There Is A Difference! (To The Tune Of That Ad On The Radio I Always Forget)

Books, movies: both are great sources of entertainment and information. I love to read and I love to watch movies. I think I have a pretty decent library for each. However, more books than movies. I can never seem to walk into a book store and come out with nothing. I can spend a good hundred dollars per trip. Books are like a drug!

Anyway, you're probably not reading this to listen to me rant on how much I like books (though, one day I think I might do a post on it. Soungs like it might be kinda interesting. Tee Hee!) but rather, something that could be slightly contraversial. So, here we go!


Alrighty, so, this all started when I went to go see the Watchmen. I haven't read the comic, but that doesn't really matter to me much anyway. Went to see it, thought it was ok and could have dealt a little less with the sex than what it did. Overall, I think I might end up buying it. One day, that is when I can afford to. This began a series of events that led from one thing to another and to the idea for this post. Turning books in to movies! Woot!

I love it when directors and writers and such decide to take a book and turn it into a movie. What a great way to show the ideas of the books. Though, there is something that is SO FREAKING ANNOYING.

Example A: Twilight
Example B: Harry Potter
Example C: The Watchmen

With all of these three examples I have heard complaints about the movie.

"That wasn't even in the book!"
"That's NOT what he's supposed to be like."
"She so didn't do that right. What a horrible actress."
"They didn't finish that scene."
"The completely didn't even put an important character in! They're so stupid."

I hate it when people do that....

What some people don't really realise is that the movie IS NOT supposed to be identical to the book. In many cases, somethings that happen in the book are not really possible to do in a movie. Another thing is that everyone has their own ideas and opinions about the book and that cannot be perfectly portrayed to suit the thoughts of each individual person.

So don't complain! There's no true reason for it. The movies are BASED off of the book for a reason... Not so that it acurately depics the book in second by second action. That would be far too difficult for someone to do. As I see it, a movie based on a book is to capture certain characteristics in people, certain events that happen, recreate certain feelings that the book gives you; it is meant to teach you the same thing the book teaches you, but in a different format and a slightly different setting.

In short. STOP COMPLAINING!!

I Want To Leave You, But I Just...Can't

Notice how reliant we are upon technology now? It would be very difficult for those of us who live in first world countries (Sorry, 'developed nations' to be politically correct) to be able to survive without the technology we have. Not only the cell phones, and computers or internet, but the technology used to farm or build houses and such things necessary to survival.

One thing that bugs the crap outta me is when people say, "I literally would die without my music/phone." COME ON PEOPLE! THE WORLD IS NOT GOING TO SAY "Oh, she/he has no music anymore, time for a giant wolf to come eat them." No! That's not the way things work. Yes, phones, internet and mp3's are great sources of entertainment, information and good for communication, but it's not something that we should base our life on. (Says the girl that spends nearly four hours on her cell phone, iPod and laptop combined. o.O I feel like a giant hypocrite, but atleast I know I won't die without them. I just like using them.)

Although, there are many times that I feel like I spend FAR too much time online or just on my laptop in general. I wish I didn't spend so much time, because then I would be able to do a better job studying or working on things for class or writing or painting or reading. Something else that gets me off and away from my computer. I just can't seem to do it. I've tried, but then I feel so detached from the communities that I am a part of online that I jump right back in and sometimes deeper than what I was originally. It's just so hard to leave no matter how much I want to. Sometimes I feel almost inhuman using technology so much. It's like I don't get enough time with something natural or another person.

I have some friends that also feel the same way. That they spend too much time on the computer. And sometimes, we talk about how much we don't want to be on the computer, talking on MSN.... And here I post about not wanting to be on the computer, sitting on my bed posting on an online blog. I feel like such a HUGE hypocrite.

I know it's easy and it's something to do, but why do some people feel so inable to seperate technology and themselves. It's like a hunk of metal and plastic has fused itself into their soul and does everything it can to seperate them. You WILL NOT DIE if you don't have your cell phone for a day. Even though you feel that you will, you won't. Just because your "life" revolves around a cell phone or an mp3 or a computer, doesn't mean that's all that can hold any importance in your life. Personally, if something holds that much meaning to you, you can't have any sort of real human relationship, because technology (in one way or another) will get in your way.

Now, time to rant on something else that bugs me...

It's On The Kill: Stress!

