Never Trust Anyone in Meat-themed Clothing...

Hey Lady Gaga! How about we don't play a Love Game! Sound good? And while you're at it, can you like... get changed? Most people wear clothing, and last time I checked, meat was food. Kay? Thanks.

Hope my biting, bitter sarcasm wasn't too much there. I'm usually a very sweet person. ^_^ Methinks so, at the least.

Anyways. Today's post is about (you guessed it) LOVE!!! Of course, I could go on and on and on about this, but I'm gonna focus on a single issue. And it goes by the name of FLIRTING. Yeah. Goooood times, right? Okay class, let's begin!

So flirting has been an issue for several of my friends right now, and I feel like it needs to be addressed. And my BFF/big sister Janine has already written an amazing post on true love, which contains some text on flirting, which I'm totally in favor of you checking out! (http://www.janineminichini.blogspot.com/ If you're interested.) She really got me thinking about the flirting thing, mainly because of the way it was worded.

Before I get too deep into this, just a head's up: I'm a Catholic Christian. I believe in chastity. And I believe in respecting human dignity. So if you have an issue with any of the above, you might want to hold onto your hat. (And if you're wearing a particularly trendy hat, you may want to send me one. Because I am a major fan of British/Irish lookin' things, so if you have one...) I'm sharing my opinion and hoping that you, the reader, will be able to either relate or learn something from it. GO AMERICA! WOOT, FREEDOM OF SPEECH! YEAH! *sigh* I love Constitutional rights.

Flirting. What is it? Here's what Dictionary.com says...

1. to court triflingly or act amorously without serious intentions; play at love; coquet.
2. to trifle or toy, as with an idea: She flirted with the notion of buying a sports car.
3. to move with a jerk or jerks; dart about: butterflies flirting from flower to flower.

So you're either a) acting in a manner that suggests you are attracted to a person but have no serious intentions, b) toying with someone or an idea, or c) jerking back and forth like a spaz. I am going to assume that most of you selected either 'a' or 'b'; if you chose 'c', I would recommend a visit to your doctor. Now that we have definined what is means to flirt, let's ask the big questions...

Is there anything right or wrong with flirting? After all, people do it all the time.
Yes and no. There is nothing wrong with letting someone know you're interested. And naturally, when you are attracted to a person, you behave in a certain manner. I highly doubt that you chew with your mouth open around someone you think is cute. (Because that would just be weird...) The problem is when we reduce someone to an object for our sensual and sexual pleasure. I'm not saying you're sleeping with this person, or that you're making out, or anything like that. But flirting is a problem when you use it for any of the following:

- For the sole purpose of boosting your confidence. (When I'm with him, he makes me feel good about myself.)

- As an outlet for sexual desires and pleasures. (I feel like I have butterflies in my stomach whenever we touch.)

- One does not recognize the human dignity of the other person. (I don't plan on dating her, but she's cute and I don't see anything wrong with flirting with her. Doesn't she realize I don't want to get in a relationship?)

- Have ulterior motives. (I want to get on her good side, because I want ___.)

- Are purposefully using someone 'for the fun of it'. (Can you believe I convinced him that I would consider dating him? Unbelievable.)

These are just a few examples and a few possible motives one might have for flirting.

I'm honestly interested in him/her. What's wrong with flirting?
Nothing... and everything. If you find that you fall into any of the categories above, you might have a problem. Because here's the thing about love...

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. IT'S ABOUT THE OTHER PERSON. YOU MUST GIVE LOVE IF YOU EVER HOPE TO RECEIVE IT.

Hard to wrap your mind around, especially in today's day and age. There is nothing wrong with talking with someone you're interested in, or doing something nice for them. But of course, there are wrong ways to flirt.

Wrong ways? Right ways? What do you mean?
Take a look at this.

~ Physical Contact
* Right Way - You're good friends, or at least you've known each other for awhile now. He says goodbye, you give each other a quick hug, and you leave. You hang around one another but do not invade anyone's personal space.
* Wrong Way - You are constantly hugging, holding hands, or even exchanging more serious gestures, even though you are not committed to a relationship. One of you, or both of you, are perfectly comfortable with being extremely close to the other.

