lpsd v3.5

looking for baudrillard, boorstin, or eco?

dare to hope for what is good
instead of what is merely good enough.

Dead in sin | Saved by grace | Living in hope | Walking by faith | Surviving on a prayer

+ sola scriptura + sola gratia + solus Christus + sola fide + sola Deo gloria +

dimanche, novembre 23, 2008

The days are moving swifter now, and it is a strange feeling, not being able to really keep up with everything that's happening. Not that I'm not on top of things; the strange difference is that I feel off-centre at best. There is a tilting - not quite unbalanced, but... at the cusp of something. The difference between then and now is the weight of things that are on my figurative desk now - things to think about that have a deeper import than just mindless paper-pushing, or the mundane.

I am reluctant to pick these bigger toys up.

Libellés : thinking

[The days are moving swifter, now]
Sngs Alumni @ 23.11.08 { 0 comments }

samedi, novembre 22, 2008

The Twilight Saga: A Review of the End of Two Days of Reading

I've just finished the fourth (and latest) book in Meyer's Twilight Saga, and I have to say that the fourth book rather redeemed the first three.

This review is mostly toxic spoiler-free. I'd rank it a 2/10 for spoiler danger - some revelations, but not enough to spoil much.

[Broad Strokes: Meyer's Twilight Saga]
After getting through the first two-and-a-half books, I was rapidly getting tired of the extended foreplay between the two characters - nothing risque, just UST at its utter best. Think Buffy-Angel Season 1 and 2, drawn out in three books. That the utter longing that these two characters had for each other was the main thing driving the plot - and you can see why it does grate after a while. Sort of like how you probably wouldn't be able to stomach two friends staring mooney-eyed at each other just because they're in love - it's just tiring when you're all out for a night in town.

But I digress. The fourth book redeemed the first three - or condemed them, if you want to look at it the other way around. The writing isn't much better - but then again, I feel that Meyer really wasn't putting much effort into the first two books. What stands out is that for the first time in her novels, I feel that she's trying for depth, rather than simply writing whatever she feels like.

[The Plot: Written into a Corner]
The turning of Bella, the dumb love triangle, eventual imprinting (which I so totally called once Bella conceived) were all cheap wish-fulfilment fantasies typed out and given life in print. I gave Meyer a pass on the way that the plot turned out - she's written herself into a corner, and she has to deal with the materials that she's churned out.

I didn't enjoy reading about the confrontation with the Volturi - but my discomfort was ironically pleasurable reading because it's quite rare for me to be so completely tense about the outcome of a fictional confrontation. It's also somewhat ironic that this effect of good writing (that the reader completely immerses himself into the story) is due to Meyer's bad writing style and lack of consistency - she's shown very little planning on back stories and plot arcs.

I am suspicious of the ending though - younger readers may not share my doubt, but it presents yet another conundrum to this new Twilight Saga reader. The end leaves me with the question - are we going to witness more growth in Meyer as an author, or are we simply going to see this series descend into pretentious chaos?*

Without giving too many details, Breaking Dawn was sewn up a little too neatly for my taste. The only time this was done before was in Book 1 (Twilight) - which felt like "the end" for Meyer's little foray into writing. Book 2 (New Moon) and Book 3 (Eclipse) always ended on a minor cliffhanger. The end of Book 4 felt rather final - except for the inclusion of the Vampire Index at the end of the novel, which could be read as a suggestion that Meyer is finally taking her little writing project seriously enough to give it a bit more history than normal.

I'm quite certain that her usual readers are not particularly pleased with her latest novel - there was some character development, which generally distresses pre-teen and young adult readers. Why do you think Archie comics have stayed the same all these years? With the introduction of so many new covens - Meyer went global with her character choices - I'm not sure if she'll be able to control her plot in the next book. Back stories upon back stories upon layers of back stories could be written on - but Meyer's core audience will not follow her there, because they've gotten all that they've wanted - and a baby to boot.

[Conclusion: Tread Carefully, Meyer]
Meyer definitely has to walk carefully - she cannot afford to alienate the core base of her loyal fans, but the romance and honeymoon are both literally and figuratively over for her characters - the question is: how much further can she take the Twilight Saga without moving forward into marriage, which is (dare I call it) a rather alien concept to her tweenage base? The series reads like a fanfic that took over the world, with no end of sappiness in sight.

Perhaps I'm not giving her enough credit. I am stacking the cards where they are: end of UST plot arc, add the baby, plus character development, a dash of author development, with a side of depth and history - I have a feeling that Meyer's freaking out over where she wants to bring this.