Stress is not a very good thing. It is possible that it can take some of your life away. That is, corresponding to the different types of stress that are present. Whether academic, work related, social, friends, family, personal, internal, external, it all depends on what the source of the stress is. For me, it seems to be a good combination of lots of different things.

I hate stress. I sometimes have a hard time dealing with stress and then slowly degrade until I can't really functionally do anything. Which, in turn, just makes things all the more worse for me. Or, I simply give up and let things decline, until I realise that I have to pull things together in order to actually put something in to it.

There is alot of stress going on right now. And, I can't process it all at once. There is far too much going on that I can't handle dealing with it all at one time. I will simply leave aside the stuff that I can leave aside and carry on with what NEEDS to be carried on.

You do not need to tell me some destressing tips, I know them. I try them and they help. They don't solve the problems, but they help. Anyway, that itself, let out some stress for me. Just a little bit, but it helped none the less.

New posts coming soon! So look out!

Sharkbait, Oh Ah Ah

( Name From "Finding Nemo")

Alright, so this post will be a little bit interesting. It is my responce to an e-mail "petition" that is being circulated. I received it from a member in the family. At the end is supposed to be the list of people signing the petition. But that is being left out of this blog, but in the e-mail itself. Keep in mind that this is copied from what I had sent in the e-mail and I have not edited it.

SIGN the PETITION, SAY NO and Send it around. On the island of Réunion it has been recently found that dogs are being used as live shark bait. The Fishermen (Fishermen My ASS) round up the dogs and tie its legs up with wire then put i hook through its nose. If you have a heart you'll pass this on... these little guys need your help!! how can u say no?

(This is not part of the original e-mail that is being sent around.)

You probably don't know me. I, just about guarunteed, don't know you. Listen to me for a second and then you can make your opinion.

Let me ask you a question. How many of you actually looked this up on the internet to see if it was true or not? Hm? Not too many, I would presume. E-mails like this spread like viruses and few people will take the time to read up on the information contained. Some of you, are not at the age where you can even understand what the situation itself is. Some of you have said that it is selfish to hurt the cats and dogs in this way. But what you don't realise is that is YOUR opinion! Did you know that there are so many cats and dogs on this island that they are treated like vermin, for the most part? Having a dog on this island is comparable to having a Degu (a breed of rat that is a "specialty" pet here in Canada) in Italy or rabbits in Australia. People in those places do NOT have the same views that you do! Please, take that into consideration. Who are YOU to tell someone how THEY should THINK and BELIEVE. You have absolutely no right to do that. And if I were a mean person, I would shame all who wrote comments condeming those peoples' behaviors.

Now, to finish with my last point. For those of you who, by random chance, actually looked this story up on the internet (on reliable sources that is), the people who have been using cats and dogs for sharkbait are the "rogue" fishermen. The ones that don't give a d**n what they do, they just want to catch the sharks anyway they can. For those men, an easy way is to use what is redily available and there is an abundant supply of. Dun, da dada! Which just happens to be, cats and dogs. Wonderful how that works isn't it? This practise is also NOT widely used and NOT a common practice.

Finally, condemn this practice as much as you want. Sign this little e-mail "petitions." You won't make any significant impact. You merely show others that you are...condemning the practice. Many people do and many people don't. But this is NOT the proper way to speak out for animal rights. This is the lazy, almost, cover my ass way. Someone can ask you, "Do you support animal rights and if so, how have you stood up for those rights?" And you would say something along the lines of, "Oh yes! There was this one time that I signed an online petition to save the little dogs and cats." Wow, great to know you care, but that does NOTHING to help the cats and dogs. Go to the Animal Rescue League (my prefered between the League and the SPCA, because the League is bigger here and I work with cats from there) or the SPCA and donate your time. Money is always needed, but someone needs to be there to give the dogs a little bit of hope that someone will love them.

Next time, something like this is presented to you. The FIRST thing you should do, is research! Make sure what is being said is true. Secondly, look at the geographical issues that are surrounding that information. (The political (power), environmental (nature), economic (money) and social (people)aspects. As well as location, location, LOCATION.) Then, make the decision to sign or not to sign.

If you would like to read more about dogs and cats being used as sharkbait and the ideas and issues surrounding it, check out National Geographic. They have a really good article on it. But, make sure to read both pages.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1019_051019_dogs_sharks.html