~ Talking (In Person)
* Right Way - You get to know each other. Sometimes you playfully tease each other, but that's it. You're interested in his/her day, you want to know his/her interests, and you exchange stories. You are more often than not in a group.
* Wrong Way - You're more interested in flirting than getting to know each other. You are constantly exchanging banter. It is not uncommon for one of you to hint towards sex or sexual pleasures. You are often alone, which sometimes leads to more physical contact.

~ Talking (via Internet, phone, etc.)
* Right Way - As mentioned before, you get to know each other. You have a back-and-forth conversation that is free of any inappropriate content. You learn more about the other person and share things about yourself.
* Wrong Way - You discuss inappropriate things, such as sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. You use this as an opportunity to put other people down and/or gossip. You purposefully drop names or say something that you hope will make the other jealous or have a response. You have no intentions of leading the conversation anywhere besides teasing one another, since you plan on dumping him/her in the future anyhow, since you are more preoccupied with what you're feeling than the person.

Of course, there's probably a million other ways to flirt. But the main idea is that you must recognize that he/she is a person with human dignity, and deserves respect. Using people for your own gain is not fair to you or the other person.

What do you mean by 'human dignity'? Why is this important? And don't my feelings still matter?
Obviously, the good Lord gave you your emotions for a reason. Sometimes they can be a stumbling block, but they often enable us to make good decisions and develop as people. Your feelings do matter. If you aren't attracted to a person, you obviously should not be in a relationship/attempting a relationship with this person. HOWEVER, within the sacrament of marriage or in a serious relationship, you may not always feel 'happy' around your significant other. This is NORMAL. We often become frustrated with our families and friends. Surely we are not as enthralled with their presence as we were when they were new friends, or when our families are getting on our nerves. But within the sacrament of marriage, you and your spouse have been united in the eyes of Christ, and that is not something that can be reversed. However, outside of marriage, it is natural for couples to get together and to break up. While emotions are important indicators, it is key that we recognize that LOVE IS NOT AN EMOTION. And sometimes, you need to love someone to do what's best for them, although it seems inconvenient or upsetting to you.

As we are all made in the image of God, we all have human dignity. We are priceless. We are children of God. We are princes and princesses, heirs to the throne. We are soldiers on the battle field, fighting for Christ (and sometimes, dealing with the battle within). Jesus died on a cross not just for you, but for everyone, and that includes the person you might be flirting with! Remember that Christ is inside him/her next time you see them or speak with them. Remember that it is essential that you respect their dignity and encourage them to respect their own.

"And you said, 'I know that this will hurt, but if I don't break your heart, then things will just get worse. If the burden seems too much to bear, remember the end will justify the pain it took to get us there.' " ~ Relient K, 'Let It All Out'

Yeah, I've been enjoying my sister's new Relient K CD. Got a problem with that? *balls fists* I didn't think so. I threw that last quote in there to give you something to think about. Sometimes, the things in life hurt. But we often have to do things that are painful in order to help someone else. For some, that means backing away from inappropriate flirting, not only for their sake, but for the sake of their interest(s). I am very fond of those lyrics and thought they were worth sharing.

On that note, I should have been in bed ages ago. Good night, Blog-o-sphere.

Rock The Boat! (Not.)

I will never love again.


You hear that?


Yeah... that was the sound of my heart breaking. Not a pleasant sound.


So I waited 550-some days for the premiere of the newest installation of the Narnia films: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It was a dramatic 550 days! Disney dropped the franchise. Fox picked it up. Goodbye Andrew Adamson (*tears up*), hello random-guy-I-forget-your-name-but-you-are-most-definitely-NOT-Andrew. (Andrew directed, BTW.) And worst of all: NO. MORE. HARRY. GREGSON-WILLIAMS. That was a blow. Now they have this random dude who isn't nearly half as cool. And Reepicheep's voice was different! :*( But I kept my hopes up and did not despair! And then they decided to take a hatchet to my childhood memories.