[*ETA: Amazon lists this as the "final instalment" of the Twilight Saga, which I didn't know, and haven't found definitive proof of yet. I did not know this when I wrote this, so read it as such.]

Libellés : books, writing

[The Twilight Saga: A Review of the End of Two Days of Reading]
Sngs Alumni @ 22.11.08 { 0 comments }

mercredi, novembre 19, 2008

Twilight: Buffy-Angel redux

From nothing to read, there's suddenly Paolini's third installment of the Inheritance Series, as well as Stephanie Meyer's Twilight books. I've never been so grateful for e-books as I am today.

I'm in the middle of Meyer's first Twilight book (apologies to skinnydrummer, I know I'm supposed to be reading Brisinger now but I gotta revise Eldest first, and Paolini's writing is getting worse!), and the writing's not as annoying as I thought it would be - for teen fiction, you know. However, it's definitely not as tight as the Vampire Queen herself, Anne Rice - but then again, it's teen fiction. I'm a little bit disappointed that halfway through the book still hasn't emerged a good vampire mythology, but there's still more than a hundred pages to go, and in media res has just gotten off the ground.

The usual high school shenanigans, the forbidden love, the ageless vampire, and a snazzy movie poster - I think we're seeing Angel II in the making here! Keep an eye out for Robert Pattinson - while I keep my eye on Angel All Growed Up, aka Booth.

Libellés : books, television

[Twilight: Buffy-Angel redux]
Sngs Alumni @ 19.11.08 { 1 comments }

samedi, novembre 15, 2008

A lifetime of kopi conversations

"christian stuff = more pastoral care / practical + applicable theology than divinity ... a wealth of lore and love for a lifetime of kopi conversations"

This is what a good friend of mine told me in an MSN conversation about half a year ago, and I've kept it in storage for a while as I mulled over what he felt he wanted to contribute to the Christian dialogue.

It's true that we Christians need to stand up and speak out a lot more about our faith. It's not that we have to make the Gospel practical - like God needs our help to make His timeless message relevant *snort* - but it's just that so many of us don't live life like God's at the centre of it all. It's an ugly, awful truth about ourselves, but there you have it, without the sugar and cream and cherry on top.

We're supposed to be living examples of applicable theology, and instead, so many of us are waffling about in the shallow end of the baby pool, afraid and ashamed to plunge right in.

Yes, we need to talk more about Jesus and about God.
Yes, we need to live out our faith a little louder.
Yes, we need to be pastoral in all that we do.

My question to him is the same that I pose to all: how? (Ask me out for a kopi conversation to talk about this :D)

Libellés : christian, church, thinking

[A lifetime of kopi conversations]
Sngs Alumni @ 15.11.08 { 0 comments }

jeudi, novembre 13, 2008

She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy

by Kenny Chesney, who's just won country music 'Entertainer of the Year' award for the fourth time in five years.

Country music's really, really fun!

Libellés : music

[She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy]
Sngs Alumni @ 13.11.08 { 0 comments }

mercredi, novembre 12, 2008

old blogger code 12 nov 2008

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<title>lpsd v3.5</title>

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<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
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<td align="right"><br><br><br><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperreality" target="_blank" title="Opens another window into wikipedia entry for 'Hyperreality'">looking for baudrillard, boorstin, or eco?</a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top" bgcolor="#990000">
<td><br><div align="center" class="smalltitle">dare to hope for what is good<br>instead of what is merely good enough.<br></div>
<div align="center" class="Title"><a href="http://www.hyperreality.blogspot.com" title="go to lpsd v3.5. Version numbers change when I write completely new templates. Modifying templates gets a change in one decimal point.">lpsd v3.5</a></div>
<div align="center" class="smalltitle">Dead in sin | Saved by grace | Living in hope | Walking by faith | Surviving on a prayer<br><br><br></div>
</td>
</tr>

<tr valign="top" bgcolor="#990000">
<td align="center" class="latin">+ sola scriptura + sola gratia + solus Christus + sola fide + sola Deo gloria +</td>
</tr>

</table>



<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
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<td width="75%"> <br>
<blogger>
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<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="15" cellpadding="0">


<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">
<p class="BlogSidebarTitle">+ moi +</p>
<p class="BlogSidebar" align="right">F/27/travaillant et<br>étudiant à temps partiel<br>
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.google.com/calendar/render?cid=mayann%40gmail.com"><img src="http://www.google.com/calendar/images/ext/gc_button1_en-GB.gif" border=0></a>
</td>
</tr>



