s definitely not impossible to find the guy that’s right for me. Just like it’s not impossible for a crazy girl from Mississauga to make it big in Hollywood or write the next best seller. (I plan on doing both, btw).

I don’t like the word can’t. Besides growing wings and flying out the window, I’m pretty sure there’s nothing I can’t do. Some things take more effort, more determination and a hell of a lot more time than other things, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do them. Sometimes I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit.

I dunno.. this may just be the dreamer in me talking, but I’m pretty sure when God teams up with humanity, nothing’s impossible.