I showed up at the theater with my best friend, my best friend's little brother (who is also now one of my absolute best friends), their mother, and my little sister. We sat together in the movie theater, waiting for the film to begin and for their dad to show up, when out of the blue THEIR COUSINS SHOWED UP. And I LOVE their cousins! (Who are also some of my best friends. ^_^) I nearly died of a heart attack (and only to have my heart torn to bits within the next hour and a half...)! Anyways, we all managed to settle down and get ready for the film. Now, before I describe the slaughter, here's the official pitch.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Upon returning to Narnia to join Prince Caspian for a voyage on the majestic royal vessel known as The Dawn Treader, Lucy, Edmund, and their cousin Eustace encounter merfolk, dragons, dwarves, and a wandering band of lost warriors. As the edge of the world draws near, their remarkable adventure at sea sails toward an exciting, yet uncertain, conclusion.

My Rating: -999,999,999 stars outta 5 (<--- That was slightly melodramatic. From a normal movie standpoint, maybe a 1. From my perspective? Quadruple the aforementioned numeric value, then multipy by infinity.)

My Review: Fox was given the opportunity to make something great. VDT was a well-written book, with loads of action, adventure, and character developement. Anyone who ever read Narnia knows that. But the movie... it was a piece of crap. Why? I'm just getting started.

~ The plot and storyline. Most certainly not in the book. Besides that, it was an awful change. Come on... 'The Green Mist'? Wow. Classy, original, beautiful animation... It was like I was THERE. (I'm rolling my eyes here.) I honestly still don't understand what happened. Something about swords (all of which just magically seemed to fall into people's hands), temptation and all that fun stuff. Except that it wasn't fun. It was confusing and NOT what C.S. Lewis would have wanted.

~ The script itself. The dialogue was beyond awful! It was all forced, all choppy, and the characters all missed the mark. Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes struggled to not drown in the absolute mediocrity of it all, and the only one who did a decent job was Will Poulter, who was at least provided with a few good lines. Reepicheep was all wrong. Ben Barnes didn't even have a Spanish accent, so I guess Prince Caspian must have been hanging out with a bunch of Brits while we were out of Narnia.

~ The music. It suffered. They didn't even salvage the theme from the first two, making the third film feel entirely disconnected from the series. The original theme was only used once or twice, and the new music was so basic that it was like it wasn't even there. It added nothing to the film.

~ The petty fan details. I'm dreading 'The Silver Chair'. Why? Because I know Fox will make it all wrong. Right at the end, when I started to feel the slightest tidbit of emotion, it was ruined. Why? Because of Jill Pole. Don't get me wrong, Jill Pole is awesome, but there it would have been a cold day in hell before Jill Pole would ever visit Eustance Clarence Scrubb previous to The Silver Chair. "Eustace, Jill Pole is here to see you!" *throws dart at movie screen* Ramandu's daughter was a flirt, and reduced Caspian and Edmund to animals. Ramandu wasn't even in the film!!! Random characters were thrown in and pulled out, and it was unclear who was who. Looking back on the movie, I don't remember what even happened...

~ The characterization. I hate to say it but... Georgie and Skandar failed. So did Ben. Ugh. The script gave them nothing, so they struggled to stay afloat. Not to mention that Aslan went from being the epitome of awesome to being a pathetic plot device who was thrown around like a rag doll...

~ The philosophy. This is what gets me going... C.S. Lewis would have hated this movie because it was a complete failure when it came to its themes. Evil was relative in this film: it only existed if you felt like believing in it. It was easy to conquer and never truly materialized or had an effect besides the occasional encounter with temptation. Everything was relative, and C.S. Lewis would have HATED THAT. First off, Lucy was not as obsessed with her beauty in the book. Her random flirt fest with Caspian was bizarre. Second: Reep, stop giving advice to Eustace. You're making it look like this crappy writing is all C.S. Lewis's fault. Stop teaching us wrong. And third: the absolute worst, worst detail that absolute drove me insane was during the big battle scene. The first movie's battle cry of "For Narnia! And for Aslan!" has become world famous. There was a major point in the second film concerning the importance of Aslan (and God) in one's life. Peter is not able to win the battle, much less conquer his faults, when he only cries out for Narnia. The next battle, he announces Aslan's name, and they are victorious. In the new film, there was hardly any mention of Aslan, and He was taken out from the battle cry.

I would not recommend this film unless you're desperate and you've never read the books. Let's just say that my best friend and her mother came out of the theater in tears, because the end of the film had pictures of the book and they couldn't believe that their favorite book had just been butchered. All of my other companions said it was decent and they enjoyed it, but agreed it was poorly written. The decision is yours.