<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right" class="daily.verse">
<p class="BlogSidebarTitle">+ daily.verse +</p>
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http://www.biblegateway.com/votd/votd.write.callback.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="http://www.biblegateway.com/votd/get?format=json&version=31&callback=BG.votdWriteCallback"></script>
<noscript><iframe framespacing="0" frameborder="no" src="http://www.biblegateway.com/votd/get?format=html&version=31">View Verse of the Day</iframe></noscript></td></p>
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<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">
<p class="BlogSidebarTitle">+ les liens +</p>
<p class="BlogSidebarBlogs" align="right">
<a href="http://trbcyouth.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[<sup>blog</sup>trbc]</a>
<a href="http://www.xebell.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[ade<sup>tan</sup>]</a>
<a href="http://kittyrong.livejournal.com" target="_blank">[airong]</a>
<a href="http://www.thedepthsofshallowness.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[a<sup>ang</sup>]</a>
<a href="http://unadulteratedleen.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[aileen]</a>
<a href="http://papergestures.wordpress.com" target="_blank">['ann]</a>
<a href="http://vinenbranches.livejournal.com" target="_blank">[ben<sup>yeo</sup>]</a>
<a href="http://hefirstloved.livejournal.com" target="_blank">[ben+yimei]</a>
<a href="http://vivadiva.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[bev<sup>p</sup>]</a>
<a href="http://porkchopbunns.livejournal.com" target="_blank">[bunny]</a>
<a href="http://erodite.livejournal.com" target="_blank">[C.Kam]</a>
<a href="http://camelliatan.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[Camellia]</a>
<a href="http://crazycheesefactory.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[celesta]</a>
<a href="http://pigletyme.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[chloe]</a>
<a href="http://cornball.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[cornball]</a>
<a href="http://www.bullettothehead.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[daniel FR]</a>
<a href="http://www.chochosan.multiply.com" target="_blank">[dims]</a>
<a href="http://www.amaku-shizuka.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[elaine]</a>
<a href="http://www.evan-essence.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[evangeline]</a>
<a href="http://evolue.blogs.friendster.com/euloveblog/" target="_blank">[eunice leow]</a>
<a href="http://ditzydiva.multiply.com" target="_blank">[eunice soh]</a>
<a href="http://twelve12stones.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[ft]</a>
<a href="http://www.polarbearkoalapanda.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[gogo]</a>
<a href="http://shoutingmemories.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[hyunn]</a>
<a href="http://www.waltzoflife.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[I-V]</a>
<a href="http://jaeswickedworld.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[jae]</a>
<a href="http://darkred.multiply.com" target="_blank">[jason w]</a>
<a href="http://www.jazzymoo.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[jazzymoo]</a>
<a href="http://www.jt2master.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[jemTiong]</a>
<a href="http://www.jerming.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[jerming]</a>
<a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/fortuity" target="_blank">[jing]</a>
<a href="http://www.livejournal.com/~misskuek" target="_blank">[jo-anne]</a>
<a href="http://im_loving_it.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[juian]</a>
<a href="http://www.jljl.wordpress.com" target="_blank">[julian]</a>
<a href="http://literaffair.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[kimmeeee]</a>
<a href="http://www.strangeknight.wordpress.com" target="_blank">[leon]</a>
<a href="http://www.livejournal.com/~lolitapop" target="_blank">[lolitapop]</a>
<a href="http://nameyourmultiply.multiply.com" target="_blank">[marcus wang]</a>
<a href="http://thecurlymonster.livejournal.com" target="_blank">[mai HS]</a>
<a href="http://www.marklim.multiply.com/journal" target="_blank">[mark lim]</a>
<a href="http://www.ayenforjapan.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[meiyen]</a>
<a href="http://www.candy-lici0us.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[minghui]</a>
<a href="http://paikiapeng.blogs.friendster.com/paikiapengs_homecourt" target="_blank">[p.k.]</a>
<a href="http://www.praisie.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[praisie]</a>
<a href="http://www.superpoorox.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[puden]</a>
<a href="http://www.i-am-sambang.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[puchuan]</a>
<a href="http://www.contradixion.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[qy]</a>
<a href="http://serenanalogy.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[serena]</a>
<a href="http://walkthedead.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[sharon]</a>
<a href="http://shezzarules.blogs.friendster.com" target="_blank">[sherryn]</a>
<a href="http://www.shadowfaq.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[shi'en]</a>
<a href="http://www.indulge--mi.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[shuhui]</a>
<a href="http://www.skinnytwit.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[skinnydrummer]</a>
<a href="http://soaps.blogdrive.com" target="_blank">[soaps]</a>
<a href="http://stan701.multiply.com" target="_blank">[stan]</a>
<a href="http://whatspace.net/blog/" target="_blank">[stee]</a>
<a href="http://www.musicalstarzboi.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[titus]</a>
<a href="http://www.hahahihaveablogtoo.blogspot.com" target="_blank">[weilong]</a>
<a href="http://www.xanga.com/Yimei" target="_blank">[yimei]</a>
<a href="http://kiramethyst.multiply.com" target="_blank">[zhizhen]</a>
<br><br>