I'm Tangled Up In You

So for my first post, I'm going with something rather lighthearted... a review for Disney's Tangled! ^_^ Next up is my review for VDT (Voyage of the Dawn Treader), which will have loads more weight to it. Anyhow, let's begin!

Tangled

My Rating: 4 stars outta 5

My Review: Apparently Disney wasn't too pleased with their revenue on The Princess and the Frog (which is a darn shame; that movie was one of their best), so now they're turning to the less expensive and more modern 3D animation. In an attempt to up their revenue, the title of the film was changed from 'Rapunzel' to Tangled in order to attract more male viewers. Here's the official pitch...

After receiving the healing powers from a magical flower, the baby Princess Rapunzel is kidnapped from the palace in the middle of the night by Mother Gothel. Mother Gothel knows that the flower's magical powers are now growing within the golden hair of Rapunzel, and to stay young, she must lock Rapunzel in her hidden tower. Rapunzel is now a teenager and her hair has grown to a length of 70-feet. The beautiful Rapunzel has been in the tower her entire life, and she is curious of the outside world. One day, the bandit Flynn Ryder scales the tower and is taken captive by Rapunzel. Rapunzel strikes a deal with the charming thief to act as her guide to travel to the place where the floating lights come from that she has seen every year on her birthday. Rapunzel is about to have the most exciting and magnificent journey of her life.

The previews made the film look oh-kay-ish, so as excited as I was to see the film, I was a little nervous. I was scared that the storyline would be sacrificed for the sake of male humor and a couple million dollars. Who cares about money when you can make ART!?!? Well, apparently Hollywood likes their cash, but we won't get into that discussion. I showed up at the newly renovated theater with my grandmother and three younger sisters. Sitting behind us: a large group of sixth graders. Entirely surrounded by my fellow females, I felt slightly more at ease. The movie started, and I settled down with a smuggled granola bar (cuz who wants to pay $3 for M&M's!?) and got ready to watch.

The beginning was alright. It was fairly funny... I laughed out loud a few times, and decided right then and there that my 3D ticket had been worth the extra cash. (Not because of the 3D effects. In fact, I hated the 3D. But we had to pay an extra few dollars so that we could get to the viewing time we wanted.) And then... we hit the middle of the movie. I laughed, cried, and talked more than any other girl in that theater. The relationship between Flynn and Rapunzel was fantastic. The music was beautiful. And the storyline was GOOD. In fact, if Disney had taken the time to sit down and animate it, it would have been a classic. I was very impressed. The ending was what made the film. But I don't want to give anything away, so I'll keep my mouth shut! I'd highly recommend seeing the film. And now, the Top 5 Reasons I Am Trying To Force All Of My Friends To See Tangled.

1. FLYNN. He's awesome. Besides the fact that he is unbelievably handsome (<--- I just said that in my Prince Naveen voice in my head ^_^), as well as brave, dashing, and charming, he changes so much over the film. It all happens so naturally... I mean, of course it's a tad cheesy, but he's just so adorable, you can't help but love him.

2. RAPUNZEL. I really liked how independent she was, but she still let Flynn be the guy. And she has freckles!!! I am no longer the only person with freckles any more!!! Score.

3. PASCAL/MAXIMUS. Hilarious.

4. THE MUSIC. It was all really cute and/or beautiful and I'm buying the CD.

5. GOTHEL. Awesome, complex villain with a sense of humor.

6. THE MYSTERIOUS SIXTH REASON THAT YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING. *WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS, DO NOT READ UNTIL AFTER VIEWING THE FILM* Like I said, it was the ending that made the movie so sweet. I mean, come on! Flynn nearly died! I started bawling! "You were my new dream..." "And you were mine." I mean, the lines scream 'cheesy', but it was beyond sweet. And my #1 reason for loving that scene: true love. And I'm not talkin' Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and they're beauty rest or whatever. It's the fact that both Rapunzel and Flynn were willing to give everything up for each other, just so that the other might have a chance at living. That was true love right there. It was beautiful. *would insert heart graphic if Blogspot would let me*

I think I've babbled enough, so until next time...