<a href="http://mayann.deviantart.com" target="_blank" title="me@deviantArt">[me@deviantArt]</a><br>
<a href="http://livejournal.com/users/soapdinosaur" target="_blank" title="Blog@rt">[me@livejournal]</a><br>
<a href="http://youtube.com/profile?user=arbitrarysign" target="_blank" title="me@YouTube">[me@YouTube]</a><br>
<a href="http://hyperreality.multiply.com" target="_blank" title="me@Multiply">[me@Multiply]</a><br></p>
<br>
</td>
</tr>



<tr>
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<p class="BlogSidebarTitle">+ cBlox +</p>

<div align="right" id="cboxdiv">
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</td>
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<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">
<p class="BlogSidebarTitle">+ before i die +</p>
<p class="BlogSidebar" align="right">
Lake Tahoe<br>
Teach ESL<br>
Borobudor<br>
Laos<br>
Boro Boro<br>
<strike>Cambodia (Ankor Wat)</strike><br>
Taj Mahal<br>
Great Ocean Road<br>
Maldives to DIVE!<br>
Great Barrier Reef to DIVE!<br>
CERN<br>
RAND<br>
Christmas Island<br>
See a penguin in the wild<br>
</p>
<p class="BlogSidebar" align="right">
<img src="http://www.world66.com/community/mymaps/worldmap?visited=VAFRCHNLCNMYEGDEJPITUSNZLUAUVNUKTHPHSGID" width="200"><br/>
<a href="http://www.world66.com/community">make ur own map!</a>
</p>
<br>
</td>
</tr>



<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">
<p class="BlogSidebarTitle">+ credits +</p>
<p class="BlogSidebar" align="right">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com" target="_blank"><img alt="blog by pyra labs's blogger" src="http://thumbs.fotopic.net/710019000890.jpg "border="0"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.sitemeter.com" target="_blank"><img alt="site stats by sitemeter" src="http://thumbs.fotopic.net/712019000890.jpg" border="0"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.getfirefox.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Get Firefox!" title="Get Firefox!" src="http://sfx-images.mozilla.org/affiliates/Buttons/80x15/white_1.gif"/></a><br></p>

<br>
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<tr>
<td valign="top" align="right">
<p class="BlogSidebarTitle">+ archives +</p>
<p class="BlogSidebar" align="right"><BloggerArchives><a href='<$BlogArchiveLink$>'><$BlogArchiveName$></a><br></BloggerArchives></p>
<br>
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<p class="copyright" align="center"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/" target="_blank"><img src="http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.png" border="0"></a>
<p class="copyrightbold" align="center">[lpsd 2003-2008.]</p>
<p class="copyright" align="center">this site is governed by the <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/" target="_blank">creative commons deed</a>.
<br>email to soapdinosaur at gmail dot com for permission to cite.</p>

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[old blogger code 12 nov 2008]
Sngs Alumni @ 12.11.08 { 0 comments }

mardi, novembre 11, 2008

Chance of rain?!?

I was reading The Onion before returning to the Google News page, and I thought I was hallucinating when the weather report in Atlanta was the first item on the news menu - and covered by 166 news agencies around the world!

It's probably a blip on Google News; it's gone now. Strange, innit?

Libellés : technology

[Chance of rain?!?]
Sngs Alumni @ 11.11.08 { 0 comments }

Phoenix Mars Lander: "Triumph" (then nothing...)

01010100 01110010 01101001 01110101 01101101 01110000 01101000

That was the last transmission before the Lander went dark. Dust storms on Mars had apparently obscured the solar panels so much that the batteries were running low on juice. Looks like they completely ran out.

The message is intriguing: it reads: "Triumph". Are aliens taking us on a ride?

I know NASA's always been controversial in politics, with funding issues and ROIs being debated all the time, but you can't put a dollar value on exploration and excitement of this sort!

Phoenix launched on 4 Aug 2007 and touched down 25 May 2008 (long trip!). Its initial mission life was supposedly only three months (till August 2008), but it was been working overtime before being thwarted by seasonal changes on the Red Planet.

Libellés : current affairs, technology, travel

[Phoenix Mars Lander: "Triumph" (then nothing...)]
Sngs Alumni @ 11.11.08 { 1 comments }

Waking Life - Schuyler Fisk and Dave Bassett (lyrics)

There's an anger that's pulling on my heart
And it's deep in the water
But it can't take me down
Chasing faces with fingers and we're just the same as we were
Just our eyes never found what I see now

That my feet are on the ground
Cos I'm not lost,just looking for footprints
I'm taking it a step at a time
I'm getting by, by the way.
So it's you on my mind
You on my mind

Here comes the night pulling puppet strings on my heart again
Shows me all this time I've been blind to this waking life
Now I see it everywhere

Cos I'm not lost, just looking for footprints, yeah,
And I'm taking it a day at a time
I'm getting by, by the way
You're still on my mind
You're still on my mind

I can't see you but
I know you're here
I know you're here
I know you're here

I'm not lost, just looking for footprints
I'm taking it one step at a time
I'm gettingby, by the way

I'm not lost, just looking for puppets
And I"m taking it one step at a time
I'm getting by

You're still on my
Oh you're still on my mind
You're still on my mind
Oh you're still on my mind
Oh you're still on my mind

If you've not watched "Penelope" - watch with an open mind and no expectations. It's like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Libellés : movies, music

[Waking Life - Schuyler Fisk and Dave Bassett (lyrics)]
Sngs Alumni @ 11.11.08 { 0 comments }

dimanche, novembre 02, 2008

So you think you like dance? Check the dance burn on YouTube

You'll love (or hate) this real-life Step Up 2 challenge that was being waged on YouTube between John Chu & Adam G. Sevani (director and actor in Step Up 2 respectively), and Miley Cyrus & Mandy Jiroux (of the Miley and Mandy Show, obviously not really widely available in this part of the world).

Chu/Adam came up with a real ball-buster of a challenge video: outright and in-your-face, and dedicated to M&M (or maybe Eminem?) to boot.

Check it:

It's a little bit of a pity that the video's so lo-fi, but I suppose they wanted it to be raw, and really shot on an iPhone (or something similar).

Of course the girls wouldn't stand for it, and took the party to the ... binary, I suppose. Since A/C had already declared the rules as "There Are No Rules", they engaged none other than Channing Tatum, the totally lanky/hot guy who was in Step Up, and made a guest appearance in Step Up 2.

Their video was definitely more slick than A/C's, with loads more editing, and definitely better lighting (being that lights kind of make or break a video), and flipped the proverbial bird back at the boys.

The boys shot a salvo back with their 2nd video: "This is just the beginning," Chu teases. I particularly enjoyed their improper use of a facial steamer (!!!) to announce Sevani's entrance!

Wired.com writes that this response is sorta like a game of "our Rolodexes are more stocked than yours", since it features appearances by Amanda Bynes, Chris Brown, Adam Sandler, Lindsay Lohan (woah), and even Diana Ross (!!!)

Bad form with the use of Miley Cyrus' "Nobody's Perfect" right in the centre, and Chris Rice screaming "Step yo game up!" - very nasty smoke!

By this time, the whole thing's garnered enough traction to make executives and advertisers sit up - so of course, it moves to you know, regular TV, in the form of a parody dance-off between Mike Myers and Chris Brown (LiLo is also in attendance.) And well, as far as MTV can be considered "regular tv".

MTV Shows

Yeah, I thought the stomach roll thing was kinda gross too.

The latest response from the girls is a nice purple haze:

I don't know about having Carson Daly in the mix though!

I guess this is what young stars do for fun: pick fights with other young stars about how long their little black books stretch.

All's well that ends well: with a live dance-off at MTV's Teen Choice Awards, of course. I only hope that this started off as a spontaneous challenge, and not one of those lonelygirl15 scams.

Libellés : movies, music, television

[So you think you like dance? Check the dance burn on YouTube]
Sngs Alumni @ 2.11.08 { 0 comments }

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